The Colorado Rapids (15-10-5, 50 pts.) hit the road for their second and final matchup of the regular season against Minnesota United FC (12-12-6, 42 pts.) on Saturday night. Kickoff at Allianz Field is set for 6:30 p.m. MT (Apple TV - MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 950AM).
As the 2024 MLS regular season rapidly comes to a close, every point becomes even more valuable for these sides as they fight for playoff position. While Colorado has already punched their ticket into the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, the club is still looking to cement their spot in the upper half of the conference. On the other end, Minnesota currently sits at ninth in the west, right on the brink of being out of the playoff picture.
Saturday will be the second time that these two have faced off this season, with the clubs playing to a 3-3 draw at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on May 25. The two sides traded braces in the match, as Colorado’s Kévin Cabral and Minnesota’s Jeong Sang-Bin both featured twice on the scoresheet. Rafael Navarro and Tani Oluwaseyi rounded out the scoring to even things out and split the points.
In their most recent contest, the Rapids came out on top at home against Toronto FC to clinch their playoff spot. The match was a well-earned 2-0 clean sheet at home for Colorado to extend the club’s unbeaten streak at DSGP to 13 matches. A home debut goal for Reggie Cannon and a penalty kick goal from Djordje Mihailovic were the difference as the Rapids moved up to third in the Western Conference with the victory. Mihailovic recorded an assist in addition to his goal, bringing him to 24 goal contributions (11g, 13a) on the year to set a new single-season club record in the category.
Minnesota will be entering Saturday’s match off a win of their own, defeating Sporting Kansas City 0-2 on the road last weekend. Kelvin Yeboah started the scoring and Bongokuhle Hlongwane extended his club to give the Loons a crucial three points and keep their playoff hopes alive. Despite the win, Minnesota will look to better their success at home this Saturday. The club has recorded the second-least victories at home this season in MLS play with a 5-6-4 record and have lost their past two matches at Allianz Stadium.
In the all-time record, the two clubs are even at 7-2-7 since Minnesota entered the league in 2017. The Rapids have had their fair share of troubles at Allianz Field, with the club only winning one match in six attempts since the stadium opened in 2019.
On the other end of this matchup is former Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin, who has been with the Loons for two seasons since the conclusion of his second stint in Colorado. Irwin spent seven seasons with the club, ranking second in all-time appearances (105), fourth in wins (35), third in clean sheets (26), and sixth in saves (311). Head Coach Chris Armas also has ties with Minnesota Head Coach Eric Ramsay, as both were assistant coaches at Manchester United from 2021-2022.
