Preview | Rapids travel to face Eastern Conference leaders NYCFC

The Colorado Rapids (2-1-0, 6 points, 5th West) hit the road for an inter-conference clash against New York City FC (2-0-1, 7 points, 1st East) on Saturday, March 14. Kickoff at Yankee Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. MT, with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.  

Colorado enters Saturday night on a high, having won consecutive matches at home in their last two contests. Following a 2-0 win over Portland, the Rapids continued their success and posted a 4-1 victory against the LA Galaxy last weekend. The club received goals from five different players over the course of those two matches as they took all six possible points in their short homestand. 

In that contest against the Galaxy, Colorado saw contributions from numerous players from all over the pitch. Highlighting the night was Designated Player Rafael Navarro, who bagged a brace to help seal the victory against LA. The multi-goal game marked his fifth for the Rapids, becoming just the third player in club history to reach this milestone, joining Paul Bravo (7) and Conor Casey (6). Navarro’s performance earned him his first Team of the Matchday honor this season. 

Aside from Navarro, the club had numerous players contribute to last weekend’s victory. Homegrown forward Darren Yapi posted Colorado's first goal of the match in addition to providing the assist on the eventual game winner from Alexis Manyoma, who opened his account in Burgundy by logging his first goal since joining the club on loan last season. Recording assists on the night were Paxten Aaronson, Ted Ku-DiPietro, Wayne Frederick, and Hamzat Ojediran. 

On the other end of this matchup is a New York team that has excelled so far through the young MLS season. The club has yet to be beaten, outscoring their opponents 8-2 through their eight matches. Most notably was their 5-0 victory over Orlando City SC in their most recent contest last weekend at home. A Keaton Parks brace and goals from Maxi Moralez, Nicolas Fernandez, and Agustin Ojeda lifted New York as they secured all three points against Orlando. 

These two sides last faced in 2024, when the Rapids took the trip to New York for a match at Citi Field. On a rainy day in Queens, Colorado took home the victory in a 2-0 win with Navarro recording the game-winner.