Andre Shinyashiki has featured in four home openers since turning pro in 2019 and has now scored in three of them after coolly converting for the Colorado Rapids at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday afternoon.
He sensationally scored in stoppage time on his MLS debut three years ago, stealing in at the back post to level in the snow against Portland Timbers. He was again on the scoresheet last season, opening the team’s 2021 account in the 3-1 loss to Austin.
Against Atlanta, on what was his 80th appearance, Shinyashiki’s contribution capped a fine performance in a 3-0 win over the Eastern Conference side.
The Rapids’ victory could have been even greater. Jonathan Lewis and Danny Wilson both had good looks in the first half, and though William Yarbrough had to react well to deny George Campbell, Josef Martinez, and Tyler Wolff, the Rapids were deserving of their win.
And yet if we were to focus purely on the game stats, we may be forgiven for thinking the Rapids had employed the smash and grab approach. They were second best in almost every category except the one which matters, goals.
Atlanta had more shots (12 to the Rapids’ 9), more shots on goal (4-3), more corners (8-5), more passes (504-287), and greater passing accuracy (85.3%-69.7%), as well as the bulk of the possession (63.8%-36.2%).
William Yarbrough made four saves in the game. His opposite number, Brad Guzan, made none.
In sport, we obsess with numbers, and I’m sure more intelligent folk than I could read something into the figures previously noted. What I saw, though, was an Atlanta side which had passive possession for long periods. They also began far too aggressively, and the altitude caught up with them sooner than with most visiting teams.
‘There are three kinds of lies: Lies, damn lies, and statistics’. We often manipulate the significance of numbers to suit our narrative.
With the opener at the weekend, Diego Rubio registered his seventh game-winning goal for the club, which is level with Chris Carrieri, Mark Chung, and Nicolas Hernandez on the all-time list.
Paul Bravo leads the way in this category, with 12 game winners. He is two ahead of fellow Gallery of Honor inductee John Spencer.
Dominique Badji, Conor Casey, and Omar Cummings (all 9), along with Jorge Dely Valdes and Wolde Harris (both 8), all lie within touching distance for Rubio, who made his 80th MLS start in the home opener.
Yarbrough is one away from 50 starts and appearances for the Rapids. He notched his 18th shutout for the club in Saturday’s success. He sits fifth on that all-time chart, behind Matt Pickens (29), Clint Irwin (26), Joe Cannon (25), and Tim Howard (23). Three of the four ahead of him have twice as many appearances for the club.
And let’s not forget Lucas Esteves, who carved out the opening for fellow-Brazilian Shinyashiki to score his goal three minutes from time. That was a first assist in MLS for the number 66.
NOTE: When Max entered the arena with three minutes remaining, the Rapids had three Brazilian players on the field at the same time, a club first.
This was a first win and first goals against Atlanta. The Rapids were 0-3-0 heading into the game, with a minus five goal difference. The teams had previously met on April 27, 2019. Sebastian Anderson made his MLS debut in a 1-0 loss inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, taking the Rapids to a miserable 0-7-2.
Incidentally, that loss brought about change within the club, and set the team on a different path. Though their 2019 record slid to 0-9-2, the wheels had been put in motion in the aftermath of the Atlanta defeat.
Since that reversal, and prior to Saturday’s encounter, the Rapids had gone 37-23-18 at an average of 1.65 points per game.
That series of numbers now has an additional W in the first column, and the PPG is now 1.69. Over the course of a 34-game season, that would generate 57 points, which is more than enough for the Rapids to reach the postseason each year.
So, what we’ve learned here is of all the stats that we get bombarded with, there are just three which truly matter. Goals give the best chance of success, success brings you points, and points determine where you finish in the standings.
Simple as that. But then, it’s a simple game. We often just choose to make it complicated.
Milestones to look out for:
- Steven Beitashour is one game away from 260 MLS appearances
- Auston Trusty is one away from 100 MLS appearances
- Nicolas Mezquida is one away from 70 MLS starts
- William Yarbrough is one away from 50 MLS starts and appearances
- Andre Shinyashiki is one away from 50 MLS starts
- Michael Barrios is one away from 40 career goals in MLS
- Jack Price is two assists away from second-best Terry Cooke on the club’s all-time list of assists (34)
