COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Rapids will face CF Montréal in a closed-door contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT, marking their first preseason match in the second leg of matches in Orlando, Florida, before returning to Colorado.
Colorado concluded the first leg of the preseason matches in Mexico with a commanding 5-1 victory over Atlante FC. This marked their second consecutive match winning by that scoreline, following their triumph over Querétaro FC, after initially falling 3-1 in the opening match against Atlético Morelia.
CF Montréal and the Rapids have faced each other eight times in the regular season, dating back to 2012, when Montréal joined the league. Colorado boasts a record of 5-2-1 (W-L-D). The first meeting between these sides took place on May 26, 2012, at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, with the Rapids winning 3-2. The most recent meeting took place on August 3, 2019, where the rapids won 6-3 with the help of a Kei Kamara hat trick.
In 2023, MontrĂ©al concluded the season in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. During the offseason, MontrĂ©al appointed Laurent Courtois as their new head coach and made significant signings and acquisitions, including forwards Josef MartĂnez and MatĂas CĂłccaro, defenders Raheem Edwards and Ruan as well as midfielder Dominik Yankov.
This preseason match holds significant connections between the two sides. Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic made a notable impact during his time at Montréal, scoring 13 goals and providing 22 assists across 61 regular season appearances from 2021-22. His 16 assists in 2021 set a new Montréal club record, contributing to their Canadian Championship victory that same year. Additionally, Rapids midfielder Kévin Cabral and Montréal defender Raheem Edwards shared the field in 2022, making 33 appearances alongside each other as members of the LA Galaxy.
All scrimmages in Orlando will be closed-door contests, but fans of the Burgundy and Blue can keep up with all the action on the official Rapids' social media accounts and coloradorapids.com for postgame coverage.
