Written By: Riccardo Cominelli
MLS Match Day 6 in Colorado was hyped up with a great sunny day and a packed DICK’s Sporting Goods Park. Plenty of fans made their way down to Commerce City to witness LAFC, a powerhouse in MLS take on their local MLS side the Colorado Rapids.
The Rapids this season have yet to win a game and although the stadium was packed with full support and cheers, the game only ended in a 0-0 draw.
Colorado Rapids
The Rapids lined up with the same formation structure that saw the 1-1 draw against Austin FC the week before. William Yarbrough starts in goal and captures a big shutout against a hungry team.
The three center-back options in front of William were Wilson on the left, Maxso in the middle, and Abubakar on the right. The three sat a bit deeper and stepped into tackles and provided balls over the high-pressing LAFC line.
The wingback options that Head Coach Robin Fraser went with were Sam Nicholson on the left and Keegan Rosenberry on the right-hand side. Keegan spoke a little after the game on how he felt playing in the wingback position and if this was going to be the Rapids’ identity for the season.
The box midfield saw Connor Ronan and Bryan Acosta sit in the middle with both Diego Rubio and Max Alves sitting in front of them in the attacking midfield roles. Jonathan Lewis led the lineup front again, this time struggling a little bit to find chances.
Both Darren Yapi and Kevin Cabral did not start the match. Yapi just came back from international duty, perhaps due to muscle fatigue, he was only used as a sub. Kevin Cabral is unsure what the strategy behind not starting him two games in a row is, especially after he scored last week.
The Rapids did a good job in preventing LAFC to dispossess them in their third using their high press tactic. Although LAFC wingers were really good technically, they weren’t able to connect with Dennis Bouanga up top. The Rapids were able to win ten corner kicks in the match however, none were converted. Danny Wilson’s header was a close chance for Colorado.
Los Angeles FC
The high-scoring team and last year’s MLS champions were disappointed to come to Colorado and not only tie but miss out on scoring opportunities. A team that has been successful this season in catching the opposition slacking and converting those chances, was unable to convert their chances on Saturday night. Although there were two late corner kicks in the closing minutes of the match, the game ended 0-0.
In the back for LAFC, the team had the international bad boys towering over the playing field and holding the back line together. Giorgio Chiellini and Aaron Long paired up in Colorado and were able to shut down the pace from Jonathan Lewis and skills from both Max and Diego Rubio. Kellyn Acosta, back in Colorado, played the eight-role alongside Timothy Tillman as they both controlled the midfield for LAFC and attempted to break the lines for the main man up top.
Up top, both Denis Bouanga and Carlos Vela were trying to create chances and opportunities for each other and their teammates to lay shots off at goal. Vela was unable to find pockets of space or the ball throughout the game. Visibly frustrated that he was unable to receive the ball as much.
After the match, Head Coach Steven Cherundolo spoke his general thoughts on the match.
Up Ahead
Colorado is still trying to find its first win of the season. Although last in the MLS, they still have a chance at a playoff spot with a win. They are only 3 points away, stay positive. They travel to face off against Sporting Kansas City, who are also struggling this season. They come off a 0-0 tie themselves after tying Philadelphia Union.
Sporting Kansas City versus Colorado Rapids will be on Saturday, April 8th, at 6.30 pm MT.
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