COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids host USL League One side Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC at DICK’S Sporting Good Park for Round Three of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this Wednesday, April 26th (7 p.m. MT; Altitude Sports Radio AM 950).Â
The Rapids enter Wednesday’s match on a five-game unbeaten streak that includes two clean sheets — against Sporting Kansas City and reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC — and three consecutive games with at least one goal scored. Colorado maintained the streak off of a stoppage-time goal against then-league leading St. Louis CITY SC from Rapids forward Michael Barrios, his second consecutive game with a goal in stoppage time.
Last year, the Rapids entered the Open Cup tournament in the Round of 32 after new rules implemented in 2022 allowed the four MLS teams competing in Concacaf Champions League to qualify directly to the fourth round. Colorado fell to Minnesota United in a 2-1 bout that saw a late-game, go-ahead goal scored by the Loons. The game was split amongst two days due to a lightning delay and inclement weather. Prior to the two-year pause of the competition in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rapids lost on penalties to USL Championship-side New Mexico United in 2019. The team last qualified for the fifth round in 2017, where they had advanced to four-straight fifth-round appearances.
Forward Diego Rubio and defender Keegan Rosenberry are the only two players on the current roster who started in the last two Open Cup games for the Rapids. Rubio recorded his 24th assist against St. Louis last Saturday, surpassing Marcelo Balboa for eighth-most assists in club history. Recently recording his 100th regular-season appearance in Burgundy — just the fourth forward in club history to reach that tally — Rubio has scored 36 goals for the club and is one goal away from tying John Spencer for fourth-most goals in franchise history. The 29-year-old forward enjoyed a career year in 2022 in which he equaled the Rapids’ all-time, single-season scoring record (16 goals) and set a new record for most goal contributions in a season in club history (23; 16 goals, 7 assists).
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC enter Wednesday’s match unbeaten in league play. Hailstorm have conceded zero goals through three league matches and only have conceded one goal through all competitions this season — an opening goal to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in a 3-1 victory in the second round of the Open Cup. They are the second club in USL League One history to record three-consecutive clean sheets to start a season. Making the Round of 32 in the club’s debut season, Hailstorm beat the Switchbacks and Real Salt Lake in 2022, recording 1-0 victories in both instances. The club lost to fellow USL League One side Union Omaha, 2-0.Â
The inter-state matchup Wednesday between the Rapids and Hailstorm will be the first time the two teams meet. The winner of the third-round matchup will advance to the Round of 32, where they will be geographically placed in a group of four to determine the next draw.
