Missed chances, missed points.
(All pictures in this article courtesy of – Attribution: Scott Hammond (X: @ScottHa89736695)
A high intense match for both the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders saw both teams walk away with just a draw; despite multiple penalty kicks, goalkeeping heroics, and many missed chances for both teams. As the Sounders took an early lead through a Raul Ruidiaz penalty kick, a second half red card for Joshua Atencio allowed the game to open up for the Colorado Rapids and the task for a tactical change from Head Coach Chris Armas unveiled. It wasn’t until the 88th minute that Kevin Cabral, forward for the Rapids, managed to equalize as he pounced off a rebound from a Djordje Mihailovic free kick that was saved by Sounders’ goalkeeper Andrew Thomas.
Last time the Colorado Rapids traveled to Lumen Field to face off against the Seattle Sounders was on MLS Match Day 1 for the 2023 season that saw the Sounders give a 4-0 beating to former Head Coach Robin Fraser’s Colorado Rapids. Brian Schmetzer has never lost to the Colorado Rapids at home, and the first match-up between Schmetzer and Armas (as the Rapids coach) ended in a 1-1 draw. The last time the Colorado Rapids were able to travel to Seattle and beat the Sounders was back in 2015 at CenturyLink Field when Pablo Mastroeni was in charge. The Rapids walked away with a 1-0 win thanks to a late winner by forward Kevin Doyle.
The Colorado Rapids remain unbeaten in their last three games heading back to DICK’s Sporting Goods Park to face off against Houston Dynamo. The three matches were; a draw at home against Nashville SC, a road win against Real Salt Lake, and a road tie against the Seattle Sounders.
The Game Against The Seattle Sounders
Formation and Starting XI
The absence of Connor Ronan due to injury saw Chris Armas play around with the players on who will be playing where, but the Rapids still went on to field the 4-2-3-1 that we have seen for four games in a row now. They began the game with a high intensity high line, winning possession in Seattle’s half, and looking to break the channels by going out wide to the fullbacks who were playing up the field and looking to service in the box. The Rapids fielded four homegrowns in the starting XI.
In goal, Zack Steffen recorded his fourth start of the season for the Rapids, still looking to grab his first clean sheet for the club. Since that first half against the Portland Timbers on Match Day 1, Steffen has been an enormous presence in goal and has only allowed one goal per game in their three game unbeaten streak. Despite conceding at least a goal a game, it is important to note that against Nashville and Seattle the goals scored against the Rapids were from the penalty spot.
The defense has been unchanged all season and the excellence of Moise Bombito in the back has kept the Colorado Rapids in games and has earned him a national team call up for Canada this month for the 2024 Copa America qualifiers against Trinidad & Tobago. Partnering up with Moise Bombito is Andreas Maxso once more, bringing the height and defensive shape that held the line together. The fullbacks saw both Sam Vines and Keegan Rosenberry play out wide and high up the pitch allowing them to service a good cross in and be an extra player in attacking resets. The game marked Keegan Rosenberry’s 145th regular season appearance for the Rapids.
A new double pivot was fielded by Chris Armas to replace the injured Connor Ronan. Oliver Larraz started his fourth game in a row, equaling his most appearances in Major League Soccer when he had four in 2021. Next to Oliver was another homegrown Cole Bassett. Bassett made the MLS Match Day Team of the Week for Week 3 after his game winner against Real Salt Lake. Against Seattle he found himself playing deeper and central, allowing him to receive the ball early and distribute to the four attacking options ahead of him.
Djordje Mihailovic played the central attacking midfield position, seeing himself start at that position for the first time this season after he’s been playing on the left hand side the previous three games. The tactic to have him play in that position was to allow him to receive the ball in tight spaces and provide for the three attackers. Next to Djordje Mihailovic playing on the wings were both Omir Fernandez and Darren Yapi. Yapi gets the nod to start out wide, a favorable position for him, over the in-form Calvin Harris.
Leading the line, coming off his first goal of the season, was forward Rafael Navarro. Displaying his work rate engine and off the ball movement, he was hungry to get involved but unfortunately still has not found the back of the net through open play.
The Colorado Rapids made these substitutions:
- Jonathan Lewis came on for Omir Fernandez in the 65th minute
- Calvin Harris came on for Darren Yapi in the 65th minute
- Kevin Cabral came on for Keegan Rosenberry as the team looked to add an extra attacker, in the 78th minute
Game Highlights
(Rapids substitutions mentioned above)
1’ – Kickoff at Lumen Field, the Sounders hosting the Rapids
10’ – The ball hits the arm of Keegan Rosenberry and a penalty is awarded to Seattle
11’ – Raul Ruidiaz steps up for Seattle and chips the ball down the middle to score his penalty
12’ – Zack Steffen picks up a yellow card
42’ – Nouhou Tolo, Seattle Sounders, picks up a yellow card
HT | Seattle Sounders 1 – 0 Colorado Rapids
46’ – Second halfway is underway
48’ – Joshua Atencio, Seattle Sounders, picks up a yellow card
57’ – Joshua Atencio, Seattle Sounders, picks up his second yellow card of the match resulting on a red card. A late and hard challenge on Oliver Larraz. Play kept playing on and it the card was brought back after the play was over
66’ – Jackson Ragen, Seattle Sounders, commits a foul on Rafael Navarro in the box and a penalty is awarded for the Colorado Rapids
68’ – Djordje Mihailovic stepped up to take the penalty kick and his effort was saved by Andrew Thomas
86’ – Freekick for the Colorado Rapids at the top of the Sounders box
88’ – Djordje Mihailovic free kick heads to the upper ninety but Thomas gets a touch and the ball falls down in front of goal. Kevin Cabral reacted the fastest and tapped his chance away for the equalizer.
89’ – Raul Ruidiaz is shown a red card for his actions on the bench
98’ – A corner kick is whipped in the box and bounces in the box untouched and both Kevin Cabral and Rafael Navarro miss the ball just yards away from the goal
FT | Seattle Sounders 1 – 1 Colorado Rapids
A game that felt like both teams could have walked away with a win only resulted with both teams sharing a point. The two penalty kicks shaped the way both teams approached the game, with the Sounders being able to find the lead early and look to keep possession more as the Rapids early on in the game found themselves chasing. Although the game brought on a lot of intensity and attacking opportunities in the final third for both teams, both teams struggled to find a way to break the opposition in open play. Defenders for both teams like Moise Bombito and Nouhou Tolo had a masterclass preventing goals from their goal line saves and tackles made. Nouhou and Alex Roldan for the Seattle Sounders were particularly dangerous on the flanks, constantly finding space and opportunities to cross a ball in for Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris.
Flowers to both Moise Bombito and Kevin Cabral for stepping up and taking the most out of their opportunity. As I mentioned earlier, Bombito is headed to represent Canada and will miss the game on Saturday at home against Houston Dynamo. A near perfect season so far from him, his form has earned him a call up but also has shaped the Rapids defense and only allowed one goal. I expect Lalas Abubakar to start in the back alongside Andreas Maxso on Saturday and it will be a tactical task for Head Coach Chris Armas on how he wants his two center backs to play. Kevin Cabral was subbed on late in the game and partnered alongside Rafael Navarro. Although last season it took him a while for him to start his goal scoring campaign, his attacking awareness saw him take the most of his opportunity and equalized for the Rapids. Although he could’ve had a second goal and stole the show, signs of a different Cabral – a more goal hungry player – were displayed.
Lastly on the game, we cannot discuss the result and how the game played out without mentioning the red card for Joshua Atencio. Since it came early in the second half, both Schmetzer and Armas had a monumental tactical task ahead of them. For Brian it was making the appropriate substitutions to allow his team a solid defensive formation and hold possession by making simple passes. When felt under pressure they would launch the ball up the field and hope to use Morris’ strength and pace to break down the couple of defenders the Rapids had playing a high line. Although they didn’t chase the ball a lot in the Rapids half, they looked to capitalize on small mistakes and quickly counter with the little numbers they had up top. For Chris, the tactical change to bring on two new attackers in Jonathan Lewis and Calvin Harris saw fresh legs looking to break down Roldan and Tolo who were heavily used in the first half and were starting to get tired. After being unable to capitalize on a penalty kick later in the half, he put on Kevin Cabral for defender Keegan Rosenberry to overload the opposition with a lot of attackers.
The Rapids did not have a strong hold on the game despite being up a man and at times they allowed the Sounders to not only hold the ball but also start quick counter attacks. The inability to attack in the final third through the middle saw the Rapids attacks come mostly through the wings, a style that didn’t even produce crosses in the air for forwards Kevin Cabral and Rafael Navarro. They would find themselves in the opposition final third out wide and have to play drop back ball to one of Bassett or Larraz. A few chances were the ball was driven on the ground through the box looked dangerous but Sounders goalkeeper Thomas was quick to pounce on the low crosses.
Forward Kevin Cabral had this to say after the game in regards to the draw against Seattle,
“It was a tough game. We get the point on the road. We’re a bit disappointed because we feel like we could get the three points, but we got the one and we’re going to move on after this game.”
Head Coach Chris Armas shared his thoughts post game on the draw against Seattle;
“Look, what I would say is, even when I tell the team after, you can see that there’s frustration because we want to get all three points there. Which is a good thing, right? We’re a hungry team. They believe they can win these games especially with a red card but in our business, there’s draws that feel like a loss like Nashville, there’s sometimes draws that feel like a win. And today it’s a draw that just feels a little bit strange, because we want those three points with a big chance at the end off a corner kick. But that’s part of it. It’s part of growing it’s part of it’s going to be part of our learning as the youngish team to stay calm in these moments when there’s a red card, which might mean that you’re looking for better shots, upgrading shots, getting into certain areas, some positional discipline. So yeah, there’s a little frustration because we want those points but against a good team, in their building where they need a win, our guys come out with a with a point and I bet it’s a valuable one at some point this year. So I’m proud of the effort. I’m proud that we went down a goal and came back once again, not easy.”
A frustrating draw for both the players and coach, they remain unbeaten in their last three games and hold their heads high going into the next game. The Rapids continue their campaign on this difficult beginning of the season.
What’s Ahead For The Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids will now head back to Colorado to get ready to host the Houston Dynamo at home on Saturday March 23rd at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. They hope to continue the momentum after their three game unbeaten streak and look to get the first win at home for 2024.
The Rapids record now sits with one win, two draws, and one loss.
Kickoff at DSGP is set for 7.30 pm MT. See you all there!
Thanks!
Thank you so much Scott for sharing with me these amazing photos that you took during the game. It is awesome seeing a Rapids fan in another city cheering on this great team! Hope to catch up with you in person at one of these games soon!
(Pictured below is the legend himself, Scott)
