TUCSON, Ariz. – The Colorado Rapids continue their 2021 preseason on Saturday, March 26, when they face USL Championship side New Mexico United in a 90-minute scrimmage. Kickoff is set for 12 PM MT. Fans can follow the Live Blog on ColoradoRapids.com for updates.
“We’re right where we need to be at the moment. We worked hard on a number of team concepts early on throughout the year and we’ve seen some of that start to come out in the games that we’ve played so far,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said. “We had a good test against Kansas City last weekend that showed us a number of things that we need to continue to work at. To [the players’] credit, they’ve been extremely diligent, giving us everything that we’ve asked for. We feel like we’re moving forward, making good progress. We’re in a good spot right now.”
The Rapids have played three preseason scrimmages so far, outscoring opponents 5-0 in 180 minutes of action. Colorado picked up a pair of 2-0 wins in two, 45-minute split squad scrimmages against Portland Timbers and Phoenix Rising FC of the USL Championship before defeating Sporting Kansas City, 1-0, in a 90-minute scrimmage.
Against Portland, offseason acquisition Michael Barrios showed signs of acclimating nicely to his new team with a goal and an assist to Kellyn Acosta, who played 90 minutes for the U.S. Men’s National Team in a 4-1 friendly win over Jamaica on Thursday. Homegrown Players Matt Hundley and Oliver Larraz scored in the second frame against Phoenix.
Last Saturday’s scrimmage against Sporting was a closely contested affair, with defender Drew Moor’s header off Nicolás Mezquida’s corner delivery proving to be the only goal.
Last week, 19-year-old midfielder Cole Bassett and 22-year-old defender Auston Trusty returned from the U.S. U-23 MNT Olympic qualifying camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, and are both full participants in training after completing their mandatory quarantine period. Defender Sam Vines and forward Jonathan Lewis remain with the U-23s, who take on Honduras in the semifinal on Sunday, with the winner earning a spot in the final and a ticket to Tokyo.
On Wednesday, Major League Soccer announced the full regular season schedule. Click here for the Colorado Rapids 2021 MLS schedule.
