The Colorado Rapids are set to open their 2025 Leagues Cup campaign at home on Thursday night against Club Santos Laguna. Kickoff at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
In what will be the first Leagues Cup action for the Rapids since their remarkable third-place finish in the tournament last year, the club will be looking to continue their success heading into Thursday. In the 2024 edition of the tournament, Colorado defeated Liga MX sides in four consecutive matches, becoming the first MLS club to ever do so. The run was highlighted by an epic nine-round shootout win over Club América in the Quarterfinals. The Rapids then defeated the Philadelphia Union in the Third Place match, earning their qualification into this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.
On the other end of Thursday’s matchup will be Club Santos Laguna, who have consistently been a formidable side in Liga MX since their founding in 1983. Of the club’s five league titles, three have come since 2008. In last year’s edition of Leagues Cup, Santos advanced to the tournament’s Round of 32, where they eventually lost to FC Cincinnati.
These two clubs, despite playing in different leagues, are no strangers to each other as they have faced off numerous times over the course of their history. Thursday’s matchup will mark the fifth between these two sides and the first since they participated in a friendly match in 2013. Prior to then, the clubs matched up in the 2011 Concacaf Champions Cup, where Santos defeated Colorado on aggregate following two legs.
Heading into Thursday, the Rapids will be looking to bounce back from their most recent result in MLS, a 3-1 loss on the road to the Philadelphia Union. Forward Rafael Navarro scored Colorado’s lone goal in the contest, marking his fourth in his last six appearances. Heading into the Leagues Cup break, Colorado sits at ninth place in the Western Conference with 30 points through 25 matches.
Santos will enter Thursday’s match looking to right the ship following their back-and-forth start to the Liga MX Apertura season. Through their first three matches, the club has earned three points with one win and two losses. Santos is looking to improve their performances from their most recent season in Liga MX Clausura, where they finished at the bottom of the table in 2024-2025.
