ORLANDO, Florida – The Rapids demonstrated resilience and grit in their preseason finale, despite a 3-2 loss to 2023 Supporters’ Shield runners-up Orlando City SC in a closed-door scrimmage at INTER&CO Stadium on Saturday night.
Orlando took a quick 2-0 lead, notching goals in the first and 10th minute. Early in the match, ‘keeper Zack Steffen fended off a shot, but Orlando rebounded and put it away to get on the board. Shortly after, Orlando’s Facundo Torres converted a penalty kick after Colorado committed a handball inside the box.
With the Rapids down two goals at the half, the squad continued to show high pace determination.
At the 64-minute mark, the Rapids drew a PK opportunity of their own when Brazilian striker Rafael Navarro was fouled inside the box. Navarro took shot, nailing the back of the net for his third preseason goal.
Less than 15 minutes later, forward Kévin Cabral, who came off the bench just seconds earlier, recorded the equalizer with an assist from Homegrown Cole Bassett.
In the waning moments of the game, Orlando added one final goal to come away with the preseason win.
The Rapids travel back to Colorado for their final preparations for the 2024 season and will open their campaign at Portland on Feb. 24 at 8:30 PM MT.
Final Score
Colorado Rapids - 2
Orlando City SC - 3
Scoring Summary
ORL: Kyle Smith 1’
ORL: Facundo Torres 10’
COL: Rafael Navarro 64’
COL: Kevin Cabral 78’
ORL: Jeorgio Kocevski 90’
Lineups
First Half:
Lalas Abubakar, Cole Bassett, Moïse Bombito, Calvin Harris, Jasper Löffelsend, Andreas Maxsø, Djordje Mihailovic, Rafael Navarro, Connor Ronan, Keegan Rosenberry (C), Zack Steffen
Substitutions:
Oliver Larraz (46’)
Jonathan Lewis (62’)
Alex Gersbach (62’)
Darren Yapi (73’)
Kévin Cabral (77’)
Michael Edwards (89’)
