The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (7-4-2, 23 pts.) beat Austin FC II (2-4-6, 14 pts.) at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium on Sunday night. An Austin own goal forced by a Sydney Wathuta pass was enough to secure all three points in the 1-0 victory.
Colorado came out of the gates dominating possession in Austin’s half with their first shot on target coming from forward Antony Garcia’s right foot in the 12th minute.
Rapids 2 maintained their attacking momentum throughout the first half. The club created multiple chances through wide areas with forward Josh Copeland and defender Anderson Rosa whipping dangerous balls into the box, but nothing would come from it.
The halftime whistle blew with the two sides level at zero.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with long spells of attacking possession for Colorado. The first chance in the second half came from a long diagonal ball that forward Mamadou Billo Diop’s stretching header sent just over the crossbar in the 58th minute.
A few minutes later Colorado would get on the scoreboard. Forward Sydney Wathuta had the ball at his feet on the corner of the 18, put a move on his defender and curled a looping ball to the back post, where forward Kimani Stewart-Baynes challenged for the ball. The ball would find its way into the back of the net off Austin’s defender.
Wathuta, and Stewart-Baynes, who just subbed on to the pitch three minutes prior, helped earn the goal for Rapids 2, although it was scored as an own goal for Austin.
When it came to the challenge of closing the match with the one goal lead, Rapids 2 were up for it. The back line and goalkeeper Adam Beaudry stood strong as Austin gave their best efforts for an equalizer. Wrapping up the final 10 minutes was a highlight reel save from Beaudry, who dove to his right to maintain the shutout and secure all three points for his side.
The clean sheet for Beaudry was his second of the season and the fifth of his career in MLS NEXT Pro. The shutout for Rapids 2 was their fourth of the season, the second-most of any club in the league in 2025.
Rapids 2 will shift their focus to yet another home match next Sunday against St. Louis CITY SC 2. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. with coverage available on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Scoring Summary:
COL – Riley Thomas (OG) 64’
Notables:
- GK Adam Beaudry recorded his second clean sheet of the season and the fifth of his career in MLS NEXT Pro.
- Colorado Rapids 2 recorded their fourth clean sheet of the season, the second most in MLS NEXT Pro.
- M Malik Pinto captained Rapids 2 against Austin FC 2, his first time wearing the armband to start a match
Postgame Media Transcriptions:
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match...
“Really proud of the players. We enjoy playing Austin. I think every game has had a pretty good story when we play them. Some of them have been quite dramatic. This one probably less so, it was a bit more comprehensive of a win. I know it was 1-0, and I know they're very dangerous, and it could have changed at any point in the game because of the weapons that they have, but I was really proud. I am really proud of the boys for the work from the first whistle to the very last. Yeah, I'm happy and proud.”
On stringing together victories...
“Winning is important. And as simple as it is, I do tend to say it. Winners win, and we are nearly halfway through the season. I think the players have bought in to what we're trying to accomplish, but we're trying to go from bought in to belief in, as belief can be a powerful tool. Wins on top of wins help that.”
On Sydney Wathuta’s performances as of late...
“First of all, in my eyes, and in the eyes of those who care, Kimani [Stewart-Baynes] does deserve the goal, and Sydney [Wathuta] does deserve the assist, regardless of what the stats may show. Sydney has some remarkable talent, and the way he carries himself is very unique. He's found a home at the 10. He's a playmaker. He's comfortable in between lines. He's so solid on the ball. I'd say every player on our team trusts him with the ball in pretty much any scenario, and then when you start putting end product with that and you're creating goal scoring opportunities, now you're talking about the potential of something special. So, I think that's where we're at. We're at the beginning of something that could be special. So, it's our job to help him to continue to progress, but I think he has every ability and potential to do so."
On the performance from the back line to preserve the clean sheet...
“Yeah, strong again. They [Austin] have real weapons up there. Bryant Farkarlun and CJ Fodrey, just to name a couple, are legit threats. I thought Adam [Beaudry] commanded his box. I thought he made good decisions with the ball. Kofi [Senanou] and Vinny [Rinaldi] were a nice duo. Anderson [Rosa] and Stevie [Flores] looked in complete control, and that's not easy. Again, they do have some real weapons. So, yeah, the clean sheet makes everybody feel good. It's also important in terms of creating belief and confidence. We say a lot of our goals come from our best defending. So when our back line, those back five, are playing well, the team feels good. They deserve a lot of credit. It would have been great to score another goal or two, but a 1-0 win has a lot of value, so I think it was a great game.”
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 FORWARD SYDNEY WATHUTA
On the match...
“Compared to last game we probably didn't have the ball as much, but we defended well. We kept our shape well and it was hard for them to break us down. I thought we did well in that aspect of the game.”
On the goal...
“When I beat the guy, I looked in the box and it was two vs two, I just tried to put it in the general area of Kimani [Stewart-Baynes] or Billo [Diop] and hope they get a touch to it.”
On his recent performances...
“I think I'm doing well. I think I could do better obviously, but coming from an injury, to playing well now. I'm happy with it.”
On playing in the middle as a number 10...
“I enjoy playing there. I can free roam, I can get the ball, and I can look to create. I’m having fun playing there.”
