Colorado Rapids 2 (0-3-2, 2 pts., 14th West) will face off against Minnesota United FC 2 (2-3-0, 6 pts., 10th West) in the team’s sixth match of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season on Sunday, April 19. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
In last week’s match against St. Louis Rapids 2 opened the scoring on a free kick from Landon Strohmeyer, with Josh Copeland finishing the rebound for his first goal of the season. Doubling the lead 10 minutes later was Donavan Phillip, who converted a chance created by Bryce Jamison and Copeland. Colorado’s defense kept CITY2 in check through the first half, but the home side responded after the break with a goal from Palmer Ault in the 52nd minute. Despite going down a man in the 71st minute, CITY2 found a late equalizer in stoppage time through Riley Lynch to level the match at 2-2. St. Louis ultimately clinched the extra point in the shootout, outscoring Colorado 5-3, while Rapids 2 earned one point.
Several Rapids 2 players reached key milestones in the match, highlighted by goals and notable first appearances. Forward Josh Copeland opened his account for the season, netting his first goal of the year and the second of his professional career in addition to logging well as his first career assist that set up Donavan Phillip to notch his third goal of the season. The match also featured several notable milestones, with Rapids Academy defender Jackson Pomeroy making his professional debut after entering in the 63rd minute, midfielder Ali Fadal recording his first appearance of the season, and defender James Cameron earning his first start of the year.
On the other side of this weekend’s matchup is a Minnesota side that suffered their second loss of the season this past Sunday on the road to San Jose Earthquakes II. After going down a goal in the 44th minute, MNUFC 2 would gain a one-man advantage for the remainder of the match following a San Jose red card in the 45th minute. Despite the extra player on the pitch, MNUFC 2 struggled to find the equalizer and ultimately fell 1-0.
Rapids 2 are looking to tilt the all-time series against Minnesota in their favor as they are currently 3-6-0 across all contests. Most recently, the two sides last faced off against one another in the 2025 Western Conference Final on November 2, 2025. Colorado entered the match in pursuit of the club’s first trophy but fell behind in the first half as Minnesota’s Logan Dorsey opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Despite trailing at the break, Colorado responded early in the second half, with Alex Harris finding the equalizer just minutes after the restart. The momentum continued as James Cameron headed home the go-ahead goal in the 64th minute, giving Rapids 2 the lead. A strong defensive effort down the stretch secured the result, as Colorado held on to win 2-1 and claim their first Western Conference.