GAME INFORMATION
Colorado Rapids vs D.C. United
Saturday, April 13 - 7:00 PM MT
DICK'S Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colorado
The Colorado Rapids returned home on Sunday afternoon following the trip to Orlando. There was little time for rest as the players prepared for a two-game homestand. However, the impending snowstorm saw Wednesday's game against Seattle get postponed to September 7, which provided a mid-week rest for the team.
"It's the second time in my career that I've had a game postponed," said Tim Howard. "It's nice when you get that phone call because it gives us that extra bit of rest."
"It hasn't changed too much," said Hudson. "What it has done is allow us to recover better from Orlando. I think the cancellation, albeit we really wanted to play that game, has probably helped us get ready for D.C.."
The team completed four full sessions during the week ahead of the meeting with Wayne Rooney and D.C. United. This will be D.C.'s first visit to Colorado since August 2017, so the players are hoping to take full advantage of the home-field advantage.
"We believe we’re a threat going forward and we’ll score goals," said Hudson. "Off the back of that we’re focused on what we’ll do without the ball. That will be a big priority for us on Saturday."
Hear the full interviews with Hudson, Howard and Kofi Opare below as they spoke about defensive assignments, maintaining a team-first mentality and more.
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Anthony Hudson
"We need a result. We get a result and we start our season off. We’re going to be doing everything to make sure that happens on Saturday."
Goalkeeper Tim Howard
"For us knowing that the team (D.C. United) played mid-week is helpful. They had a game. They're going to have some tired legs. Coming to altitude it's on us to push the tempo."
Defender Kofi Opare
"It's my former team, so I'm pretty excited, pretty amped up to play against them. I had five good years there, and now I'm here in Colorado. Definitely playing against them will be interesting. It's something I'm looking forward to."