Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (0-9-3, 3 pts.) were unable to complete the result against Minnesota United FC 2 (5-5-2, 18 pts.) on the road on Sunday.
Rapids 2 had a hard time establishing their structure in the opening minutes of the match, relying on big stops by their defense and goalkeeper Kendall Starks. Starks would play a key part in keeping the scoreline level at zero with a huge save on a one-on-one against Minnesota. The Rapids 2 backline held firm to keep the side in contention but a header goal by MNUFC2’s Jakob Friedman put them at a one goal deficit at the end of the first 45 minutes.
Coming off the halftime break, Rapids 2 would face an uphill battle after MNUFC2 slipped through the cracks and fired a shot to put the home team up 2-0 in the 52nd minute. Battling through the opposing team’s backline, Rapids built momentum throughout the second half. Even though Colorado had several strong scoring chances, the offsides flag would raise negating the visiting team’s efforts. Even with a solid push at the end, Rapids 2 struggled to find the goals needed to mount a late rally and would fall 2-0 to Minnesota.
Rapids 2 will return home for their next match against St. Louis CITY2 on Saturday, June 6. Kickoff at University of Denver Soccer Stadium in Denver, Colorado is set for 6:00 p.m. MT with coverage available on OneFootball.com and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Notables:
- Goalkeeper Kendall Starks now holds the spot for fifth most goalkeeper saves in club history with 18 saves.
Lineups:
Colorado Rapids 2: Kendall Starks, James Cameron (64’ Jaden Chan Tack), Kamal Sawadogo (82’ Grant Gilmore), Charlie Harper, Jabari De Coteau, Ali Fadal [C] (59’ Luis García), Chris Aquino (60’ Landon Strohmeyer), Sydney Wathuta, Alex Harris (82’ Nathan Tchoumba), Mamadou Billo Diop, Bryce Jamison (60’ Josh Copeland)
Unused substitutes: Zack Campagnolo
Minnesota United FC 2: Keane Perkins, Nicholas Dang, Kieran Chandler (71’ Luciano Pechota), Samuel Vigilante (80’ Hector Cruz), Jack Clarkson, Maxwell Harwood (71’ Marcus Caldeira), Carlos Harvey [C] (46’ Philip Tarnue), Alpha Kabia, Alisa Randell, Troy Putt (71’ Jordan Adebayo-Smith), Jakob Friedman (70’ Andy Farris)
Unused substitutes: Kai Zeruhn, Jadan Bernard, Mo Bojang
Officials:
Referee: Alejo Calume; Assistants: Braxton Williams, Leo Mora; Fourth Official: Ryan Farrell
