COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids (5-16-11, 26 pts) visit FC Dallas (10-10-12, 42 pts) at Toyota Stadium this Saturday, October 14, after the initial meeting scheduled on Oct. 4 was postponed due to inclement weather (6:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV – Free, Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM).
Last Wednesday, the Rapids kicked off a two-game Texas road trip with a match against FC Dallas. However, moments before kickoff, a thunderstorm forced a postponement of the match, which was rescheduled for this Saturday, Oct. 14. The Rapids thus only played one game during their road trip, facing Houston Dynamo FC at Shell Energy Stadium where they lost 5-1. Rapids homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett scored a consolation goal for his side off a backheel kick in the box to record his career-high sixth goal of the season and his fifth goal contribution in six games. Connor Ronan logged the assist on Bassett’s goal, marking his 11th assist of the season and his third consecutive game with an assist. Ronan is now one of two players to record at least 10 assists in an individual season for the club since 2010 (Jack Price).
Saturday’s match against FC Dallas will be the second time the two clubs meet this season. The first resulted in a 2-1 win for the Rapids in July at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, ending a nine-game winless streak for the club. The game saw Maxsø’s first goal in Burgundy, and in the second half, winger Braian Galván scored the game-winning goal with a Panenka penalty kick. Rapids defender Andrew Gutman made his debut for the club during this match, starting and playing all 90 minutes in the win.
FC Dallas host the Rapids on Saturday after recording just one win in their last seven games, a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake at America First Field. In Dallas’ last game, the club faced San Jose in a 1-1 draw. The Earthquakes scored within the first five minutes, but the Texas side equalized in the second half thanks to forward Jáder Obrian. Dallas has conceded the third-fewest number of goals in MLS with 35, though their 38 goals in favor are the second fewest in the Western Conference. Forward Jesús Ferreira leads the team with 12 goals, tied for 12th-most in MLS, while adding five assists, which are tied for most in the club. Obrian is Dallas’ next-highest scorer with five goals while tying with Ferreira for most assists on the team with five.
Both the Rapids and FC Dallas, originally known as Dallas Burn, are MLS charter clubs, two of the 10 inaugural sides that helped kick off the league in 1996. Dallas holds the regular-season series advantage (28-35-18), although Rapids have had recent success, posting a 4-1-1 record in the last six matchups between the two clubs. The heated rivalry between the two has been bolstered by each acting as the other’s roadblock in different competitions. Meeting in the playoffs five times, the Rapids have eliminated FC Dallas from MLS Cup contention in each of their postseason matchups, including Dallas’ 2006 Western Conference-leading campaign. In 2010, the Rapids faced Dallas in the MLS Cup Final, where Colorado overcame an early deficit to beat the Texan side in extra time and win the championship. On the flip side, Dallas has met Colorado in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on four different occasions and prevailed each time.
Historically, the Rapid have struggled on the road against Dallas, posting an 8-26-7 away record. The club last won at Toyota Stadium in 2016, in a 1-0 effort that saw former Rapids Dominique Badji score the game-winning goal. Despite their road woes, the Rapids have scored at Toyota Stadium four out of the last five matches.
