The Colorado Rapids (0-0-1, 0, points, 14th West) will return to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park for their 2026 MLS home opener against the Portland Timbers (1-0-0, 3 points, 5th West) on Saturday, February 28. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. MT, with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
After opening the 2026 campaign on the road, Colorado now shifts its focus to playing in front of the home supporters for the first time this season. Saturday marks the club’s first regular-season match at DSGP under new Head Coach Matt Wells, who joined the Rapids after spending the past two-plus seasons on the first-team coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur F.C., where he helped the club capture the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League title. Wells is joined by new assistant coaches Rob Burch and Alastair Harris, both of whom bring extensive European experience to Colorado’s technical staff.Â
Saturday’s match will also mark Colorado’s first chance to showcase the club’s new primary kit, the Colorful Colorado Kit, in front of the home crowd. The launch of the kit is paired with a community initiative alongside UCHealth, with plans to donate 10,000 soccer balls to youth across Colorado over the next two years.Â
Portland enters the matchup with a familiar core that includes several players well known to Rapids supporters. Timbers midfielder Cole Bassett made 172 appearances for Colorado as a Homegrown player before his move to Portland earlier this year. Defender Eric Miller logged more than 4,700 minutes in 56 appearances from 2016–18. On the roster, but currently dealing with an injury is winger Omir Fernandez, who appeared 50 times for the Rapids across all competitions. The Timbers’ familiarity adds an extra layer to Saturday’s early-season matchup in the Western Conference.
Additional ties include a shared past at FC Cincinnati, where Rapids defender Ian Murphy and Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy made 24 appearances together across all competitions during the 2024 season. Further connections stem from RC Lens, where Rapids midfielder Hamzat Ojediran and Timbers midfielder David Da Costa featured together six times in Ligue 1 from 2024–25, as well as Tacoma Defiance, where Rapids midfielder Josh Atencio and Timbers goalkeeper Trey Muse made 18 appearances together during the 2019–20 USL Championship seasons.Â
With a new coaching staff, new faces throughout the roster, and the return of soccer to DSGP, Saturday’s home opener sets the stage for the Rapids’ 2026 campaign in front of the home supporters.