Minnesota United FC vs Colorado Rapids | Roster Notes | August 14, 2019

Starting XI:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin will make his fourth start and fifth appearance of the season tonight against Minnesota United FC. Last Saturday, the 30-year-old made his first start at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park since 2015. Irwin made his return to Colorado after being acquired from Toronto FC on December 14, 2018. Overall, Irwin has appeared in 126 regular season games over his MLS career, recording 33 shutouts.

Defender Keegan Rosenberrywill make his 25th consecutive start of the season tonight and his 101st MLS career start. Last week, Rosenberry made his 100th MLS career start versus the San Jose Earthquakes, while also securing a spot in the MLS Team of the Week (23). The 25-year-old is the only player that has played every minute of the 2019 MLS regular season for the Rapids. Prior to joining the club, 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 14th start of the season tonight for the Rapids. Abubakar is making his 45th MLS career appearance 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.

Tommy Smith
will make his 18th start of the season tonight and pair with Lalas Abubakar to anchor the back line. Smith has two goals and one assist to his name in 2019, his second season with the Rapids. Since joining Colorado in 2018, Smith has recorded 50 MLS career appearances, all of which he has started, and recorded 6 goals, 4 assists.

Homegrown defender Sam Vineswill make his 15th start at left fullback tonight vs Minnesota United FC. 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 of the exhibition match and converted from the penalty spot to help the Homegrown side win the contest in a shootout.

Danny Wilson will make his 12th start of 2019 tonight when the Rapids face Minnesota United FC. The 27-year-old has 14 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.

Midfielder Sam Nicholson will make his 10th start of the season tonight against Minnesota United FC. 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.

Diego Rubio will make his 70th MLS career appearance tonight when the Rapids face Minnesota United FC. The 26-year-old scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute last week against the San Jose Earthquakes, while also adding an assist, which earned him a spot in the MLS Team of the Week (23). Rubio has now scored a goal in three consecutive matches, pushing his total to eight goals and three assists in 2019.   

Midfielder Kellyn Acosta will make his 22nd start of the 2019 season tonight against Minnesota. 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.

Jonathan Lewis will make his seventh start of the season tonight while bringing his trademark pace on the wing for the Rapids. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and has recorded two assists for the Rapids in 2019. Lewis currently has nine appearances for the Rapids in 2019 since being acquired via a trade with NYCFC on May 7, 2019.

Forward Kei Kamara will make his 23rd appearance for the club, all coming from the start in 2019. The MLS veteran bagged the second hat trick of his playing career when the Rapids defeated the Montreal Impact 6-3 on August 3. Kamara has now scored 11 goals in 2019. Kamara is now the first Rapids player to record double-digit goals since 2014. Kamara is also the first-ever 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 Minnesota United FC. 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 MNUFC. 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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota United FC. 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 will start from the bench tonight an may have an impact as a creative force in the second half. Since joining the Rapids, the 27-year-old has scored three goals and added four assists, including two game-winning goals.

Andre Shinyashiki is listed on the gameday roster against MNUFC and provides a goal-scoring option for interim head coach Conor Casey. Shinyashiki has recorded 22 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.

Colorado Rapids Injury Report