Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic was named Player of the Matchday by Major League Soccer today, following his standout performance over the weekend. The Designated Player scored twice late in the second half of the Rapids' match with Charlotte FC to propel his side to a shutout victory at home.
Mihailovic was also represented on the Team of the Matchday Starting XI this week. Despite racking up five TOTM honors in 2024, this is his first Player of the Matchday designation with the Rapids and of his MLS career.
Across his time with Chicago Fire, CF Montreal and the Rapids Mihailovic has recorded 33 goals and 52 assists. He finished his first season with the Rapids as a record breaker, tallying 25 goal contributions to hold the most in a single season in club history.
Saturday's match with Charlotte marked Mihailovic's sixth multi-goal game of his career, and third in a Rapids kit after notching a hat trick against St. Louis and brace against LAFC in 2024.
Mihailovic is the first Rapids player to be featured as the league's weekly MVP since Gyasi Zardes helped Colorado to a come-from-behind win against Minnesota FC with a hat trick in 2022.
The midfielder's two finishes against Charlotte brought Colorado fans to their feet in the 78th and 81st minutes after the Rapids kept the press high and intensity up throughout the match. Head Coach Chris Armas reflected on his performance after the game:
"What I kept saying to Djordje, anytime he’s close to me, ‘Just stay in it’. You can see he has these moments, passing the ball then there's frustration. ‘Djordje it’s coming, just stay in it.’ On that second goal, the pass he gives to play Rafa through is a really, really good one -- the timing, the weight of the pass. There's these moments where they have it in them, but it's not so easy when there’s another team trying to take away the speed and take away the depth. The guys met the demands tonight. They really earned those three points, and they are a really important three points for us as we creep a little higher for the time being.”
Mihailovic and the Rapids will take on the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps this coming weekend at BC Place. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MT.
