The Colorado Rapids (3-2-2, 11 pts.) suffered their first road loss of the season to the Vancouver Whitecaps (4-1-1, 13 pts.) by a final score of 2-0 at BC Place on Saturday night. Brian White and Emmanuel Sabbi scored the goals for the hosts in the clean sheet victory.
Heading into Saturday, these two clubs had different mindsets but the same end goal. Vancouver was looking to bounce back from a stretch of poor performances while the Rapids had their mind set on backing up their impressive result against Charlotte last weekend. With that, three points would be beneficial for both sides as they start to solidify their positions in the Western Conference.
Colorado had most of the momentum to start this match and created positive chances in the final third but were unable to put anything together in the hopes of opening the match’s scoring. Vancouver’s opportunities were limited in the early goings, but goalkeeper Zack Steffen was there to clean up any chances that got through to him.
Despite Colorado’s best efforts, the home side managed to find the back of the net first in the 19th minute. After receiving a pass from Sebastian Berhalter, forward Brian White directed a shot to the far post and into the back of the net.
Vancouver doubled their first half tally off the foot of Emmanuel Sabbi in the 38th minute.
The scoring for the half would end there, with the Whitecaps leading 2-0 headed into the halftime break.
The Rapids came out of the locker room with energy and their eyes on making their way back into this match. The attack was able to get forward, but similar to the first half, were unable to find the back of the net.
The Whitecaps created chances as well, but Steffen stood strong in net to prevent any further damage. The goalkeeper made multiple high-quality saves to keep Colorado within striking distance for the remainder of the half.
No more goals would be scored in the second half, resulting in Vancouver claiming all three points at home by a final score of 2-0.
Rapids captain Keegan Rosenberry made his 179th appearance for the club, surpassing Chris Henderson for the third most in club history. Sam Vines made his season debut after being sidelined with an injury to start the year. Sam Bassett made his MLS debut in the match after being subbed on in the 86th minute.
Colorado will shift gears to their first-ever match against San Diego FC next Saturday. Kickoff at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park is set for 7:30 p.m. MT with coverage available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids App.
