Player Ratings: Colorado Plays San Jose to Frustrating 1-1 Draw

Commerce City, Colo.- The Rapids returned to MLS play after the international break with a home match against San Jose. Coming into the break, Colorado had some work to be done, giving up two leads and dropping points in the playoff race. 

The match against San Jose was a critical one for Colorado. Donavan Phillip opened the scoring in the 27th minute, before Colorado continued to pile on the pressure with Paxten Aaronson, Sayed Abu Farkhi, and Morgan Whittaker. It could have been 2-0 55 minutes into the match. 

San Jose equalized, and from there, it was anyone’s game. Play finished 1-1. It was a positive result, but a frustrating end to the night. Focus now turns to Wednesday, when the Rapids host Minnesota United. 

Nico Hansen

A much better performance from Hansen this time out. His distribution was more assured, and he commanded his box well. On San Jose’s goal, there wasn’t much to be done. He had a massive save late on as well. 7/10

Reggie Cannon

Cannon has been excellent since the World Cup break. Another solid and consistent performance. In possession, he kept it well, and defended well in dangerous areas of the pitch for San Jose. 6/10

Loic Williams

One goal conceded off a free kick, and there wasn’t much that could have been done. Williams delivered a strong performance, keeping Preston Judd and Timo Werner relatively quiet throughout the match. 6.5/10

Rob Holding 

Holding performed well through 90 minutes. He, and the rest of the Colorado backline were burnt a few times by San Jose’s pacey attack, but the offside trap worked. He showed composure and controlled the tempo. 6/10

Miguel Navarro

One of Navarro’s better performances this year. He defended well in moments of pressure, but got forward, creating a lot of opportunities to put the game away. There were several dangerous crosses that could have ended in the back of the net. 7/10

Josh Atencio 

Another start for Atencio in defensive midfield. He kept the ball, put in strong challenges, and limited San Jose’s forward ability. He was caught out of position a few times, but overall a good performance. Atencio came off in the 83rd minute. 6.5/10

Wayne Frederick 

Frederick was excellent. He seemed to be everywhere in the channels, picking second balls up, progressing play forward, and getting involved in the attack. He was unlucky not to score, hitting the post off a header late on. 8.5/10

Morgan Whittaker

It’s been a positive few weeks for Whittaker. He broke out, scoring two against Seattle, and he’s been close to impacting games. Several chances could have ended up in the back of the net. He could be a little more clinical and decisive at times. 6/10

Paxten Aaronson

Six goal contributions in six games and Aaronson is flying. Since Rafael Navarro’s departure, he’s had a monumental impact for Colorado. Aaronson easily could have added a goal on the night. 8.5/10

Donavan Phillip

A top performance. Counting his St. Lucia stretch, it’s four goals in five games for Phillip. Wells needed wingers to step up and goals to come from somewhere. It’s a brilliant header at the back post, and lately, Phillip has been the provider. He came off in the 60th minute. 9/10 man of the match

Sayed Abu Farkhi

The match became more open for Colorado against San Jose as it went on, which allowed Abu Farkhi to have more of an impact. He checked down into space and created chances going forward. He had a massive one, sliding across the face of the goal late on. Still, the goals have to start coming from somewhere. 6.5/10

Substitutes 

Georgi Minoungou 

Minoungou entered the pitch in the 60th minute for Phillip, but it was a short-lived cameo. He created some chances, and has been playing with a lot of pressure. Wells seemed to be frustrated with his tracking back and subbed him back off in the 83rd. 5.5/10

Keegan Rosenberry, Darren Yapi, Ibrahim Sadiq, and Hamzat Ojediran subbed on too late to be judged fairly 

Matt Wells

Every point matters at this stage of the season for Colorado, and it’s a good point against a quality San Jose side. The frustrating part is that it could have been three points with a little more attacking quality at times. 

Colorado remains in the playoff position. The teams in and around the playoff line also continue to drop points, but the Rapids will want to maintain their position. 

Six games remain. Minnesota, Vancouver, and Chicago are at home, while Portland, San Jose, and Dallas on Decision Day are away. The home matches are critical, and with some more attacking gel, the Rapids will be confident they can secure a playoff berth. 

Wells has this team in the right mindset, despite the past few frustrating weeks. 6/10

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