COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids (6-7-4, 22 pts.) return after a week-long break for a battle with Austin FC (6-6-5, 23 pts.) on Saturday night. Kickoff at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park is set for 7:30 p.m. MT (Apple TV—MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 950AM).
The Rapids return home after much needed rest, having played seven matches over the past month. The squad will look to bounce back from a 2-1 loss in Vancouver on June 1.
This will be the first contest of the year between both sides as they battle for positioning in the Western Conference playoff picture around the midpoint of the MLS regular season. Since Austin entered the league in 2021, Colorado has had a slight edge in the all-time series with a 3-2-2 record and a +2 goal differential in seven matches.
These two sides will have their eyes on returning to winning form following their previous three matches without a victory. Most recently for Colorado was a 2-1 defeat against Vancouver in which the Whitecaps stole all three points in stoppage time. Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic scored the lone goal for the Rapids, making that 11 goal contributions in his last 11 matches (5g, 6a).
Austin is coming off a loss of their own, having fallen to Salt Lake by a final score of 5-1. Alexander Ring scored his side’s lone goal in stoppage time for his first of the season. That result continued the club’s poor run of form on the road this season, bringing their record to 1-4-3 away from home.
Both teams had multiple players called up during the international window. For Colorado, two key starters were called up in midfielder Cole Bassett for the United States and defender Moïse Bombito for Canada. Additionally, goalkeeper Adam Beaudry earned a call up with the United States Youth National Team for recent friendlies. On the opposing side, Austin had several players called up for international duty, including Osman Bukari (Ghana), Julio Cascante (Costa Rica), and Leo Väisänen (Finland).
Saturday’s match will also mark the return of some familiar faces to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, including former Rapids players Diego Rubio, Gyasi Zardes, and Preston Burpo. Rubio joined the Rapids ahead of the 2019 season and went on to make 114 regular-season appearances for the club, including 97 as starts, recording 38 goals and 26 assists. Zardes spent the majority of 2022 with the Rapids, etching his name in MLS history as he recorded his fifth season with double-digit goals. Burpo, who is now the goalkeeper coach for Austin, made 24 appearances between the sticks for Colorado during his time with the club (2008-09), recording four shutouts in that span.
