The Colorado Rapids advance to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 following their 1-0 win over Union Omaha on Tuesday night.
In their first taste of U.S. Open Cup play since 2023, the Rapids were set to face off against one of USL League One’s top sides since their inception in 2020.
The match started off slow, with these unfamiliar opponents looking to find their footing in the attacking third. The Rapids created most of the opportunities early, leading to the match’s first goal in the 21st minute.
Starting the play off was captain Keegan Rosenberry, who’s suffocating press led to an Omaha turnover in their own end. His challenge led to an instant opportunity for forward Dante Sealy, who made a sharp cut and fired home a low shot to give his side the lead. The goal marked Sealy’s first for the Rapids across all competitions since being acquired this past offseason.
From there, Colorado maintained their attack while preventing any real chances from Omaha. The visitors managed to get one high quality opportunity following the Rapids goal, but goalkeeper Nico Hansen stepped up to the task and made a crucial save in a one-on-one opportunity from the opponent.
Colorado would take the lead into the halftime break, looking to close out the match and advance to the next round of the tournament.
Omaha came out of the second half with increased energy, but the Rapids back line stood strong. It was more of the same for Hansen as well, who made a pair of strong saves to preserve the clean sheet.
Apart from the impressive defensive display, highlighting the second half for Colorado was the debut of Rapids 2 midfielder Nathan Tchoumba, who became the youngest player to appear in a match in Rapids history at 15 years old.
The second half saw staunch defensive play on both sides with no scoring, giving the Rapids a 1-0 clean sheet victory to advance to the next round of the tournament. The club will match up against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the Round of 16, to be determined at a later date.
The Rapids will quickly shift their focus to the club’s 30th Anniversary Match against reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami CF this Saturday. Kickoff at Empower Field at Mile High is set for 2:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
