Colorado Rapids vs Montreal Impact | Roster Notes | August 3, 2019

Starting XI:

Team captain Tim Howard returns from a calf injury that sidelined him for the San Jose match and will make his 21st start of the 2019 season. Howard was subbed off due to injury on July 20, 2019 against NYCFC, his 180th MLS appearance. In January, the New Jersey native announced that 2019 will be the final season in his storied career. Howard was 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, Howard has featured in 95 matches, boasting 21 shutouts and recording 317 saves.

Defender Keegan Rosenberry will make his 23rd consecutive start of the season tonight. Last week, Rosenberry made his 102nd MLS career appearance vs the San Jose Earthquakes. The 25-year-old is the only player that has played every minute of the 2019 MLS regular season. Prior to joining the Rapids, Rosenberry spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Union, where he scored three goals and served up six assists over 81 appearances. 

Defender Lalas Abubakarwill make his 12th start of the season tonight for the Rapids. Abubakar needs to see 10 minutes for game action to reach the 1,000-minute mark as a member of the Rapids. The Ghanaian has had a positive impact since joining the Rapids on loan from Columbus Crew SC, where he appeared in 31 games since 2017 for the Ohio club.

Defender Tommy Smith will make his 12th consecutive start tonight and pair with Lalas Abubakar to anchor the back line. Tonight, the 29-year-old center back will make his 50th MLS appearance. Smith has two goals and one assist to his name in 2019, his second season with the Rapids. Since joining Colorado in 2018, Smith has recorded six goals, four assists, and 4,408 MLS minutes.

Homegrown defender Sam Vinesstarts at left fullback tonight vs the Montreal Impact. Vines participated in the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game, where he faced Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 team this week on July 30. Vines wore the captain’s armband in the second half and converted from the penalty spot to help the Homegrowns win the contest in a shootout. The 20-year-old has featured in 15 matches for the Rapids in 2019.

Midfielder Jack Price returns to the lineup against the Impact after making an appearance off of the bench last week. Price has 48 MLS appearances, 46 MLS starts, nine assists, and one goal for Colorado since being acquired from Wolverhampton Wanderers FC of the Premier League on January 9, 2018.

Midfielder Kellyn Acosta will make his 20th start of the 2019 season tonight. Acosta is currently in his second season with the Rapids after spending his previous six years with FC Dallas. Overall, Acosta has played a total of 1,661 minutes and has recorded one goal and two assists in 2019. The US international joined the Rapids midway through the 2018 season from his hometown club.

Midfielder Sam Nicholson will make his eighth start after earning a start last week against the San Jose Earthquakes. Nicholson has scored one goal, recorded two assists, and has seven starts to his name in 2019. Nicholson is in his second year with the Rapids, he was signed from Minnesota United FC on May 1, 2018, in exchange for defender Eric Miller and $50,000 in GAM.

Andre Shinyashiki will make his 10th start of 2019 after replacing Kei Kamara last week against San Jose. Shinyashiki has recorded 20 appearances in 2019. The 22-year-old 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.

Diego Rubio will make his 16th start tonight when the Rapids face the Montreal Impact. The 26-year-old has scored five goals in 2019. In 2018, Rubio averaged 0.92 goals per 90 minutes which put him behind only Atlanta’s Josef Martínez and LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Chilean bagged eight goals and notched six assists in 2018 in just 781 minutes.

Forward Kei Kamara will make his 21st appearance for the club in 2019. The MLS veteran currently holds the fifth spot on the all-time goals list with 120 to his name. Kamara currently leads the Rapids with eight goals for the 2019 campaign. Kamara has added 45 career assists to his goal total in over 25,000 minutes of regular season play.

On the Bench:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin will start the night on the bench after making his third appearance of the 2019 season last week against the San Jose Earthquakes. The 30-year-old made his first start of the 2019 season on May 29 in Philadelphia recording five saves. The occasion marked his 120th MLS regular season start. Irwin rejoined the Rapids this season after spending the previous three with Toronto FC. Overall, Irwin has appeared in 123 regular season games over his six-year MLS career, recording 33 shutouts.

Defender Kofi Opare is listed on the gameday roster against the Montreal Impact. Opare currently has three appearances, all starts for the Rapids in 2019. The defender joined the Rapids in February after spending five seasons with D.C. United. Since arriving to MLS, he's recorded 80 appearances, scored four goals, and added one assist in over 6,800 minutes of regular season play.

Midfielder Danny Wilson will begin the night on the bench after earning his sixth consecutive start of 2019 last week against San Jose. The 27-year-old has 12 appearances for the club this season. Wilson opened his MLS account on May 11, 2019 against rival Real Salt Lake. This is Wilson’s second season with the club, he featured in 23 matches in the 2018 season.

Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett will feature on the gameday roster against the Impact. Bassett participated in the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game, where he faced Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 team this week on July 30th. Bassett entered the match in the second half and scored the game-winning penalty in a shootout. Since signing his contract in 2018, the 17-year-old has scored two goals and has recorded two assists in 1,171 minutes.

Homegrown midfielder Dillon Serna will feature on the gameday roster against the Montreal Impact. Serna has made 13 appearances in 2019. This is Serna's seventh season with the club after signing on January 14, 2013. The 25-year-old has scored nine goals during his career. Serna became the first Homegrown to reach 100 regular season appearances for the club on April 27 against Atlanta United FC.

Midfielder Nicolás Mezquida features on the gameday roster against the Impact after replacing Sam Nicholson last week against the San Jose Earthquakes. Since joining the Rapids, the 27-year-old has scored three goals and added four assists, including two game-winning goals.

Jonathan Lewis features on the gameday roster after a run of three consecutive starts. Lewis recorded an assist last week against the San Jose Earthquakes in the 88th minute. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and has recorded two assists in 490 minutes for the Rapids in 2019. Lewis currently has seven appearances for the Rapids in 2019 since being acquired via a trade with NYCFC on May 7, 2019.

Colorado Rapids Injury Report