Colorado Rapids 2 (1-11-5, 9 pts., 14th West) will face North Texas SC (5-5-5, 22 pts., 10th West) on Saturday, July 11. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Rapids 2 aim to bounce back after facing Austin FC II on the road last weekend, where they mounted a late comeback that came up short, falling 3-2. Colorado stepped onto the pitch intent on setting the rhythm, but the hosts landed the first blow early and carried that momentum into a three-goal advantage.
Refusing to let the contest drift away, Rapids 2 cranked up the pressure and eventually broke through in the 80th minute when a perfectly weighted service from Jaden Chan Tack was met with a composed finish by Bryce Jamison to spoil the clean-sheet bid. Given a lifeline in stoppage time, Rapids 2 added another from the penalty spot, courtesy of Sydney Wathuta, but were unable to find the equalizer.
While the scoreboard favored Austin, Colorado had plenty of individual achievements to celebrate. Jamison's strike doubled as his second goal of both the season and his Rapids 2 career. Meanwhile, Chan Tack recorded his first professional assist and first with Rapids 2. Wathuta's successful penalty gave him his first goal of the season and seventh of his career, bringing his total goal contributions to three this season.
Making the trip to Denver this weekend is North Texas SC, which carries a balanced 5-5-5 record into the contest. While North Texas has found consistent results overall, much of its success has come at home, as the club has managed just two victories in nine road matches this year. Heading into their matchup against Colorado, North Texas is fresh off a commanding 3-0 victory over St. Louis CITY2 in the inaugural match at its brand-new stadium.
When these two sides last crossed paths in early March, Rapids 2 battled through a challenging matchup in Texas. After the home team went up 2-0, Colorado continued to fight. Forward Chris Aquino scored his first professional goal and first in a Rapids 2 uniform to put Rapids 2 on the board. However, North Texas SC added an insurance goal through Edouard Nys, completing his hat trick, and brought the match to a close at 3-1.
