Preview | Rapids host Vancouver in fight for playoff positioning

The Colorado Rapids (11-13-6, 39 pts., 9th West) return to DICK'S Sporting Goods Park for their penultimate home match of the 2026 MLS regular season against Vancouver Whitecaps FC (16-7-7, 55 pts., 1st  West) on Saturday, October 24. Kickoff for the match is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports, the Colorado Rapids app, and ColoradoRapids.com.  

Colorado is on the hunt for every point possible in Saturday’s match with the MLS regular season quickly coming to a close. With only four matches left, the Rapids currently sit at ninth place in the Western Conference, putting the club in the second Wild Card spot for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs if the season ended today. Colorado is only one point behind the LA Galaxy in eighth and three points behind the Seattle Sounders in seventh, meaning a win on Saturday could leapfrog the Rapids into a Round One Best-of-Three spot if all goes their way.  

Entering the night, Colorado looks to continue their current nine-match unbeaten streak at home in MLS play with a 6-0-3 record in that span. Over the course of the season, the Rapids have posted nine wins at home, which is currently tied for the most in the Western Conference and ranks as the third-most in all of MLS. The Rapids will attempt to build on that success this weekend against Vancouver, an opponent that Colorado has had plenty of success against at DSGP historically. All time, the Rapids hold a 10-4-3 record against the Whitecaps at home, including an active five-match unbeaten stretch at DSGP, dating back to 2019. 

The club’s most recent result came last weekend in a 0-0 draw on the road against Portland. In what proved to be an important point against a team also battling for playoff position, Colorado also posted their 10th clean sheet of the season, which ranks as the fifth highest in MLS and the fourth highest in the Western Conference. Goalkeeper Nico Hansen made his mark on the match as he posted his seventh clean sheet of the season, which is the fifth most of any goalkeeper in MLS. 

On the other end of this Saturday’s matchup is a Vancouver side that has consistently been one of the best teams in MLS this season. The club currently sits atop the Western Conference and second in the Supporters’ Shield race with 55 points.