The Colorado Rapids kicked off their 2025 campaign with a 2-1 victory at home over Club Santos Laguna. A Rafael Navarro brace lifted the Rapids to extend their unbeaten stretch against LigaMX opponents to five matches dating back to last year’s edition of the tournament.
In the fifth meeting between the two clubs and first since 2013, the energy was high in Colorado to kick off Leagues Cup 2025. This match marked the first of three Phase One matches for both sides that would be played over the next week.
Right from the opening whistle, Colorado held a strong advantage in the attacking third. The home side maintained a majority of the possession and created the best opportunities on both ends to start.
The attacking play by the Rapids led to eight corner kicks in the first half alone, with the club knocking on the door for most of the period. This attacking play eventually led to Colorado’s best opportunity of the half. After perfect service from Djordje Mihailovic via a free kick, midfielder Cole Bassett managed to make a connection with the ball from his back to redirect the ball into the back of the net. The goal was eventually reversed through VAR, with the referee blowing the whistle for half time shortly after.
Santos came out of the break with added energy and came out on the front foot, a much different story from their first half performance. This attacking push led to some of their highest quality chances, eventually resulting in the match’s first goal.
After a scramble around the net, the ball popped up in the middle of the box to Santos forward Jordan Carillo, who sent in an acrobatic shot to put his side up 1-0.
Despite a downshift in attacking chances for the Rapids in the second half leading up to the Santos goal, Colorado found another gear in hopes to claw back and earn a result.
Leading the charge in the 62nd minute was Calvin Harris, whose play down the right wing directly led to Colorado finding an equalizer. The midfielder used his pace to beat the Santos halfback and start an odd man rush in the final third. After getting close to the net, Harris played a ground cross over to Rafael Navarro, who smashed a shot home into the open net to level the match.
Colorado did not let up there, as the attacking front continued to pressure the Santos back line following their goal. After another run down the right wing, this time by Djordje Mihailovic, the Rapids found space right in front of goal. Freshly subbed on Darren Yapi found the end of a Mihailovic cross but was unable to find the back of the net as Colorado continued to search for their first lead of the match.
That search paid off, as the club’s relentless attack led to yet another goal from Colorado that would end up being the match winner.
The play started from a set piece in the 87th minute, with Mihailovic stepping up to take a free kick from around 35 yards out in the middle of the pitch. The midfielder then whipped in a ball that perfectly found the foot of a lunging Navarro, who buried his one-time shot to give Colorado a 2-1 lead.
From there, the Rapids defense stood strong and denied any attempts from Santos for an equalizer. Colorado maintained the lead through the final whistle to cap off their opening match in the tournament and secure the victory.
The Rapids will continue their tournament run with a home match against Club Tijuana on Sunday, August 3. 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, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
