Rapids striker Dominique Badji scored his fifth goal of the season on Tuesday night, but it was not enough as the Colorado Rapids fell to the Seattle Sounders FC, 3-1, in front of a packed house at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Fielding the same starting 11 that defeated the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night, the Rapids were unable to muster the same well-rounded performance, conceding an early sixth-minute goal to Sounders striker Clint Dempsey.
The visitors would double their lead 24 minutes later when Will Bruin collected from Dempsey and instinctively slotted his effort past Rapids captain Tim Howard.
Looking to inject some energy in to his side, Pablo Mastroeni made three changes in the opening 25 minutes of the second half, bringing on the attack-minded Caleb Calvert at the restart, as well as midfielder Micheal Azira and striker Alan Gordon in the 59th and 64th-minute, respectively.
The moves paid off and the Rapids nearly cut in to the Sounders lead in the 76th-minute as Gordon bounced a thumping header off the bar. The ball then found its way to Badji whose header was spectacularly denied by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
Badji would not be denied just minutes later, however, as he tapped home a cross from winger Marlon Hairston to cut the lead in half, giving the Rapids life with just 12 minutes to play.
Despite the shift in momentum, the Sounders would soon put the game to rest following a sensational volley from Dempsey in the 85th-minute.
Having played eight matches in five weeks across all competitions, Colorado will now see a much deserved 18-day break from competitive action following tonight’s loss.
Currently sitting in tenth-place in the Western Conference standings, the Rapids (6-11-1; 19 points) will take some time to rest and recover, before heading to Toronto FC on July 22. Kickoff at BMO Field is set for 5:00 p.m. MT (Altitude).
BOX SCORE
Colorado Rapids 1-3 Seattle Sounders FC
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, CO
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA: Clint Dempsey (Joevin Jones) 6’
SEA: Will Bruin (Clint Dempsey, Nicolas Lodeiro) 30’
COL: Dominique Badji (Marlon Hairston, Micheal Azira) 78’
SEA: Clint Dempsey (Will Bruin, Stefan Frei) 85’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
COL: Mekeil Williams (caution) 23’
COL: Nana Boateng (caution) 45’+2’
COL: Dominique Badji (caution) 48’
COL: Mike da Fonte (caution) 54’
COL: Alan Gordon (caution) 66’
Colorado Rapids: Tim Howard; Dennis Castillo (Alan Gordon 64’), Mike da Fonte, Eric Miller, Mekeil Williams (Caleb Calvert HT); Marlon Hairston, Nana Boateng (Micheal Azira 59’), Mohammed Saeid, Dillon Serna; Dominique Badji, Kevin Doyle.
Subs not used: Zac MacMath, Kortne Ford, Dillon Powers, Shkëlzen Gashi.
Seattle Sounders FC: Stefan Frei; Jordy Delem, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall (Tony Alfaro 22’), Nouhou Tolo; Nicolas Lodeiro, Gustav Svensson, Osvaldo Alonso (Aaron Kovar 17’ (Harry Shipp 84’)), Joevin Jones; Will Bruin, Clint Dempsey.
Subs not used: Tyler Miller, Zach Mathers.
ATTENDANCE: 17,432
TEAM RECORDS:
Colorado Rapids: 6-11-1 (19 points)
Seattle Sounders FC: 6-7-6 (24 points)
