Colorado Rapids vs San Jose Earthquakes | Roster Notes | August 10, 2019

Starting XI:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin will make his third start and fifth appearance of the season tonight. The 30-year-old made his second start on July 7, 2019 when the Rapids faced the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. Irwin rejoined the Rapids this season after spending the previous three with Toronto FC. Overall, Irwin has appeared in 125 regular season games over his six-year MLS career, recording 33 shutouts.

Defender Keegan Rosenberrywill make his 24th consecutive start of the season tonight and his 100th career start in MLS. Last week, Rosenberry made his 103rd MLS career appearance vs Montreal Impact. 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 13th start of the season tonight for the Rapids and his 40th career start in MLS tonight. 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.

Danny Wilson
will make his 11th start of 2019 tonight when the Rapids face the San Jose Earthquakes. He will pair with Abubakar in central defense. The 27-year-old has 13 total 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 defender Sam Vinesstarts at left fullback tonight against the San Jose Earthquakes. Vines participated in the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game, where he faced Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 team on July 30. Vines wore the captain’s armband in the second half and converted from the penalty spot to help the Homegrown side win the contest in a shootout. The 20-year-old has featured in 15 matches for the Rapids in 2019.

Midfielder Jack Price will record his 50th MLS appearance tonight. The 26-year-old midfielder was named to MLS Team of the Week (22) after putting on a passing masterclass against Montreal. He recored a total of 69 touches, 61 passes and three assist. Price has seven assists in his last seven games and eight overall for the 2019 season. This is Price’s second season with the club.

Midfielder Kellyn Acosta will make his 21st 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 1,751 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 FC Dallas.

Midfielder Sam Nicholson will start tonight's match on the wing against the San Jose Earthquakes. Nicholson has scored one goal and recorded two assists 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 earns the start tonight against the San Jose Earthquakes. Shinyashiki has recorded 21 appearances in 2019. The 22-year-old 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.

Diego Rubio will make his 17th start of 2019 tonight when the Rapids face the San Jose Earthquakes. The 26-year-old has scored six goals in 2019 and has scored in five of his last seven appearances. 

Forward Kei Kamara will make his 22nd appearance for the club in 2019. The MLS veteran bagged his second hat trick of his playing career when the Rapids defeated the Montreal Impact 6-3. Kamara has now scored 11 goals the 2019. Kamara is now the first Rapid to record double-digit goals since 2014. Kamara is also the first MLS player to score 10 goals for five different clubs.

On the Bench:

Goalkeeper Andre Rawls serves as the backup to Clint Irwin tonight. The 27-year-old has been on loan with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, where he has recorded 33 saves in 12 appearances. Rawls was selected third in the 2018 Re-Entry Draft on December 14, 2018 by the Rapids. Prior to joining Colorado, Rawls spent three seasons with New York City FC.

Defender Kofi Opare is listed on the gameday roster against the San Jose Earthquakes. Opare currently has 3 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.

Homegrown defender
Sebastian Anderson
is listed on the gameday roster against the San Jose Earthquakes. The 16-year-old has made four appearances for the Rapids as a defender and one appearance playing on the right wing. Anderson became the youngest Rapids player to make his MLS debut at 16 years and 262 days old against Atlanta United FC on April 27. He also became the youngest player to sign with the club when he
inked his Homegrown contract
on April 3. 

Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett will feature on the gameday roster against the Quakes. 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.

Homegrown midfielder Dillon Serna will feature on the gameday roster against the San Jose Earthquakes. 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 Earthquakes tonight. 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 as an attacking option off the bench. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and has recorded two assists for the Rapids in 2019. Lewis currently has eight appearances for the Rapids in 2019 since being acquired via a trade with NYCFC on May 7, 2019.

Colorado Rapids Injury Report