COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — After inclement weather postponed their originally scheduled match in June, the Colorado Rapids (4-15-10, 22 pts) will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-9-9, 42 pts) at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park this Wednesday, September 27 (7:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV – Free, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM).
The Rapids return home after a weekend trip to Oregon where they fell 3-2 to Portland Timbers FC. Portland opened the game with an early two-goal lead, after Antony and Santiago Moreno scored within 10 minutes of one another. However, Colorado found a quick response when homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett crossed a ball into the box for Diego Rubio to head in. Rubio's goal marked his 37th regular-season goal for the Rapids, tying him with John Spencer for the third-most goals in the club's history. The Rapids continued their push and found an equalizer shortly before halftime after defender Andrew Gutman fired a driven effort from outside the 18-yard box that deflected on a Timbers FC player but found the back of the net. The goal was Gutman's first with the Rapids since joining in the summer from Atlanta United FC and his fourth in the 2023 MLS season, tying him for third-most goals among defenders in the league. Despite the Rapids’ first-half comeback, Portland would ultimately find the game-winning goal through Felipe Mora in the 71st minute, officially eliminating the Rapids from postseason contention with the result.
Wednesday's matchup will mark the second meeting this season between Colorado and Vancouver. Their first encounter was played at BC Place in Vancouver on April 29, ending in a scoreless draw. Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough earned his 30th career clean sheet with the result, setting a new record for most regular-season shutouts in club history. The game also marked the club debut for midfielder Danny Leyva who joined the Rapids on loan from Seattle Sounders FC.
Whitecaps FC arrive in Colorado for the final game of a seven-game road trip that saw them play in Portland, Chicago, New York City, Toronto, Houston and Salt Lake City. The series of road games resulted in three wins, a draw, and most recently, two consecutive losses. In their last match, against Real Salt Lake, the ‘Caps took an early lead thanks to forward Brian White but conceded two goals in the second half of a 2-1 loss. White leads the team in goals with 12, closely followed by midfielder Ryan Gauld who has notched 10. Gauld also leads the team in assists with 10, making him one of only seven players in the league this season to achieve double-digit figures in both goals and assists. White is second-most on the team with four assists.
The Rapids and Whitecaps FC have played each other 29 times since Vancouver’s inaugural MLS season in 2011. Colorado has the series advantage with a record of 12-10-7. When playing at home, the Rapids boast an 8-4-2 record against the Canadian side. Their most recent encounter in Colorado resulted in a 3-1 win for the Rapids after Gyasi Zardes, Diego Rubio and Jonathan Lewis scored consecutive goals overcome an initial 0-1 deficit. The Rapids have scored five goals across their past three matches, nearly a third of their total season output prior to that stretch. They’ll look to continue the trend against Vancouver, an opponent that has only shut out Colorado twice across their 14 encounters at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park all-time.
