Preview | Rapids host league-leading St. Louis CITY SC in first-ever matchup

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids (1-3-4, 7 pts) host league-leading St. Louis CITY SC (6-2-0, 18 pts) for their first-ever encounter at DICK’S Sporting Good Park this Saturday, April 22 (7:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV – Free, Altitude Sports Radio AM950). 

The Rapids enter the match on a four-game unbeaten streak that includes two clean sheets—one against Sporting Kansas City and the other against reigning MLS Cup Champions LAFC. Last Saturday, Colorado scored two goals in a 2-2 draw on the road at Charlotte FC, which included a stoppage-time equalizer from forward Michael Barrios. Midfielder Max opened the scoring in the match, collecting his first regular-season goal of his MLS career.

Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough is close to setting a new record for most shutouts in club history. Yarbrough is one away from tying the all-time club record of 30 clean sheets set by 2010 MLS Cup-winning goalkeeper Matt Pickens after he logged his 29th shutout in the Rapids’ 1-0 win against SKC earlier this season. The Aguascalientes, Mexico, native recently passed Joe Cannon for the fourth-most appearances by a goalkeeper in club history and his 35 wins in Burgundy puts him one away from surpassing Clint Irwin for third-most wins by a Rapids goalkeeper all-time. 

St. Louis CITY SC has had the best start in MLS history by an expansion team after recording 18 points through eight games. They currently sit atop the standings after defeating then-league leaders FC Cincinnati 5-1 last Saturday. The performance was buoyed by a potent offense that is first in the league in goals scored and shots on target with 20 and 47, respectively. João Klauss leads the team with five goals, tied for third-most in MLS, while Eduard Löwen is tied for the league lead in assists with five, while adding two goals. Team captain Roman Bürki has recorded two clean sheets and 22 saves for his side across eight appearances. 

A week after scoring the Rapids’ game-winning goal against Sporting KC, forward Diego Rubio tallied an assist on the opening goal last Saturday in Charlotte. The assist marked his 23rd as a member of the Rapids, tying Marcelo Balboa for eighth-most in club history, and was his 31st overall in his MLS career. Rubio has scored 36 goals as a member of the Rapids, the fifth-highest mark in franchise history, and is one goal away from tying John Spencer for fourth-most (37). The Chilean international put together a career year in 2022 where 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 (16 goals, 7 assists). 

Saturday’s game will be the Rapids’ annual Sustainability Night as part of the club’s support of the league’s Greener Goals Week of Service, a week dedicated to environmentally friendly projects and raising awareness about environmental issues within the community. For each Sustainability Night ticket sold, $5 will go back to the Denver Park Trust, whose mission is to improve and expand Denver’s park system. To start the night, fans that live near DSGP are encouraged to ride their bikes to the game and use the Burgundy Bike Lot, which opened on last year’s Sustainability Night. On arrival, fans will find drop-off bins at Gates B and G where they can drop off small household electronic items to be responsibly recycled as part of the Rapids’ Technology Drive in partnership with Genesis Electronics Recycling. On the pitch, both teams will be wearing adidas’ One Planet kits, which are made in part from recycled plastic.