COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids (6-8-6, 24 pts) are back on the road as they head to Washington to face Seattle Sounders FC (8-10-2, 26 pts) at Lumen Field on Saturday, July 23 (8 p.m. MT; Altitude Sports, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM).
Saturday’s match will be the second and final regular-season meeting between the clubs this year. In their previous encounter, a 1-0 Rapids win at home on May 22, Jonathan Lewis scored the lone goal of the night in the second-half, 10 minutes after substituting into the match. That win was notable in several ways: it moved the Rapids to 23-straight unbeaten games at home in the regular season, tying Colorado with the LA Galaxy for the fourth-longest unbeaten run in MLS history; Robin Fraser reached 50 regular-season wins in MLS as a head coach; goalkeeper William Yarbrough recorded his sixth shutout of the season in that match, tying him with Rapids legend Tim Howard for fourth-most clean sheets in club history with 23 total, a record he surpassed with last weekend’s result (see below); and defender Anthony Markanich made his MLS debut and first league start after being selected 26th overall in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by Colorado.
The Rapids will arrive in the Pacific Northwest looking to build on their recent form, which has seen the club go unbeaten in its past three games following a 2-0 win at home against the LA Galaxy last weekend. Diego Rubio scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season (43rd in MLS) to open the score in the 20th minute, marking the fourth consecutive game that the Chilean international has recorded a goal or an assist. Gyasi Zardes rounded out the win in the 75th minute, his second goal in as many games and the 23rd time in his career that he has scored in consecutive matches. The Rapids Designated Player has logged a goal or an assist in his past three matches and has now scored in his last two encounters against his former club. Jonathan Lewis delivered the assist on both goals, collecting his first two assists of the season. It was the first time Lewis recorded multiple assists in an MLS match in his career. In goal, William Yarbrough recorded his seventh shutout of the season and 24th all-time with the Rapids, surpassing Howard for fourth-most in club history. The win on Saturday was Yarbrough’s 29th with the club, tying him with Joe Cannon and Howard for fourth-most in Rapids history. The match also saw recently acquired Canadian youth international Ralph Priso make his Rapids debut after signing with the club on July 8.
On the other end of the pitch, the Sounders enter Saturday’s game after losing their previous three matches, outscored 5-0 in that span and marking the first time Seattle has gone scoreless in three consecutive games since 2018. The defending CONCACAF Champions League winners have recorded just one win against the Rapids since Robin Fraser took over as Colorado’s head coach in August 2019 (1-3-2, W-L-D). U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jordan Morris and Peruvian international Raúl RuidÃaz both lead the Sounders with five goals in their respective 2022 accounts, while Nicolás Lodeiro and USMNT midfielder Cristian Roldan have each delivered five assists this season. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei has posted three shutouts this season and looks set to make his first appearance for Seattle after missing the last two games due to Health & Safety Protocols.
