Colorado Rapids vs Houston Dynamo | Roster Notes | March 30, 2019

Starting XI:

Goalkeeper Tim Howardwas named to the MLS Team of the Week (Week 1) after his performance against the Timbers in the Rapids home opener. Tonight will mark Howard's fifth consecutive start of the 2019 season. In January, the New Jersey native announced that 2019 will be his final season in his storied playing career. Howard has been a mainstay on the US men's national team and spent more than 10 years in England before rejoining MLS with the Rapids in 2016. Since then, the Howard has featured in 79 games, boasting 18 shutouts, two against the Houston Dynamo. In 2017, Howard made MLS Team of the Week (Week 18) with six saves in the 3-1 home win over Houston Dynamo on July 1.

Defender Keegan Rosenberry made his fourth consecutive start with the Rapids last Saturday against FC Dallas. The Pennsylvania native has played every minute of the 2019 season so far. A technically skilled right back, Rosenberry will be looking to become a regular in the Rapids lineup after coming off a bounce-back season with the Union in 2018. He made 32 regular season appearances with the Union in 2018, 31 from the start, registering one goal and three assists. Tonight will mark Rosenberry's fourth appearance against the Houston Dynamo in his MLS career.

Defender Axel Sjöberg will make his fourth start of the 2019 season. Sjöberg enters his fifth season with the Rapids after being selected in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. The defender was named Man of the Match after his performance against Sporting KC during the March 17 game at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park. Tonight marks Sjöberg's fifth appearance against the Dynamo.

Defender Tommy Smith will make his second start of the 2019 season after recovering from a leg injury that saw him sidelined for the first three games. The 28-year-old opened his goal-scoring account in the 69th minute of his 2019 debut at Toyota Stadium last Saturday against FC Dallas. Smith is in his second season with the Rapids after starting in 33 regular season games with the club in 2018, scoring four goals and adding three assists.

Homegrown Defender Dillon Sernawill make his fifth consecutive start of the season tonight against the Houston Dynamo. He has played in every minute of the 2019 season. The Homegrown was named Man of the Match for his performance against the Timbers during the Rapids season opening match. This is Serna'sseventh season with the club after signing on January 14, 2013, and he is just 5 games away from making his 100th regular season appearance for the Rapids. Serna has a personal record of 4-0-0 in games he's featured against the Houston Dynamo, a tally that includes an assist on July 1, 2017.

Midfielder Benny Feilhaber will make his fourth start for the Rapids since signing as a free agent on January 11. Feilhaber was named to the MLS Team of the Week (Week 1) after scoring in the 46th minute to put the Rapids level with the Timbers on March 2. Since his MLS debut in 2011, the US international has scored 38 goals and added 56 assists in over 19,000 minutes of regular season play.  The 34-year-old has scored two goals and recorded four assists against the Houston Dynamo during his career. 

Midfielder Jack Pricewill make his fourth start of the season tonight after going the full 90 last Saturday against FC Dallas. Price enters his second season with the Rapids after spending his previous seven years with Wolverhampton Wanders FC. 

Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett will make his third start of the season. The 17-year-old became the youngest player to sign with the club when he inked a Homegrown contract on August 10. Following his signing, Bassett made an immediate impact, earning three starts in six appearances and scoring his first MLS goal in a 2-1 win over FC Dallas on October 28. The midfielder was named to the MLS Team of the Week twice in 2018.

Midfielder Nicolás Mezquidawill make his fifth start for the Rapids tonight after spending five seasons with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Since arriving in MLS, he's scored 12 goals and added four assists in over 4,700 minutes of regular season play. Mezquida is undefeated in his appearances against the Houston Dynamo with a personal record of 2-0-2.

Forward Diego Rubiowill make his fourth start for the Rapids tonight after spending three seasons with Sporting Kansas City. The Chilean averaged 0.92 goals per 90 minutes in 2018 which put him behind only Atlanta’s Josef Martínez and LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. He bagged eight goals and six assists in 2018 in just 781 minutes with two of those goals coming against the Houston Dynamo. The striker was absent from last Saturday's game for international duty with the Chilean national team. Rubio subbed on for the final four minutes during Chile's 1-1 draw against the US on March 26.

Forward Kei Kamarawill make his fifth consecutive start for the club tonight after spending 2018 with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. The MLS veteran scored the first goal of the 2019 campaign against the Portland Timbers during his club debut. The goal was Kamara's 113th career MLS goal, good enough for sixth in league history. The 34-year-old has scored six goals and added three assists against the Houston Dynamo in his MLS career. Kamara had a brief stint with the Houston Dynamo, appearing in 32 games with the club from 2008-2009. He is just two goals away from passing Ante Razov for fifth place in all-time MLS goals. Kamara has also added 44 career assists in over 23,000 minutes of regular season play, and has played in every minute of the 2019 campaign. 

On the Bench:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwinwill serve as the backup to Tim Howard tonight. Irwin rejoined the Rapids after spending three seasons with Toronto FC. The 'keeper has appeared in 121 regular season games over his six-year MLS career, recording 33 shutouts. Two of those shutouts were against the Houston Dynamo.

Defender Danny Wilsonmakes the gameday roster against Houston. In 2019, Wilson has featured in two games as a central defender. He's in his second season with the club, featuring in 23 games in 2018.

Defender Deklan Wynnebegins tonight's match on the bench after playing in 270 minutes of the first three games in 2019. The 23-year-old enters his second season in Colorado after making 25 regular season appearances with the Rapids in 2018, 22 from the start.

Midfielder Kellyn Acostabegins tonight's match on the bench after starting in the first four games of the season. The midfielder grabbed his first assist of the 2019 season with a ball to Kei Kamara in the 16th minute of the 3-3 draw in the Rapids season opening game. The US international started all 12 matches following the trade from his hometown club FC Dallas in July, scoring two goals and adding three assists in 2018. Overall, the 23-year-old has 11 goals and 16 assists in his MLS career.

Midfielder Sam Nicholsonmakes his second appearance on the gameday roster since recovering from a back injury that saw him sidelined since September. Last Saturday, Nicholson put in a 9-minute shift against FC Dallas after subbing on for Nicolás Mezquida. Nicholson enters his second season with the Rapids after spending his previous two with Minnesota United FC. The winger found the back of the net twice in 19 appearances in 2018 and scored his first ever MLS goal against the Houston Dynamo on September 30, 2017.

Midfielder Nana Boatengmakes his second appearance on the gameday roster in 2019. The Ghanaian is in his third season with the club after spending four seasons with Norwegian club Strømsgodset IF on loan from Manchester City. Since joining the Rapids on January 24, 2017, Boateng has featured in 38 games for the club, scoring one goal and adding two assists.

Forward Andre Shinyashikiappears on the gameday roster for the fifth consecutive week after earning his first-ever MLS start last Saturday against FC Dallas. The 21-year-old scored the dramatic stoppage time equalizer in the 3-3 draw against Portland on March 2, which would eventually be voted MLS Goal of the Week (Week 1). The rookie was selected fifth overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft after four productive years at the University of Denver where he scored 51 goals and added 15 assists over 83 appearances at the NCAA level.

Colorado Rapids Injury Report