Closing out their three-game home stand before a three-game road trip, the Rapids play host to Austin FC for the second time in the 2021 regular season. The first match-up was all the way back in April when Austin gave the Rapids their only home loss of the season to this point. The Rapids are the only team in the West with one home loss.
Life is typically difficult for expansion sides in MLS but after a strong defensive start, things have gone sideways for Austin FC at the back as of late. When the Rapids went to Q2 Stadium and got the 1-0 victory, Austin FC had conceded 15 goals on the year. Since then, in the last 11 matches, Austin FC have let by an eye-opening 25 goals. But they did just pick up a 2-0 home victory over the LA Galaxy Sunday evening. Did they right the ship or catch the Galaxy at the right time? Only time will tell.
A vital three points are up for grabs for the Rapids. They want to keep pace with Seattle at the top of the table, and they want to keep distance between themselves and other sides trying to climb into the top four. Here’s how they can do it Wednesday night:
Break 'Em Down
Teams coming to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park have begun utilizing a new strategy that so far has proven effective at slowing down the Rapids attack: low block, park the bus, numbers behind the ball, etc. There are a few ways to describe it and deploy the strategy, but the end result is the same. Austin FC will be coming into this one riding the high of a 2-0 home win and trying to continue to plug their leaky-of-late defense. The Rapids can counter this by continuing to be the best in MLS on set pieces but also with individual moments of brilliance. We’ve seen midfielder Younes Namli and forward Diego Rubio come off the bench in the second halves of the last two matches. Combined with the quality of forwards Michael Barrios or Jonathan Lewis, there are a number of guys out there who can change a game with one shot. If Austin do come in and play defensively, it may take just that to break the deadlock.Â
Wreck Their Rhythm
If you were an Austin FC fan, you’d take this next stat as a sign of good things to come. You’d look at this and consider it a building block for the future. Per fbref.com, the Verdes are second in MLS with 84.6 percent pass completion rate. They’re second in total distance in yards of completed passes with 235,028. Removing set pieces, they’re fourth in MLS in completed crosses into the box at 70. (This should be an interesting match-up because the Rapids are the best in MLS at denying crosses into the 18. Nobody has allowed fewer completed crosses than the Rapids with 29.) So they’re accurate with their passes, they’re covering a lot of acreage when they do pass and they’re connecting on the ends of crosses whipped into the box. The identity Josh Wolff is building is a good one. It’s not paying off in 2021, but nobody expected them to contend for MLS Cup in Year 1. Look out for them after a couple more transfer windows and more time for this roster to gel. For Colorado, they need to disrupt all of this crisp passing. The Rapids can do this by continuing to be selective with their pressure, aggressive in the midfield and by keeping the ball themselves.
Keep The Streak Alive
The Rapids are currently on an 11-match unbeaten run that began, coincidentally, on July 31 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, when the Rapids picked up a 1-0 victory over Austin FC. Now with a chance to make it two full months without tasting defeat, it’s important they end this homestand on a high note. October will feature seven games for the Rapids, with five on the road and two of those five coming against teams currently at the top their conference. Every MLS season is busy when you account for travel, weather and playoff positioning. It’s a unique league that offers a set of challenges most professional leagues don’t, and quite frankly, can’t. But it’s about to get even busier and more intense than usual. There are enough points left up for grabs for the Rapids to climb to the top of the West, but there are at least two other teams that believe they also still have time to do the same. Get all three points against Austin FC and march into the most crucial road trip of the season with a 12-match unbeaten streak as the wind in your sails. The Rapids control their destiny.
