COMMERCE CITY, Colo. —The Colorado Rapids (0-3-3, 3 pts) go on the road to face Sporting Kansas City (0-3-3, 3 pts) at Children’s Mercy Park for Matchday 7 this Saturday, April 8 (6:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV – MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio AM950).Â
Colorado enter Saturday’s match looking to build off two strong defensive showings in back-to-back draws against defending MLS Cup champions LAFC and Austin FC. The Rapids held Austin FC to a franchise-low eight shot attempts at Q2 Stadium in their 1-1 draw on Matchday 5 before limiting the Black & Gold to a season-low two shots on target last weekend.
Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough earned his 28th career shutout in the draw against LAFC, which is just one away from matching the club’s all-time clean sheets record currently held by 2010 MLS Cup-winning goalkeeper Matt Pickens (29). With his appearance against LAFC, Yarbrough recorded his 87th appearance for Colorado, which surpassed Joe Cannon for the fourth-most appearances by a goalkeeper in Rapids history. The two-time Liga MX winner has also recorded 34 wins with the Rapids, one away from tying Clint Irwin for third-most wins by a goalkeeper in club history. Yarbrough heads into this weekend’s game with the fourth-most saves in MLS this season (22).
Sporting Kansas City hosts the Rapids following a scoreless draw of their own against 2022 MLS Cup Runner-Up Philadelphia Union last weekend. The match saw star Mexican striker Alan Pulido play his first minutes for SKC in over a year after undergoing season-ending surgery in January of 2022. Forwards William Agada and Dániel Sallói currently lead their side with one goal each on the year, while goalkeeper John Pulskamphas recorded 13 saves and a pair of clean sheets. Veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia also made his first appearance of the season in the shutout draw against the Union last weekend.
Saturday’s match will see some familiar faces take the pitch. Rapids forward Diego Rubio was a member of Sporting KC from 2016-18, recording 15 goals and eight assists across 51 appearances and 2,121 minutes for the club. He earned his first MLS start on April 13, 2016, against his current club. The Chilean international will be coming off his 100th regular season appearance for the Rapids after last weekend’s game against LAFC, his first start of the season following arthroscopic knee surgery in February. Now healthy, Rubio will look to regain the form that saw him tie the club’s all-time, single-season scoring record with 16 goals in 2022, while setting a new record for most goal contributions in a single season (23).Â
On the other end of the pitch, Kansas City defender Kortne Ford began his MLS career as a Rapids Homegrown Player, recording 35 appearances and one goal across 2,868 minutes of play between 2017 and 2021. SKC Manager and Sporting Director Peter Vermes is also a former Rapids player, making 89 appearances for the club between 1997 and 1999, recording eight goals and 11 assists.
Saturday’s clash will mark Robin Fraser’s 100th regular season game for the Rapids as head coach. Since his first game at the helm on August 31, 2019, Fraser has accumulated the seventh-most points in MLS (150 pts; 41-31-27).
