Colorado Rapids vs New England Revolution
MLS Regular Season, Week 18
July 4, 2019 - 7:00 PM
DICK'S Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colorado
Tales of the Fourth
The Rapids have a long history of playing on the Fourth of July at home in front of the Colorado faithful. The club has a record of 13-5-5 all-time on Independence Day and are 2-0-0 when playing the Revolution on the date.
Both of the occasions of Rapids-Revolution meetings on July 4 were notable affairs. In 2004, the Rapids would squeak by New England 1-0 off of a goal from sparsely-used forward Alberto Delgado. How sparsely-used? The then-26-year-old Cuban’s goal in the 74th minute came in only the third game of his 13-game MLS career, all with the Rapids. Talk about catching lightning in a bottle.
Lightning in a bottle may have been a possibility for the Rapids fans who came out for a Fourth of July rematch between the two clubs just two years later. That contest was interrupted not once, but twice by rain delays. Perhaps the only thing more electric than the inclement weather was the play on the pitch. Colorado pulled off a 3-2 victory on the backs of forward Nicolás Hernández, who tallied home a brace, while Clint Dempsey and Taylor Twellman found the scoresheet for the visitors.
Off on the Wrong Foot
Raise your hand if you’ve heard this one before - a rough few months at the beginning of 2019, followed by a change at head coach and then a substantial unbeaten run.
Both the Rapids and Revolution have seen similar results so far in the 2019 season. A tough start to the 2019 campaign saw the Rapids make a coaching change with Conor Casey taking over as interim head coach on May 1. Since then, the Burgundy Boys have gone 5-2-2 and are currently on a seven-game unbeaten run, including four wins on the bounce at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. In those four wins, the Rapids have outscored their opponents 8-3 and have recorded two clean sheets in the process. While Colorado will be looking to keep their streak alive, so too will the Revs.
After parting ways with coach Brad Friedel on May 8, the club has gone unbeaten in their six games (3-0-3) since. The man brought in to replace Friedel and that has helped the club rise from Eastern Conference cellar-dweller to a serious contender for the playoffs should be familiar to fans of MLS and American soccer. Bruce Arena, most notably the longest-serving USMNT coach (1998-2006, 2016-2017), knows what it takes to succeed at this level; his five MLS Cup titles spanning multiple decades can attest to that.
On the pitch, Arena has given structure and form to a team that had lacked it all season. Call it a chicken-or-the-egg situation, but the New England players have responded with a renewed energy for the revered coach. They’re coming off an last-minute win against the Houston Dynamo, in which midfielder Teal Bunbury buried a game-winner off a lovely pass from midfielder Cristian Penilla in the 90th minute. Bunbury will be the man to watch on Thursday as the super-sub now has four goals through his last five appearances in all competitions.
What to watch for...
Connor Cape, Radio Play-by-Play Announcer
If you were skeptical after the first win of the season, a tight 1-0 road win over the Galaxy, that's permissible. It was only the first win after a long rough patch. If you were skeptical after three straight home wins and two results on the road, that's fine; it takes consistency or a big match to get your attention. And Friday night on national television the Burgundy Boys did just that against top-of-the-table LAFC, winning 1-0.
The league is starting to take notice and hopefully fans are, too. Next up is one of the biggest home matches every season, the Fourth of July. It's a midweek match against the Revolution and their new man in charge, Bruce Arena. After starting slow, they're also red hot after picking up 10 points in June. It's one of the best game days on the calendar, the Rapids are flying as high as the fireworks that will soar over DSGP. Five straight home victories on the line, it's go time.
