New York Red Bulls vs Colorado Rapids | Roster Notes | August 31, 2019

Starting XI:

Team captain Tim Howard returns to where it all began and will make his 23rd start of the 2019 season today. In January, the New Jersey native announced that 2019 will be the final season of his storied career. Howard was a mainstay on the US men's national team and spent more than 10 years in England before rejoining MLS with the Rapids in 2016. Since then, Howard has featured in 96 matches, boasting 21 shutouts and recording 318 saves. 

Defender Keegan Rosenberrywill make his 28th consecutive start of the season today. 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.

Tommy Smithwill make his 21st start of the season today. 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 52 MLS career appearances, with six goals and four assists to his name.

Danny Wilson will make his 25th MLS start of the season today against the New York Red Bulls. 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.

Sam Vineswill make his 17th start tonight against Real Salt Lake. Vines will make his 21st MLS appearance overall. Last month, 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.

Midfielder
Jack Price
will make his 22nd appearance of the 2019 season today against New York Red Bulls. Price has recorded 12 assists, and one goal for Colorado since being acquired from Wolverhampton on January 9, 2018. This is Price’s second season with the club.

Sebastian Andersonwill make his fifth MLS start, his first against the New York Red Bulls. The 16-year-old 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 make his 17th appearance of the 2019 season and his first appearance against the New York Red Bulls. Last month, 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.

Midfielder Sam Nicholson will make his 60th MLS appearance today, his fourth against the New York Red Bulls. Nicholson has scored one goal and has recorded three assists in 2019. Nicholson is in his second year with the Rapids, he joined the club from Minnesota United FC on May 1, 2018.

Jonathan Lewis will make his eighth start of the 2019 season tonight against the Red Bulls. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and has recorded two assists for the Rapids in 2019. Lewis currently has 11 appearances for the Rapids in 2019 since being acquired via a trade with NYCFC on May 7, 2019. 

Diego Rubio will make his 73rd MLS appearance today and his first against the New York Red Bulls. Chile’s national team recently announced that they will be calling Rubio up for their upcoming friendlies against Argentina (9/5) and Honduras (9/10). Rubio has recorded nine goals and three assists in 2019.

On the Bench:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin will serve as the backup to Tim Howard against Real Salt Lake. Irwin has recorded seven appearances and 29 saves in 2019. Irwin made his return to Colorado after being acquired from Toronto FC on December 14, 2018. Overall, Irwin has appeared in 128 regular season games over his MLS career, recording 33 shutouts.

Defender Kofi Opare is listed on the gameday roster against New York Red Bulls. Opare currently has three appearances, all starts for the Rapids in 2019. The defender joined the Rapids in February after spending five seasons with D.C. United. In his career, Opare has recorded 80 appearances, scored four goals, and added one assist in over 6,800 minutes of regular season play.

Defender Axel Sjöberg is listed on the gameday roster. Sjöberg is in his fifth season with the Rapids after being selected in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Sjöberg has recorded six appearances, five starts, and 432 minutes for the Rapids this season. Sjöberg was named to the MLS Best XI in 2016 after he anchored a defense that conceded a league-low 32 goals and set an MLS record for average goals against per home game of 0.41.

Homegrown midfielder Dillon Serna will feature on the gameday roster. Serna has made 13 appearances, six starts, and has recorded one assist 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 and may have an impact as a creative force if he sees the field. Since joining the Rapids this past offseason, the 27-year-old has scored three goals and added four assists, including two game-winning goals. Mezquida has recorded a total of 125 MLS appearances, 59 MLS starts, 15 goals, and eight assists in 5,518 minutes. 

Niki Jackson
features on the gameday roster today against the Red Bulls after being recalled from his loan with Charlotte Independence of the USL. This is Jackson’s second season with the Rapids after signing on February 20, 2018. Jackson has spent the majority of the 2019 season on loan with the Charlotte, where he has scored four goals in 18 games. 
 appearances. 

If rookie Andre Shinyashiki sees the field tonight it would mark his 26th MLS appearance of the season. Shinyashiki has recorded five goals and two assists in 2019. The 22-year-old 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