Recap | Rapids open preseason campaign with battle against Nashville SC

After more than two months of offseason buildup, the Colorado Rapids finally kicked off their 2026 preseason in Florida with a match against Nashville SC. 

Recently appointed Head Coach Matt Wells opened the match with a Starting XI of: Zack Steffen, Jackson Travis, Lucas Herrington, Rob Holding, Reggie Cannon, Wayne Frederick, Cole Bassett, Sydney Wathuta, Alex Harris, Dante Sealy, and Darren Yapi. 

The group began the match on the front foot, with strong play from the back line leading to quality attacking opportunities early.  

It would be the Rapids who struck first, thanks to a combination play from Bassett and Yapi. Bassett led the charge and delivered a pass to a sprinting Yapi, who beat a man and then sent a shot to the back post to give Colorado the lead 16 minutes in.  

From there, the Rapids continued their attacking efforts, with newly acquired forward Dante Sealy getting in the action as well.  

The Rapids’ defensive front made strong plays following the goal, but in the 36th minute, former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar was able to equalize. 

The two teams went into the half level, with new squads coming out for the remainder of the match. 

Colorado’s second-half group consisted of; Nico Hansen, Sam Vines, Ian Murphy, Noah Cobb, Keegan Rosenberry, Connor Ronan, Josh Atencio, Paxten Aaronson, Kimani Stewart-Baynes, Rafael Navarro, and Alexis Manyoma. 

Shortly after the second half kicked off, Nashville took the lead with another goal. 

After back-and-forth play between both sides following the Nashville goal, the Rapids second-half group began to combine for more opportunities in the attacking third. 

Despite their efforts, it was Nashville who rounded out the scoring with a third goal in the 67th minute, eventually leading to their 3-1 victory. 

Forward Bryce Jamison also saw his first minutes in a Rapids uniform in this contest after being subbed on for the final minutes of each half. 

The Rapids will continue their preseason training camp down in Florida, with their next scrimmage coming against Columbus Crew on February 7.  The match will be closed-door and not livestreamed, but fans can follow the Rapids’ official social media channels for updates.