COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Currently riding a three-game unbeaten run, the Colorado Rapids (8-9-7, 31 pts) will travel north to Canada for the first time since 2019 as they take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8-11-6, 30 pts) at BC Place on Wednesday, August 17 (8 p.m. MT; Altitude Sports, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM).
Wednesday’s game will mark the first of two meetings between Colorado and Vancouver in the 2022 season. After splitting points in a 1-1 draw against Columbus over the weekend, the Rapids will look to extend a run of form that has seen them take 10 points from their previous five games, losing just once and recording 13 goals in that span. Key to that run has been the form of forward Diego Rubio who scored his 12th goal of the season on Saturday, reaching a new single-season career high and marking the eighth consecutive match he has recorded a goal or an assist this season (five goals, five assists). That streak is currently tied for the longest run of games with a goal-involvement in MLS and is also the longest such run in Rapids history. Rubio leads the team with 12 goals and six assists in 2022, surpassing his previous career high of 11 goals and five assists in 2019, and his goal on Saturday tied him with Chris Henderson for the fifth-most goals scored all-time in Rapids history (31).
Vancouver will host the Rapids match following a 5-2 defeat on the road against the LA Galaxy over the weekend. Canadian international Lucas Cavallini leads Vancouver’s attack with eight goals in his 2022 account and will be returning from suspension, but forward Cristian Dájome will miss the midweek matchup after receiving a red card against the Galaxy. Scottish midfielder Ryan Gauld has delivered a team-leading six assists for Vancouver this season, while goalkeeper Cody Cropper has posted four shutouts on the season.Â
With ten games left in Rapids’ the regular season, Wednesday’s encounter could have major implications in the playoff hunt for both sides. Colorado sits in 10th place in the Western Conference with 30 points, one spot and one point above Vancouver in the standings, but also just two points back from the final playoff spot. The Rapids will be hoping to extend a three-game unbeaten run against the Whitecaps (1-0-2), which is the third time that Colorado has gone three consecutive matches without losing to Vancouver since the two sides first faced off in 2011 (2012-13; 2016).
