Orlando City SC vs Colorado Rapids
MLS Regular Season, Week 6
April 6, 2019 - 5:30 PM
Orlando City Stadium - Orlando, Florida
Turning the page to April...
The Rapids will be eager to leave the month of March behind after a winless start to the regular season (0-3-2). Though disappointed in recent results, players made it apparent that the season is still young and the mistakes are correctable.
"We’ve just got to keep chugging away," said midfielder Kellyn Acosta following the Rapids 4-1 loss to Houston. "We’ve got to learn from our mistakes in this game. It just wasn’t good enough. We’re taking a moment of reflection and going to move forward."
The first opportunity for Colorado to put March in the rearview mirror will come this Saturday when they head to Florida for the first Eastern Conference opponent on the 2019 schedule in Orlando City SC.
"For us to have a real chance at winning games we need to come from the first minute," said Acosta. "We need to be sound defensively. In the midfield, we need to be connected both defensively and offensively, and in the offense we need to be more clinical in front of the goal."
What to watch for...
Connor Cape, Radio Play-by-Play Announcer
The Rapids begin April looking to leave March behind with their first match against an Eastern Conference squad in Orlando City SC. The bad news is the previous result against the Houston Dynamo, but the good news was the collective response by the team. Everybody vowed to put this one behind them and not let it happen again. So burn the tape and head to Florida.
Orlando has played three matches at home this season and they've conceded by the 15th minute in all of them. Every game is different but this is a great opportunity for the Rapids to get on the front foot and dictate the way a match is played. Scoring first is always crucial but even more so on the road. Along with conceding early at home, Orlando has yet to win at Orlando City Stadium.
Jordan Angeli, Radio Analyst
Saturday’s match against the Houston Dynamo did not go as anyone hoped or expected. However, it’s a new month which means it’s time to flip the script and prepare for an Eastern Conference showdown against Orlando City SC.
Orlando is coming off a 2-1 loss against D.C. United at home over the weekend and the Lions conceded two goals off of set pieces. This leaves an opportunity for the Rapids as they have the ability with Kei Kamara and Axel Sjöberg to win the initial ball off of set pieces and crash the net to pick up any loose scraps.
The biggest thing I want to see from the Rapids is off-the-ball movement when they have possession. It doesn’t have to be huge runs, but short, sharp 5-10-yard movements by multiple players. This forces the defense to make a choice and either block the channel or stay and concede possession in a more dangerous area. The Rapids can be a possession team, and it starts with the movement off the ball.
One thing of note is that the Rapids will begin the match with a different back line as Tommy Smith will be out for this match after receiving a red card late in the game on Saturday. Deklan Wynne can easily slide into that spot, but might we see Kofi Opare make his club debut? We will have to wait and see but his physical presence could be beneficial against Orlando and make it difficult for Dom Dwyer to get into the game.
Top 5 on the horizon...
With his penalty kick goal from in the 81st minute against Houston,Kei Kamara is now tied with Ante Razov as the fifth all-time Major League Soccer. The 34-year-old striker has produced 114 goals over his 13-year MLS career.
“It’s an unbelievable achievement,” Hudson said following the game. “We’re incredibly pleased and proud of him. I was pleased that he got a small reward for the work that he's been putting in."
