The Rapids got three big points on Saturday night with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy. The result, a third straight win over LA, moves Colorado into sixth in the West, putting them right into the middle of what is sure to be a heated playoff race through the end of the regular season.
The Rapids rebounded from a 4-1 loss midweek to put forward a dominant performance against a Galaxy team that has been extremely difficult to play against as of late. Prior to Saturday’s matchup, LA had not lost a game since returning from Orlando and the MLS is Back Tournament. But Colorado predominantly controlled the game on their way to a big victory.
Here are three takeaways from the 2-0 win.
Homegrowns Light It Up
To kick off the scoring, 21-year-old Sam Vines found 19-year-old Cole Bassett on a great cross that Bassett fired home to put Colorado up 1-0.
The Homegrown Connection was a thing of beauty, and, while it was the first time these two have hooked up to find the back of the net, it didn’t come as much of a surprise.
Bassett continues his breakout campaign. He leads the team in total points with three goals and three assists, thanks to strong performances specifically over the past seven matches.
The continual offensive development of defender Sam Vines is another story to watch. Vines had his first assist for the club 10 days ago against Houston. Then, he scored his first-ever professional goal against RSL a few days later. Now, he's at it again.
Vines also put in an incredible defensive shift, pestering LA's Cristian Pavon all night. The 21-year-old is also the only player on the Rapids to have played every minute of every game so far, which is no small feat with this condensed schedule.
Youth On Display
The Rapids boasted their youngest Starting XI of the season thus far – with an average age of 24.9. This led to, once again, the youth leading the charge on the scoresheet, beyond just the effort from the Homegrowns. On top of the goal from Bassett, Jonathan Lewis, 23, also scored thanks to an assist from Braian Galvan, 19.
The scoresheet doesn’t even mention Andre Shinyashiki, who was incredibly dangerous on Saturday leading the attack. He nearly found the back of the net a number of times, and, on Lewis’ goal, he showed his passing ability and vision are as good as his knack for scoring as he found Galvan in open space, eventually leading to the goal.
Resilience, Resilience, Resilience
The Rapids showed what this team is made of on Saturday night.
Robin Fraser used two of his three potential substitute opportunities to take off Danny Wilson in the 57th minute and then Younes Namli in the 60th, both of whom exited in apparent discomfort.
The 2-0 win felt comfortable, especially after LA went down to 10-men following a red card, but it's not hard to imagine more goals couldn't have come.
It was difficult to predict what would happen tonight after the loss to Dallas mere days ago, but the Rapids stayed strong and produced a true team win.
The 2-0 victory marked the second consecutive shutout for goalkeeper William Yarbrough, and, now, the team is in a great position going into a big two-game home stretch.
Next up, Colorado has another quick turnaround when the reeling San Jose Earthquakes come to town on Wednesday, September 23.
