The Big Picture
Andre Shinyashiki scored his third goal of the season to lead the Colorado Rapids (8-4-3, 27 points) to a 1-0 victory over Austin FC (3-8-4, 13 points) on Saturday at Q2 Stadium. Goalkeeper William Yarbrough made two saves to post his MLS-leading seventh clean sheet of the season. The match saw three Rapids Homegrown players—M Cole Bassett, D Sebastian Anderson and M Oliver Larraz—earn important minutes as the Rapids were without seven regular contributors, including M Kellyn Acosta, F Jonathan Lewis and D Sam Vines, who are with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Notable:
- The Rapids posted their 200th clean sheet in regular season play in club history. It was also the Rapids’ eighth clean sheet on the road since Robin Fraser took over and their seventh clean sheet on the road since 2020, both the most in MLS.
- Andre Shinyashiki scored his third goal of the season in the 29th minute, showing dogged determination to win a battle with Austin Brad Stuver and force the ball in. The goal is Shinyashiki’s second of the season against Austin and is the 14th goal of his career, tying Dillon Powers for fifth-most by a Rapids SuperDraft pick (regular season with Colorado). The 24-year-old former Denver Pioneer made his 60th career MLS appearance tonight.
- Sebastian Anderson made his season debut, coming on for Braian Galván in the 59th minute, and his first MLS appearance since Aug. 31, 2019, Robin Fraser’s first game in charge. The 18-year-old Homegrown Player has two assists in 11 matches for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the USL Championship this season.
- Steven Beitashour made his first start since joining the club in September 2020. It was also Beitashour’s 250th career appearance. The 12-year MLS veteran becomes the 24th active player to reach the milestone.
- Drew Moor made his 397th career MLS appearance, tying Nashville Dax McCarty for the league lead among active players. It was Moor’s 196th career appearance with the Rapids, the second-most in club history (Pablo Mastroeni, 225)
- Auston Trusty made his 20th start since joining the club ahead of the 2019 season. The 22-year-old has played every minute for the Rapids this season.
- Robin Fraser earned his 10th road win since taking over as head coach in August 2019. Colorado improves to 7-2-4 (W-L-D) across all competitions under Fraser in matches following a loss.
- 19-year-old rookie Oliver Larraz made his fourth appearance of the season when he entered the match in place of Collen Warner.
Reaction:
Robin Fraser on the team’s defensive effort:
“Incredible amounts of discipline. You ask guys to do certain things, and it may not be their instinct initially, and they do them anyway and they do them as well as they did—we end up getting a result like this… I thought the discipline was excellent. The willingness to work was excellent. As we talked about people doing their job and helping just a little with someone else, we saw that all over the field tonight. This is a team that, I’ve said so many times, I enjoy coaching because they play so hard for each other. For most people who have been in team sports, that’s a huge thing. It’s just about groups that fight together. They struggle throughout the week and suffer and work hard together to have the opportunity to play on the weekend. And it’s incredible to watch this group of men work hard and work for each other and get results.”
Fraser on the performances from Sebastian Anderson and Oliver Larraz:
“Seb’s been really excelling with the [Colorado Springs] Switchbacks in USL [Championship]. And watching him and some of the guys going down and watching games, the reports have been so good that we brought him in this week. We certainly are thin in numbers. He had a good week of training. As soon as Braian [Galván] went down, we had no hesitation. He’s really come along a lot and all of the minutes that he’s getting with the Switchbacks right now are really helping with his decision-making and his confidence. So to throw him into a game like this could have been a tough environment, a tough atmosphere, and he went in and did a very professional job. Seb’s progress is really quite good for us to see and it just bodes well for what’s ahead of him. “With regards to Oli, Oli’s a player that we’ve obviously liked for a year. He’s a young player. He’s going to have inconsistent moments. Some days he’s up, some days he’s down, but generally, his trajectory is that he’s moving forward. To have no hesitation, Collen [Warner] starts cramping, we had no hesitation going to Oli. We know he’s a quality player. Very responsible. Does what he’s asked to do and that’s a big part of being a professional. He’s really also matured over the last year. It’s great that he takes these moments, and when these moments come up he has to be ready and tonight he was really ready.”
Andre Shinyashiki on his goal:
“We were getting a couple half chances here and there. We knew we were able to break them down, find Mikey [Barrios], Braian [Galván] and Cole [Bassett] in between the lines. To me, it’s just being a fox in the box and seeing the play through. I missed the first one, but I was right there to clean it up on the second shot so that’s what I do when I play ‘the nine’ and I play that position. I’m always in the box, always looking to score. I’m happy I was able to help the team with the goal. I’m so proud of the group for the effort.”
Shinyashiki on the Rapids earning an MLS-leading seventh clean sheet this season:
“It was incredible. Our back line was sharp. Guys coming in like Drew [Moor], then you switch Beita [Steven Beitashour], the guys come in and they make a difference. Our back line, [Auston] Trusty, Lalas [Abubakar], Keegan [Rosenberry], Beita, even Braian, who was part of the back line today, they did an incredible job. But I do think that defending is a team effort. Without [Jack] Pricey, Collen [Warner], me and Cole starting that press from the front, Mikey being in the right positions, we don’t win this game. I think it’s a total team effort. It’s a complete performance for all of us, especially Will [Yarbrough], who we know bounced back from a not-so-fortunate game against RSL. That shows how professional he is. It shows his quality. That’s what we really need. He stepped up for us today.”
