The Big Picture
The Colorado Rapids fell to the Philadelphia Union 6-0 on Saturday night at Subaru Park. Despite the Burgundy Boys’ efforts to bounce back after going down a man in the first half, the Union’s attacking line continued to challenge Colorado’s defense throughout the 90 minutes.
“We felt like we had an approach that was appropriate for the team and the way they played,” said head coach Robin Fraser postgame. “And the last thing I said was, we just have to make sure we're engaged. If we’re engaged, everything will take care of itself. And in the end, I think we just made too many mistakes, period.”
Dániel Gazdag led the charge for the Union with a hat trick, supplemented by a goal apiece from Julain Carranza, Cory Burke and Matt Real.
The Rapids saw a number of chances created over the course of the game, including two back-to-back opportunities in the 15th minute from recycled corner kicks seeing Collen Warner attempt a bicycle kick on the goal line and Danny Wilson try for a diving header.
An unlucky challenge from defender Gustavo Vallecilla in the 35th minute put Colorado down to ten men.
The Rapids will look to bounce back on Wednesday for a midweek matchup with Nashville SC.
“Yeah, the first thing is obviously, forgetting about this game,” said striker Gyasi Zardes on the key to preparing for the Rapids’ next opponent. “You can lose 1-0 or you can lose 10-0, it's still a loss and we put it behind us. We have an important in-conference game against Nashville on Wednesday, at Nashville, so we have to win. There's nothing less than three points. We have to come in with that mentality and prepare for training. In our next training session we have to be dialed in and focus just so we start off on the right foot against Nashville.”
Up Next
The Rapids face a tight turnaround this week, taking on Nashville at GEODIS Park on Wednesday night. Kickoff against the Western Conference foe is set for 6:30 p.m. MT.
