Colorado Rapids 2 (0-4-3, 3 pts., 14th West) return home for a Western Conference rematch against Houston Dynamo 2 (6-0-1, 20 pts., 2nd West) in the team’s eighth match of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season on Sunday, May 3. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Colorado earned a point on the road last weekend against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 after a hard-fought match. Despite going down 1-0 at the start of the first half, Rapids 2 continued to press high and overwhelm Vancouver’s defense. These efforts would prove successful in the 30th minute when Mamadou Billo Diop took advantage of a defensive mistake. Hunting down a pass back to the Whitecaps FC 2 goalkeeper, Diop followed the touch played too far in front of the goalie and stole the ball away. Using his right foot to beat the closest defender, Diop then fired a shot into the upper corner of the net to give Rapids 2 the equalizer.
Battling tooth-and-nail against an aggressive WFC2 side, Rapids 2 entered the second half with an evenly tied match and a hunger to win. Shutting down the home team’s attempts to beat the backline, Colorado’s defense held off attacks while goalkeeper Zackory Campagnolo punched out crosses and denied shots. Rapids 2’s offensive line put up a strong show of force and remained persistent in their pressure, but the game would ultimately go to a shootout to determine the recipient of the extra point. Vancouver would win the shootout 3-2, but Rapids 2 would emerge with a point from the draw.
Diop’s key moment in the match moved him up another step up the club’s all-time scoring ranks. Not only did his goal put Rapids 2 in the position to walk away with a point, but it also marked his first of the season and the 15th of his career, making him tied with Marlon Vargas for third-most goals in club history. With just five more goals, Diop could claim the top spot, building on a breakout campaign last season in which he led the team in scoring and earned MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month and Player of the Matchweek honors.
Rapids 2 will have an important match on their hands this weekend as they will battle one of the league’s top teams, this time on home turf. On the other side of Sunday’s matchup is an undefeated Houston Dynamo 2 team that currently sits second in the Western Conference. This will not be the first meeting between the two sides this season, with their last matchup coming in Rapids 2’s season opener on the road on March 1. After a scoreless first half, Houston netted two goals in the 60th and 89th minutes to secure the win and claim all three points.