The Colorado Rapids (8-7-4, 28 pts.) earned all three points on the road against St. Louis CITY FC (3-6-9, 18 pts.) at CITYPARK on Wednesday night. A Djordje Mihailovic hat trick lifted his side to victory with help from a dominant performance from the back line and goalkeeper Zack Steffen to record the club’s second consecutive match with a clean sheet.
On a humid night in Missouri, the Rapids came to play in a battle against a tough St. Louis CITY SC side. Colorado would end up bringing the heat early and setting the tone for the rest of the match.
After winning the ball in the final third, the Rapids earned a throw-in, taken by defender Sebastian Anderson. The 21-year-old capitalized on the close-range throw by sending in a deep heave that took a bounce and found the head of Mihailovic, who made no mistake with the finish to put his side up in the ninth minute. Anderson’s assist on the goal was the first of his MLS career.
The Rapids continued their pressure on the St. Louis back line and created multiple high-quality chances in the final third in hopes to double the lead. The home side was limited in their first-half attack thanks to strong efforts from the Colorado defensive front.
Colorado went into the halftime break with the lead but were still hungry for more to secure a positive result on the road.
In similar fashion to the first half, the Rapids continued their dominant attacking play right from the whistle. The visitors were knocking on the door, both through their build up play and pressure applied on the St. Louis defenders. The pressure would prove to be a difference-maker, as Colorado would double their lead 15 minutes into the second half.
After forcing multiple corners, the Rapids maintained consistent possession in the final third. St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki scooped up a loose ball and looked for a quick outlet throw to his wingback, but a misfire found the feet of Mihailovic, who buried it home from long range to secure his second goal of the match.
From there, the match stayed the course. Colorado maintained consistent possession while limiting St. Louis to little to no chances on net. Multiple rounds of substitutions gave the Rapids starters much-needed rest for most of the team’s second match in a four-day span.
Those substitutions proved to be impactful, with Calvin Harris drawing a penalty kick in stoppage time to put an exclamation point on the match. Mihailovic stepped up to take the kick and buried it in the lower right corner, securing the first hat trick of his MLS career.
The three goals for Mihailovic increased his season total to eight, now bringing him to 27 in his MLS career. The midfielder has recorded 14 goal contributions on the season (8g, 6a), all coming within his last 13 appearances.
The match finished there, with Colorado securing yet another clean sheet victory.
The Rapids return home for a clash with CF Montréal this Saturday, June 22. Kickoff at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park is set for 7:30 p.m. MT. (Apple TV—MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 950AM).
