Colorado Rapids 2 – 2, St. Louis CITY2 – 3
MLS NEXT Pro Match Week 15 | Sunday, June 15, 2025
University of Denver Soccer Stadium, Denver, CO
The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (7-5-2, 23 pts.) lost 2-3 against St. Louis CITY2 (8-4-1, 26 pts.) on Sunday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. In a battle at the top of the Western Conference, St. Louis City 2 took home all three points after scoring all three goals in the final 10 minutes of the match.
Right from the opening whistle, Colorado came out firing. Forward Sydney Wathuta had two strong chances within the opening 20 minutes, including a close range one timer and long-range curling shot both well saved by the St. Louis CITY2 goalkeeper.
After being denied twice, Wathuta’s third attempt would not be stopped. In the 21st minute, midfielder Noah Strellnauer would play a direct ball into Wathuta who would turn, take a touch, and drive a left footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner of the net.
The goal marks Wathuta’s third of the season and fourth goal contribution in five games (3 goals, 1 assist). Strellnauer earned his third assist of the season on the play, tying him with forward Alex Harris and midfielder Sam Bassett for the team lead.
In the second minute of first half stoppage time, Rapids 2 would substitute forward Mamadou Billo Diop for Academy forward Colton Swan. Just one minute later, Swan would collect the ball at the top of St. Louis’s penalty area and play a short through ball, which found a streaking Antony García. García only needed one touch to find the back of the net, making the score 2-0 in favor of Colorado.
The goal marked the first of the season for García. Swan, in his first game since returning to the team after winning the UEFA Friendship Cup with U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team, earned his second assist.
Halftime came with the score 2-0 in favor of the home team.
The beginning of the second half would be highlighted by some strong defensive plays from Rapids 2. Rapids Academy defender Vincent Rinaldi would make last ditch tackle to take the ball from St. Louis’ attacker in the 71st minute. A few moments later, Rinaldi’s center back partner Josh Belluz would make an instinctive headed clearance.
Colorado controlled most of the game but had to deal with a lot of pressure from St. Louis down the stretch.
The away side would get a goal back in the 86th minute of the match, making the score 2-1.
St Louis would then tie the game in the fourth minute of stoppage time off a corner kick.
Just moments later, CITY2 scored their third and final game-winning goal after an initial save from goalkeeper Adam Beaudry in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
When the final whistle blew, the score read Rapids 2, two, St. Louis CITY2, three.
Rapids 2 have a quick turnaround and will be back at Denver University Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, June 18. Rapids 2 will face off against North Texas SC at 8:00 p.m. MT with coverage on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Scoring Summary:
COL – Sydney Wathuta (Noah Strellnauer) 21’
COL – Antony García (Colton Swan) 45+3’
STL – Ryan Dugan 86’
STL – Emil Jääskeläinen 90+4’
STL – Gabriel Mikina 90+7’
Notables:
- F Sydney Wathuta scored his third goal of the season in tonight’s game against St. Louis.
- F Antony García netted his first goal of the season in stoppage time of the first half.
- Rapids Academy midfielder Noah Strellnauer delivered his third assist of the season, tying him with Sam Bassett and Alex Harris for the team lead.
- Rapids Academy forward Colton Swan added his second assist of the season on García’s stoppage time goal.
Postgame Media Transcriptions:
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match...
“The first challenge is seeing the game for what it is - the good and the bad. To dismiss the good because of the bad would be my first mistake. So close to the last whistle blowing, it's a good challenge right now, but for the vast majority of the game I was quite proud of the players. In the dying minutes, the opponent does well to put us under pressure. We had good moments in there, but in the end we succumbed to the pressure that they were putting on us. With the balls in the box and the players in the box, we couldn't quite see our way out of it. It feels like the toughest result of the year and the toughest result in memory. I expect that we’ll learn from this experience. That will be the expectation – that we learn from the experience.”
On stringing together victories...
“The first goal was a staple for us really. The ability to hurt the opponents in attacking transitions was so nice. The second goal is really a byproduct of training and understanding that the guys have. I’m super pleased with that. Generally speaking, we remain on the front foot. We try to get the opponent under enough pressure to get them a little bit out of their comfort zone and the way they want to play. For the vast majority of the game, we did a really good job of that. There really are a lot of good things in that game, but the game is 90 minutes for a reason.”
On Sydney Wathuta’s performances as of late...
“I've liked pretty much everything. He has wonderful feet and is excellent in tight spaces. He finds himself in open spaces well, and when that happens, he's a real threat. He's also been willing to work off the ball and on both sides of the ball, offense and defense. It was a loss when he leaves the game today a bit prematurely. We have the players to account for that, but that just goes to show his impact in recent games. He is a top talent.”
On Colton Swan’s instant impact...
“It's good to recognize him. He [Colton Swan] and Zack Campagnolo getting the success they had with the U-18 National Team - there's not many people who could say they've represented their country and brought home a trophy. We're proud of both of those guys. Colton, to step in and help create a goal basically immediately - I can't say that's what we expected. What we're hoping is that he can really take the great experiences and success that he's earned with the national team and bring that back to our team and his game. He's a good player and he's getting better.”
On the team’s mentality heading into the North Texas match...
“Mentality is the key word. The next two days are about recovering and getting ready physically and mentally for an equally difficult match. I'd say the timing couldn't be better. There's a train of thought that says, difficult result, rather than stew on it. ‘Do you get back to work?’, that's one approach. I think the challenge is great and I think that which we could have done better in the dying minutes of this game is going to be revealed for 90 plus minutes in the next game. The players that make it from our team into the first team are the strongest mentally. I couldn't ask for a better challenge or better timing.”
COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER DAOUDA AMADOU
On the match...
“About that game, that was first of all a big game. You talk the whole week about the game, how St. Louis was playing, and you can see the team was so good. Everything was going so good until the last 10 minutes, the team was so perfect. We defended so well. Taking three goals between five or six minutes, it's so hard, but it's okay. It's the game and the game can change fast. The whole team gave everything. You cannot blame anyone. Everyone, the guys who came in, did their job and everything. So, I'm happy for the team. I don't have anything bad about the game. I'm still positive, I'm staying positive. I'm going to try to forget the last 10 minutes of the game and keep going forward.”
On a string of positive performances over the last few matches...
“I talk a lot with the guys about the mentality this year, being the team first and nothing about the individual or the performance. You know, it’s the second team and everyone wants to get to the first team, but the first thing that I’m always talking about with them is energy. Think about the team first, if you can score, you should score. If you can make a pass for another person, you have to make that pass. Being a leader is a very good thing for me, because I'm trying to discuss with everyone, to know how they are feeling, how I can push them going forward. So, this week, that was a big week for us. St. Louis in the standings are in front of us, they are second and we are third. You can see we gave everything. The vibe was so big and the game was so good. I love that kind of game. We lose, okay, it is the game, but I'm happy with the game. Even my guys, they're happy in the locker room. I've tried to keep them up, not bring their heads down. The first thing, I went to the locker room first with everyone to talk about it, to stay focused, to talk about anything else, not thinking about the game.”
On turning the focus to the next game against North Texas...
“Now, I'm trying to think, watching the game of the next team I'm going to play, working on that with the coaches, so everyone knows how they are doing and the shape that we're going to play. So, from tomorrow, we will all be focused. I'm going to see the body language of everyone, working hard heading into the next game, because we need to win. I'm thinking about the next game and how we're going to get the three points. That’s the first thing we talk about and even acknowledge. You say, guys stay focused, be studying. You have two days only to play the next game. Forgot about this game, you need the same energy again on Wednesday. So, for me, I don't have any problem. I've been playing in these leagues. I've been playing these leagues since I was 17, 18. Sometimes I'm playing three games in one week. I think it's something natural for me, I'm ready now to play again even it is on Tuesday. But for some young guys inside, I need to help them. I’m not thinking about me, I'm thinking about those young guys, those new guys who are playing in their first professional league. I'm talking to them. I'm trying to push them, trying to help them to go forward. I have Malik [Pinto] who is inside helping me. I'm close with him. I'm close with Noah [Strellnauer], with those guys from Academy. Sometimes I ask him how coaching is going, how Jaden [Chan Tack] is feeling. I want to help everyone, to help them to be together on same page, and to try to start the game on same page. Everyone has to be focused at the same level, the same thing to go forward.”
