Sorry lil bro, you got a taste of the Rapids way.
What seemed like the impossible and once a historic feat, the Colorado Rapids managed to get their first win of the 2024 Major League Soccer season away on the road against their rivals Real Salt Lake. After a thrilling match that saw the Rapids first go down to Salt Lake, a comeback inspired by a Rafael Navarro penalty before half time and a beautiful strike from homegrown star Cole Bassett in the second half, it was enough to take the three points back to the sunnier side of the Rocky Mountains.
This is the first time the Colorado Rapids have managed to beat Real Salt Lake since August 21st, 2021 and the first time the Rapids defeated Salt Lake in Utah since September 12th, 2020. The 2021 match ended in a 2-1 victory at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park and the 2020 victory was a 5-0 smacking at America First Field.
The Colorado Rapids will look to extend their winning momentum by traveling to Seattle to face off against the Seattle Sounders on March 16th, kickoff scheduled for 1.30pm MT.
The Game Against Real Salt Lake
Formation and Starting XI
The Colorado Rapids made only one change to their starting XI that has gotten it through the first two weeks against Portland Timbers and Nashville SC. Newcomer, Omir Fernandez, saw himself in the starting XI over an in-form Calvin Harris.
Head Coach Chris Armas stayed with his 4-2-3-1 formation which allowed for his side to break through transition and provide a lot more attackers to create chances for forward Rafael Navarro. In goal we saw Zack Steffen start his third game in a row for the Colorado Rapids, and although a slow start to the season having conceded six goals in three games, there have been massive improvements since the first game and has locked down the goal to only one goal conceded in each of the last two games.
The defense was unchanged from their previous two matches with both Sam Vines and captain Keegan Rosenberry playing the fullback positions. Both were able to hold the defense’s shape and provide width in the attack for their trademark crosses and one twos. Andreas Maxso and Moise Bombito partnered up to play the two center backs with Bombito having his best game of the season so far.
The midfield pivot started unchanged with Connor Ronan and Oliver Larraz running the show in the middle of the park. Although we didn’t get to see much of Connor as he had to come off with an apparent injury, the former Rapids 2 midfielder, Oliver Larraz, made the most of this opportunity and showcased his passing abilities. Cole Bassett started at the number 10 position and was able to dictate a lot of the attack going forward for Colorado. Djordje Mihailovic and Omir Fernandez, who gets his first start in Burgundy, played as the attacking wingers. Rafael Navarro once again started as the number 9 for the Rapids.
Jasper Loffelsend came on for an injured Connor Ronan early in the game and made his Rapids debut. After not playing in the previous two matches, and playing 45 minutes against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in a pre-season scrimmage for Rapids 2, the German midfielder got the chance to play for the first team against his former team.
The Colorado Rapids made these substitutions:
- Connor Ronan came out in the 11th minute due to an injury and was replaced by Jasper Loffelsend
- Omir Fernandez came off in the 67th minute for Calvin Harris
- Rafael Navarro came off in the 67th minute for Darren Yapi
- Jasper Loffelsend came off in the 82nd minute for Kevin Cabral
Game Highlights
(Rapids substitutions mentioned above)
1’ – The first edition of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cup is underway!
11’ – Connor Ronan leaves the field with an injury. Replaced by Jasper Loffelsend
19’ – Rafael Navarro attempt is saved
22’ – GOAL! Real Salt Lake opens the scoring early through Emeka Eneli.
40’ – Real Salt Lake defender Bode Hidalgo picks up a yellow card
41’ – Penalty conceded by Emeka Eneli, Real Salt Lake, for a hand ball in the box
43’ – GOAL! Rafael Navarro steps up and slots the penalty away in the bottom right corner
HT | Real Salt Lake 1-1 Colorado Rapids
47’ – Cristian Arango’s, Real Salt Lake, header in the box is saved
53’ – Andre Gomez with a nice run and shot close range narrowly misses
58’ – Jasper Loffelsend, Colorado Rapids, picks up a yellow card
69’ – Cole Bassett’s, Colorado Rapids, effort from outside the box is saved
70’ – GOAL! Cole Bassett’s right footed shot from inside the box finds the back of the net. Rapids lead 2-1.
87’ – A yellow card is shown to Real Salt Lake defender, Brayan Vera
90’+5 – A yellow card is shown to Real Salt Lake midfielder, Diego Luna
FT| Real Salt Lake 1-2 Colorado Rapids
The first edition of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cup is a wrap and what better way to find your first win of the season than to travel next door to your rivals home and get the job done. The win against Real Salt Lake not only marks the first win of the season, but also the first win for Head Coach Chris Armas in charge of the Colorado Rapids. Armas’ record with the Colorado Rapids is now 1-1-1.
A game that brought a lot of intensity, aggression, and plenty of opportunities for both teams; it gave fans of both teams an exciting rivalry match that will expand on the next two times the two Rocky Mountain clubs face off this year. The Colorado Rapids climb up the table in the MLS Western Conference and now sit in a playoff spot in 7th place with 4 points.
Rafael Navarro records his first goal for the Colorado Rapids in the 2024 MLS Campaign. A lot of high expectations for the Brazilian forward, as the club has looked at him to be bringing in the goals.
Cole Bassett was awarded Man of the Match for his performance providing the winning goal for the Rapids but also his presence in the midfield dictating the game and showing how dangerous he is this 2024 MLS season. This match marked Cole Bassett’s 100th regular season appearance.
Moise Bombito put up a defensive masterclass not allowing Cristian Arango, Diego Luna, nor Carlos Gomez to find the back of the net. Winning tackles, closing down the space, and making one crucial clearance in the first half.
Things seem to be turning around for Colorado after their first regular season loss to start off the 2024 MLS season after their 1-4 defeat to Portland on the road. Since then, they have managed to hold opposition to only one goal against in both the Nashville SC game and Real Salt Lake rivalry match. The Rapids under Chris Armas have also found themselves scoring a minimum of one goal per game, with Saturday’s match being the first time they scored more than one, and it paid off.
Head Coach Chris Armas shared his thoughts on the match:
“Tonight’s an important one. To go down on the road, in this game with the pressure we put on ourselves. To come back and then make some adjustments at halftime that we made, we thought we were a little stretched in the first half, that we should have been tighter, launch a few more press moments, and we did that in the second half. Our guys, they clawed back and earned it.”
Now the Colorado Rapids will look to continue that winning momentum and continue to fight to be a competitive side in the MLS Western Conference. This victory not only means a lot to the fans and players, but marking this the first win for Head Coach Chris Armas was special to him and meant a lot to the organization as a whole. Chris was brought in back in November 2023 as the club’s 10th permanent Head Coach with the expectations to rebuild the club following a disastrous 2023 campaign and bring Colorado back to the top of the Western Conference as a competitive side like 2022. When asked what this win means to him and the club, Armas’ response:
“You say it’s my first win. Yes, it is the reality of it, but it’s an important win for our team. They just need validation for the work that they’ve done. They come every day and work so hard. I was gutted for the team, back home, and our fans against Nashville. So, to get this victory, if you can swap them, you might take this one because of the magnitude of the victory that our backs were up against the wall”
(Note: This picture of HC Chris Armas in the press conference IS NOT after the RSL match but after the Nashville SC draw at home)
The Colorado Rapids continue their campaign on this difficult beginning of the 2024 season with their heads high.
What’s Ahead For The Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids will now turn their attention to the match against the Seattle Sounders on March 16th, as it marks the third road game of the season, in just four matches. Hoping to build off the winning momentum, Armas and Co. will look to avenge the side that lost 4-0 at the beginning of the 2023 campaign in Seattle.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1.30 pm MT at Lumen Field.