The Colorado Rapids (8-10-5, 29 pts., 7th West) cruised to a 3-0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-5-5, 38 pts., 3rd West) on Saturday night at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. A triad of assists from Djordje Mihailovic to set a club record and goals from Rafael Navarro, Calvin Harris, and Andreas Maxsø all lifted Colorado to a victory against one of the top sides in the Western Conference. Strong play from the back line and goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who made his return from injury, led the Rapids to their seventh clean sheet of the season in MLS play.
On a beautiful night in Colorado, the Rapids were set to host Vancouver, one of the top sides in MLS. Entering the night, the Whitecaps were second in the Western Conference, with the Rapids looking to make a statement and move back into a playoff spot.
The Colorado attack, led by Rafael Navarro, Djordje Mihailovic, Calvin Harris, and Ted Ku-DiPietro, was clicking early and created multiple opportunities that gave the Vancouver back-line major issues. One of those attacks resulted in a goal line clearance by the Whitecaps, but it was clear that the Colorado attack was knocking on the door.
Those attempts proved effective, as the Rapids opened the floodgates in the 12th minute. After forcing a turnover, the ball found Ku-DiPietro, who slid in a pass to a streaking Mihailovic. The midfielder then played another ball of his own to a wide-open Harris that made no mistake with his shot to put his side up early.
The goal was Harris’ fourth of the year and his third in his last four starts. His fourth goal matched his single-season career high that he set last season. Harris completed the feat in just 17 appearances this year, compared to 32 in 2024.
The Colorado attack did not stop there. It was apparent that this group was looking for more, as they maintained their aggressive attacking play to create opportunities. About 15 minutes after their first, the Rapids managed to double their lead.
After some back-and forth play along the right wing, Colorado managed to find space thanks to some creative passing play from their attack. After receiving a pass from Connor Ronan, Harris played a simple ball to hit Mihailovic in stride. The Olympian then whipped in a perfect cross to find a lunging Navarro, who only needed one touch to beat the Vancouver goalkeeper and find the back of the net.
The goal extended Navarro’s club lead to eight while also marking the 24th of his career in MLS. The Brazilian has found his top form as of late, with the goal being his third in his last four appearances.
Colorado went into the halftime break with a two-goal lead, and once they entered the pitch for the final 45 minutes, they did not look back.
The Rapids attack continued to mount their impressive play against one of the top defensive teams in all of MLS. With the first two goals being scored from open play, Colorado looked to throw a set piece goal in the mix off a corner kick in the 59th minute.
Mihailovic sent in a cross and found defender Andreas Maxsø standing tall around the near post. The Dane managed to get his head on the ball for a shot on target that took a deflection and found the back of the net for his side’s third of the night.
The goal was the defender’s first of 2025 and the third of his MLS career as a member of the Rapids. Mihailovic’s assist on the goal marked his third of the match, a feat the midfielder had yet to accomplish in his MLS career. Additionally, the three goal contributions moved him past Mark Chung (38) for the most by a Rapids player in their first two seasons with the club.
What cannot be overlooked in this match was the strong play from the Colorado backline and goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who made his first appearance in net since suffering a knee injury back in June. The defensive play across the entire backline, that included Maxsø, Reggie Cannon, Chidozie Awaziem, and Sam Vines, propelled the Rapids to their seventh clean sheet of the season, which is good for the third-most in MLS this season.
With the win, Colorado moved back up into a playoff spot in their current position of seventh place in the Western Conference.
The Rapids will face yet another quick turnaround for their next match on the road against Seattle Sounders FC. Kickoff at Lumen Field is set for 8:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, FS1, Altitude Sports Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
