Colorado Rapids 2 (3-14-7, 18 pts.) extended their unbeaten streak at home to four games following their commanding performance against Real Monarchs (6-12-5, 26 pts.) on Sunday night.
In an evenly balanced first half, the two sides opened the initial stages of play with even pressure on each side of the pitch. As the pace began to pick up, so did the chances at net. Breaking away in the ninth minute, Sydney Wathuta would go one-on-one with the visitors' goalkeeper, but his shot would take a slight deflection out of play.
Wathuta would receive a chance at redemption as the first half came to a close with another breakaway. Forced from an error on the Real Monarchs' backline, Wathuta slipped through and dribbled towards goal. Once again face-to-face with Salt Lake City's last line of defense, Wathuta slotted a shot past the keeper that was saved by a sliding Real Monarchs player. Awaiting the deflected ball was cool, calm, and collected Chris Aquino, who rolled the ball forward and tucked away a left-footed shot into the lower right corner. Giving Rapids 2 the one goal lead, Aquino's goal puts his season total to four and marks the 15th of his MLS NEXT Pro career.
Colorado kicked off the second half with a surge of scoring chances and would find their mark once again in the 52nd minute. Josh Copeland took his opportunity to charge towards goal, beating the goalkeeper head on to tap in his shot. Doubling the home team's lead, Copeland's goal marked his fourth of the 2026 campaign and fifth of his Rapids 2 career.
Seizing the momentum, the hosts kicked it into high gear and struck again fifteen minutes later. Overwhelming the defense, Rapids 2 pressed with Rapids Academy debutant Hamdoin Altayeb maneuvering through traffic to drop a pass from the end line into the center of the box. Captain Jonny De La Fuente met the ball, shifted the shot to his left, and nailed it into the back net for his first professional and Rapids 2 goal. Altayeb also notched his first MLS NEXT Pro assist and his first for the club.
Although Real Monarchs would eliminate the shutout with a goal in the second minute of stoppage time, Rapids 2 remained relentless. Several minutes later, De La Fuente whipped a driven ball through the heart of the field, finding a sprinting Wathuta ready to make amends for his earlier close-range chances. Poking a ball past Salt Lake City's diving goalkeeper, Wathuta finished the bouncing ball with his left to put the nail in the coffin on the visiting team.
With a solid three points gained, Rapids 2 will shift their attention to Friday's match against Ventura County FC on August 28. Kickoff at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado is set for 6:00 p.m. MT, with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Notables
- Midfielder Jonny De La Fuente scored his first professional goal and first goal for Rapids 2.
- He also recorded his first assist in his MLS NEXT Pro career and first assist for the club.
- Forward Chris Aquino scored his fourth goal of the season and for Rapids 2.
- This marks the 15th goal of Aquino’s MLS NEXT Pro career.
- Forward Josh Copeland scored his fourth goal of the season and fifth for Rapids 2.
- Forward Sydney Wathuta recorded his third goal of the season and his ninth for Rapids 2.
- In his professional and Rapids 2 debut, Rapids Academy forward Hamdoin Altayeb recorded his first MLS NEXT Pro assist.
- Rapids Academy midfielder Nicco Del Carmen made his MLS NEXT Pro and Rapids 2 debut after subbing on in the 85th minute.
Lineups:
Colorado Rapids 2: Bryan Dowd, Vincent Rinaldi (85' Kamal Sawadogo), Charlie Harper, Grant Gilmore, Josh Copeland (80' Jackson Pomeroy), Luis García, Sebastian Siegler (85' Nicco Del Carmen), Jonny De La Fuente [C], Chris Aquino (66' Edgar Heredia), Nathan Tchoumba (66' Hamdoin Altayeb), Sydney Wathuta
Unused substitutes: Zack Campagnolo, Kai Thomas, Kellen Lowery, Jordan Camacho
Real Monarchs: Max Kerkvliet [C], Luis Rivera (60' Hayden Sargis), Felix Ewald, Christopher Rios Zavala (46' Linkon Ream), Ruben Mesalles, Omar Marquez, Izahi Amparo (81' Isaac Murphy), Owen Anderson, Antonio Riquelme, Chance Cowell (46' Zach Lifferth), Lionel Djiro (83' Kellen Poll)
Unused substitutes: Diego Rocio, Robert Alphin
Officials:
Referee: Jose Landa; Assistants: Devon Dieckman, Andrew Hanks; Fourth Official: Mindi Lamboni
