Written By: Riccardo Cominelli
The Colorado Rapids hosted the San Jose Earthquakes for their first fixture at home for the month of June and the match full of drama and frustration ended in a 0-0 tie. A game plagued with questionable refereeing decisions, a red card sent off for Moise Bombito, and a penalty miss for the Colorado Rapids.
Fans were vocal throughout the whole match giving support to their team and letting the referee know what they thought of his decisions. The one-point won at home sees the Colorado Rapids move to 13th in the Western Conference of MLS, just ahead of LA Galaxy.
Starting XI
The Rapids lined up in a different formation at home, not their usual 3-5-2, but with a traditional 4-4-2. We saw another tactical change in the goalkeeper position with Marko Ilic getting his first start at home over William Yarbrough. This was also his first MLS clean sheet. At the back Keegan Rosenberry at right back, Danny Wilson and Andreas Maxso paired up as the two towering center backs, and Moise Bombito gets another nod to start at left back this time.
Sam Nicholson and Cole Bassett played the wing positions, providing width and joining the attack quite a bit in the first half. This marked Bassett’s first start since returning from injury. Bryan Acosta and Connor Ronan paired up in the midfield to provide possession and chance creation from deep. Both Jonathan Lewis and Kevin Cabral started up top, both players pacey and technical to drive at San Jose’s defense.
Substitutions
- 58’ – Michael Barrios came on for Cole Bassett
- 79’ – Ralph Priso came on for Connor Ronan
- 79’ – Braian Galvan came on for Jonathan Lewis
- 88’ – Danny Leyva came on for Bryan Acosta
- 88’ – Lalas Abubakar came on for Sam Nicholson
The Game
The match started out rather boring with neither team really threatening their opponent. One chance for Cole Bassett in the 14th minute off a set piece his header was saved by San Jose’s goalkeeper Brito. In the 43rd minute, Moise Bombito picked up a yellow card for making a tackle from behind. Six minutes into the second half Moise Bombito picked up a second yellow card.
In the 51st minute, the referee ran over to Bombito and showed him a second yellow that turned into a red card. Both the fans and coaching staff erupted in chaos, exclaiming that it was neither a foul nor worthy of a card. In the 62nd minute, the Rapids had a scare with a shot that hit the crossbar, but the ARs brought it back for offside. In the 66th minute, things turned really hot.
Michael Barrios drove with the ball into the box and was brought down. Without skipping a beat, the referee ran over to Barrios and booked him for simulation. Once more both the fans and coaching staff let the referee know their feelings. The referee had to go and consult with Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and after a couple of minutes of watching the tape, he came back out and deemed it was a foul and a penalty for the Rapids.
The yellow card to Barrios was overturned and Connor Ronan stepped up to take the penalty kick. Ronan stepped up for the penalty kick, his second of the year, and unfortunately, his efforts were saved by Brito. Heartbreaking for the fans, Rapids already were playing with ten men and had momentum going for them. Although an additional seven minutes of stoppage time, the scoreline did not change and it ended 0-0.
Up Ahead
The Rapids moved up to 13th in the Western Conference, just ahead of LA Galaxy, and they see themselves hitting the road. On Saturday, June 10th, the Rapids will face off against Orlando City in a cross-conference matchup. After facing off against Orlando, the Rapids will head back home and face off against both Vancouver and LA Galaxy again. Although the losing streak is over, this means it’s a winless streak.
The Rapids haven’t won in 7 matches and are ranked 28th in goals scored per match with 0.8 goals. Despite the low scores per game, they rank 3rd in big chances created with 27. See you all soon again at DSGP!
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