The Colorado Rapids (3-1-2, 11 pts.) got back to their winning ways in an inter-conference battle against Charlotte FC (3-2-1,10 pts.) on Saturday. Thanks to the fastest brace this season in MLS by Djordje Mihailovic, the Rapids came out on top 2-0 to take all three points at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Zack Steffen posted his league-leading third clean sheet of the season as the club earned their first victory at home in 2025.
Leading into Saturday, the Rapids were looking to get the bad taste out of their mouth from their home loss last weekend against Portland. After falling 0-3 to the Timbers, Colorado knew what they needed to do for the home fans.
The Rapids came out of the gate hot and created multiple high-quality chances after maintaining a majority of the possession. While the club was unable to find a goal in the opening minutes, it was clear that the attack was doing what they needed to eventually find the back of the net.
On the other end, any chance that the visitors scrounged up was quickly dealt with by the Colorado defense and goalkeeper Steffen. The back line that consisted of Ian Murphy, Andreas Maxsø, Chidozie Awaziem, and captain Keegan Rosenberry stood strong to limit a potent Charlotte attack to minimal opportunities in the final third.
While the two clubs went into the halftime break even at nil-nil, it was clear that the Rapids had the upper hand through the match’s first 45 minutes.
Coming out of the break, Charlotte was able to create a few attacking opportunities, but Steffen was there in every instance to prevent the opposition from finding the back of the net.
After some back-and-forth play, the Rapids were able to go back to their consistent attacking play, and after a pair of subs in the 60th minute, it seemed more and more likely that a goal was imminent. Substitutes Omir Fernandez and Calvin Harris provided a new look that caught the Charlotte defense off guard, leading to the match’s opening goal in the 78th minute.
Following build-up play through the back line, Maxsø found the feet of Fernandez down the wing. The midfielder then drove into the final third and sent in a cross where multiple Rapids were posted in the hopes of getting a shot off. The pass perfectly found the foot of Mihailovic, who redirected the ball past the Charlotte goalkeeper first time and into the back of the net to get Colorado on board.
Despite just taking the lead, Colorado had their eyes on more goals to put their opponent away.
Conducting a play in the 81st minute was Mihailovic yet again, with the midfielder playing a through ball to forward Rafael Navarro. The Brazilian then used his body to gain positioning, forcing the Charlotte defender to take him down inside the box for a Rapids penalty. Stepping up to take the penalty was Mihailovic, who made no mistake with his shot to double the lead and seal the victory.
The three-minute brace marked the fastest brace in MLS this season. The goals marked his first two in MLS this season and the 32nd and 33rd of his MLS career. The brace also marked Mihailovic’s sixth multi-goal game of his MLS career.
Steffen also continued his dominance to start the 2025 MLS season. The clean sheet marked his third of the year, putting him into a tie for the most by any goalkeeper in the league this season. Steffen also brought his save total to 27 this year, which is also good for the most in MLS up to this point.
Notable milestones in this match included the MLS and home debut of Alex Harris as well as Keegan Rosenberry rising up the ranks in all-time appearances in club history. The captain made his 178th appearance, putting him into a tie with Chris Henderson for the third most in Rapids history.
Colorado shifts their focus to a battle on the road against the current Western Conference leading Vancouver Whitecaps. Kickoff at BC Place is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on MLS Season Pass with Apple TV, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.
