COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids 2 (7-0-2, 24 pts) will face off against MNUFC2 (4-2-3, 16 pts) in the team’s second road match of the week. The two sides will meet for the first time this season at the National Sports Center on Sunday, May 28. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast through MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Rapids 2 kicked off its two game match week with a road game against North Texas SC that saw the two sides put six goals in the back of the net by the end of regulation. The 3-3 draw was highlighted by three equalizing goals from Colorado off the feet of Caique de Brito, Rémi Cabral and Oliver Larraz who all scored their second goals of the season in the game against North Texas.
The home team was first to get on the board in the 18th minute of the match off of a header in the box. The early goal forced the Rapids to get on the front foot and find the first of three equalizers in the early minutes of the match. Brito was the first to put away a goal for the Rapids in the 23rd minute, but the go ahead goal for North Texas followed shortly behind in the 27th minute.
North Texas headed into the second half with a one goal lead, but Colorado found its second equalizer just three minutes into the half when Cabral put a shot into the low corner off a strike from outside the box. A breakdown in the backline allowed North Texas to find its final goal in the 55th minute, causing Colorado to yet again go down by one.
The Colorado attack drove the ball into the box in the late minutes of the second half, forcing a foul and giving midfielder Larraz the opportunity to convert on a penalty kick to send the team into its second MLS NEXT Pro shootout of the year.
A standout in the shootout, Academy goalkeeper Adam Beaudry was able to make a save on North Texas’ second attempt. The match ended with Colorado taking home the extra point on a 4-2 shootout victory.
As the team heads into its second match of the week, they will see the return of midfielders Marlon Vargas and Daouda Amadou. The two second team players were called up on a short-term agreement to the Colorado Rapids first team for the match at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park against FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. The call up marked Vargas’ second short-term agreement with the first team while Amadou earned his first call up of the season.
In addition to Vargas and Amadou, midfielder Yosuke Hanya received his fourth and final call up to the first team for the Saturday match at home. In his most recent call up to the first team, Hanya made his MLS debut, subbing on for the Rapids in the 88th minute of their match against Atlanta United.
Coming off of his MLS debut, Hanya had the opportunity to record 45 minutes in the Saturday match against FC Cincinnati, marking his most significant minutes in MLS so far in his career. Hanya will notably earn some much needed rest following his Saturday night performance, making him absent from Sunday’s Rapids 2 match against MNUFC2.
The Rapids will head into their first meeting with MNUFC2 as the only team in the league with an unbeaten record. As it stands, Colorado occupies a first place standing in both the Western Conference and the league overall with 24 points.
On top of the team’s collective accomplishments, Japanese international Hanya continues to lead the league in goals with seven to his name. Meanwhile, first team midfielder Larraz is tied for second place for the league’s lead in assists with four this season.
