Colorado Rapids

Preview | Rapids travel to New York for first outing at Citi Field against NYCFC  

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The Rapids will face New York FC this weekend in a Sunday matinee showdown at Citi Field. After falling short in Cincinnati last weekend, Colorado is in search of three crucial road points against an unfamiliar Eastern Conference side. Kickoff at Citi Field is set for 2:00 p.m. MT (Apple TV—FREE on MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5AM).

The Rapids have just one loss in their last five road games, the most recent 2-1 result against 2023 Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati. Moïse Bombito scored the lone Rapids goal of the evening, a header from the back post that was delivered in as a corner from midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. The goal marked the defender’s second goal of the season and his MLS career as well as Mihailovic’s fourth assist of the season. The pair have now proven dangerous on set pieces, as they combined on both of Bombito’s goals this season. It was the USMNT midfielder’s corner that assisted Bombito’s first goal against LAFC in March.

Mihailovic remains a steady and hard-to-defend presence in the center of the Colorado pitch after four assists and two goals this season, not including the near-perfect free kick taken against Seattle that hit the post and was followed up by Kévin Cabral for the equalizer. The No. 10 is one of seven players to have started every game for the Rapids in 2024.

Defender Keegan Rosenberry continues to make history in Colorado. He surpassed Rapids legend Marcelo Balboa for the fourth-most regular-season starts (146) against FC Cincinnati and can tie Balboa for fourth-most regular-season appearances (151) in club history this weekend against NYCFC. Homegrown Sam Vines surpassed Dillon Serna for the second-most minutes (5,302) recorded by a Homegrown player last week against Cincinnati.

NYCFC hit its stride in April, racking up more points (10) than any other MLS team during the month. Young striker Julián Fernández provided three goal contributions in the last three games after scoring against New England and DC United and then recording an assist against Charlotte.

The Eastern Conference side has collected three wins and one draw in their past four matches. Nick Cushing continues to lead the team as head coach after his first game as interim head coach following Ronny Deila’s departure was NYCFC and Colorado’s draw on June 19, 2022. There have only been seven total meetings between both teams since NYCFC joined the league in 2015.

This will be the first time the Rapids play at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets of MLB, but not the first time they’ve played on a baseball field adapted for soccer. Colorado has played NYCFC’s usual home turf of Yankee Stadium three times in the past and has not yet been able to secure a victory on the smaller pitch.