Preview: Rapids to take on Sporting Kansas City in 2023 home opener at altitude

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — After opening their regular season on the road last weekend, the Colorado Rapids will host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, March 4, at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in their first home game of the year (7:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV – MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM). 

The Rapids enter the game looking to bounce back from a 4-0 loss to reigning Concacaf Champions League winners Seattle Sounders FC over the weekend. The match saw four new players make their Rapids debuts in defenders Alex Gersbach and Andreas Maxsø, and midfielders Connor Ronan and Kévin Cabral; Gersbach, Maxsø and Ronan got their first minutes in MLS. The match also saw Braian Galván make his first MLS appearance since November 25, 2021, after recovering from an ACL injury sustained just over a year ago.

Colorado is tied for the second-best win percentage at home in MLS since 2021 (73.5%) and tied for the fewest losses at home in that span (3). The only other team with a better win percentage at home is last year’s MLS Cup runners-up, the Philadelphia Union; tied with the Rapids on that front are the reigning MLS Cup winners, LAFC.

Highest win percentages at home in MLS since 2021: 

• Philadelphia Union - 86.8% 
• Colorado Rapids - 73.5% 
• Los Angeles Football Club - 73.5% 
• New York City FC - 70.6% 
• FC Dallas - 69.4%

Fewest losses at home in MLS since 2021: 

• Colorado Rapids - 3 
• Philadelphia Union - 3
• Los Angeles Football Club - 5
• Nashville SC - 5
• Two teams tied - 6

Saturday’s game will be the 73rd time the Rapids face Sporting Kansas City in club history. The Burgundy Boys are undefeated in their last nine regular-season matches at home against SKC; their last loss to Sporting in Colorado dates back to 2014, which is the only time they’ve lost to Kansas City at home since DICK’S Sporting Goods Park opened in 2007. Overall, the Rapids are 19-5-12 all-time when facing SKC at home.

Sporting has gone eight straight road matches without a win as they enter Saturday’s game. Last year, forwards Johnny Russell and William Agada were SKC’s top goal scorers, bagging eight goals each, while forward Dániel Sallói was their top deliverer with five assists in his account. Goalkeeper Tim Melia recorded four clean sheets last season.