The Colorado Rapids (9-11-6, 33 pts., 8th West) take home all three points following a 2-1 victory over Minnesota United FC (12-6-8, 44 pts., 3rd West) on Sunday at Allianz Field. Homegrown forward Darren Yapi recorded both Rapids goals for his first career brace to give Colorado the victory in enemy territory.
In a match between two similar sides in terms of playing style, viewers were set to watch back-and-forth play from each attacking end. Counterattack would be the main theme on Sunday, with each club looking to take advantage of the other’s mistakes and capitalize on those opportunities as much as they could.
The match started off as expected, with the Rapids and Minnesota trading attacking rushes. Despite the heavy attacking play, neither side found many clear shots on net for a quality scoring opportunity.
Highlighting the first half for Colorado was forward Rafael Navarro, who was attempting to continue his current stretch of form. The Brazilian used his physical capabilities to win the ball in the midfield and start attacking play on multiple occasions, but his efforts did not lead to any goals for his side for the first 45 minutes of the match.
Goalkeeper Zack Steffen also kept the Rapids in contention by holding the opposition at bay, making some important saves early on to keep Minnesota off the board.
There wouldn’t be any change to the score heading into halftime, with both sides left scoreless.
Colorado came out of the break with some added energy in the attacking end as the club saw more success in their pressure down the wings. Reggie Cannon, who was playing in a wingback role, created the club’s best opportunity in the first ten minutes of the second half, sending in a cross that deflected off the Minnesota goalkeeper, but eventually did not result in the match’s first goal.
Looking for a chance of their own, Minnesota came back with some forward play via their counterattack. Stopping any chance the home side had was Steffen, who came up big on multiple occasions to keep Minnesota off the scoreboard in the early portion of the second half.
Fresh off the back of strong play from Steffen and the back line, the Rapids attack mounted numerous counterattacks of their own. After some failed attempts, the club finally found their chance to break the ice at the match’s hour mark.
Starting the play was Sam Vines, who made an outlet pass to a streaking Darren Yapi. The Colorado Homegrown Player took matters into his own hands and charged down the left wing into the middle of the pitch. Yapi sharply cut in with his right foot right at the top of the eighteen and sent in a low curling shot with pace into the bottom right corner of the net to take the lead.
Colorado and Yapi would not stop there, as the group would quickly double their lead in similar fashion to their first. After another defensive stop, the club mounted yet another counterattack. Navarro found himself at the head of the rush along the left wing and threaded a perfect pass to Yapi, who was making a run on the right side of the pitch. Yapi then took a touch and ripped a shot across his body into the bottom left corner to put his side up 2-0.
The goals for Yapi’s were his 5th and 6th of the season in MLS, extending his single-season career high. The brace marked the first of his career in MLS. Vines’ assist on Yapi’s first goal marked his second of the season and the third of his career in MLS. Navarro notched his third assist of the season in MLS and recorded his ninth goal contribution over his last ten appearances across all competitions.
Minnesota would not leave this match quietly, as the club would grab a goal back in the 73rd minute from Tani Oluwaseyi.
Despite conceding, the Rapids defense stood strong. Over the remaining 20 minutes of play, Colorado prevented Minnesota from any high-quality chances on net, giving the club enough to secure a crucial three points on the road.
The Rapids will return home for their next match against Atlanta United on Saturday, August 16. 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, Altitude Sports Radio, La Invasora, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
