Colorado Rapids 2 (0-10-5, 6 pts., 14th West) welcome Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (3-10-3, 14 pts., 12th West) on Saturday, June 27. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Determined to secure their first victory of the campaign, Rapids 2 head into the weekend after a setback against Portland Timbers2 last Saturday at home. Colorado weathered early pressure before settling into the match and pushing the action into the attacking third. Rapids 2 continued to surge forward after halftime while the backline stood strong defensively, getting bodies in front of shots and cutting out dangerous opportunities. Portland eventually broke through in the 56th minute on a deflected cross before adding a second goal in the 84th minute to clinch the road victory.
Awaiting Colorado is Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, who secured a late home win in their match against San Jose Earthquakes II this past week. San Jose struck first in the opening minutes, but the hosts responded almost immediately to send the match into halftime level at 1-1. After both sides traded goals again in the second half, a stoppage-time winner sealed all three points for WFC2 in a dramatic finish.
Following a three-game run at home where they secured a win, a draw, and a loss, Whitecaps FC 2 will be looking for their first three points on the road this season.
When WFC2 and Rapids 2 met earlier this season in Vancouver, the match proved to be tightly contested throughout. Colorado’s defense stood firm for stretches, but the home team eventually opened the scoring before Rapids 2 responded with a well-taken equalizer off a defensive mistake. Level at halftime, the second half saw sustained pressure and attacking intent from both sides, but neither could find a winner, sending the match to be decided from the penalty mark. Although Vancouver would walk away with the shootout win, Rapids 2 kept their all-time unbeaten streak against Whitecaps FC 2 with four wins and three draws across all competitions.