The Colorado Rapids (8-10-1, 25 pts., 8th West) continue their home success with a 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City (4-13-2, 14 pts., 15th West) on Saturday night at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park.
In their second matchup of the season against SKC, Colorado entered the night looking to replicate their dominant 4-1 victory in Kansas City back in April.
The Rapids used the energy of the home crowd to earn opportunities early, spending a large amount of time in the final third. The club had multiple chances on net, with Georgi Minoungou and Rafael Navarro having the best attempts to start the match.
Kansas City took some time to get settled into the match, unable to connect passes to their attacking front for any chances.
Colorado continued their charge in the hopes of taking advantage of SKC’s lack of attack, earning multiple set pieces in dangerous areas. Despite being unable to convert in the first half, the Rapids saw a turning point in the match come in the 38th minute.
Following an SKC corner, the Rapids looked to bounce back with a counterattack of their own. After a pass was played to Miguel Navarro, Kansas City midfielder Kwaku Agyabeng slid in desperation to stop the attack, catching the leg of M. Navarro and earning himself a red card.
The half would end shortly after, with Colorado looking to capitalize on their one-man advantage for the remainder of the match.
The Rapids came out of the break with the same intensity they had in the first half, with an added hunger to secure three points.
To help bolster the attack was Colorado’s newest signing Youssef Maziz, who subbed on in the 56th minute to make his club debut. Not even ten minutes after taking the pitch, Maziz made an instant impact on the match.
The Rapids earned a corner kick in the 65th minute, with Maziz stepping up to deliver the service. The Frenchman whipped in a cross, perfectly finding Reggie Cannon at the back post. The defender then sent a powerful header into the ground, past the SKC goalkeeper to give Colorado the 1-0 lead.
The goal marked Cannon’s first of the season and second as a member of the Rapids. Maziz tallied the first assist of his Rapids career just nine minutes after making his club debut.
From there, Colorado was on cruise control. The club maintained their aggressive attack while also providing strong defensive play to limit any opportunities for an equalizer. With their continued pressure in the final third, the Rapids found the net yet again right before the final whistle.
Play started with Paxten Aaronson in the middle of the field, looking to charge past the KC back line. The designated player then made a slick move and drove down the pitch into the opposition’s box. Aaronson then laid off a perfect pass to R. Navarro, who was running stride-for-stride alongside him. The striker then shed his defender and placed a perfect shot in the back of the net to put the exclamation point on his side’s victory.
Not only was the goal crucial for the club, but it also marked history for Navarro. The striker has now logged 38 MLS regular season goals in his career, putting him into a tie with Diego Rubio for the third most in club history. Navarro is also only one goal away from tying Paul Bravo and Omar Cummings for the second most goals in club history.
That would be all for Colorado, with the group taking home all three points via a clean sheet victory for the third consecutive time at home. Over their 11 matches at DSGP this season across all competitions, Colorado has now posted six clean sheets.
The Rapids will have a quick turnaround before their next match against LAFC on Wednesday, August 19, at home. Kickoff in Colorado is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
