Starting XI:
William Yarbrough, Keegan Rosenberry, Danny Wilson, Auston Trusty, Lalas Abubakar, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jack Price (C), Cole Bassett, Jonathan Lewis, Andre Shinyashiki, Braian Galván
Bench: Clint Irwin, Drew Moor, Dominique Badji, Michael Barrios, Nico Mezquida, Kellyn Acosta, Collen Warner, Steven Beitashour, Lucas Esteves
Player Availability Report:
Out – Diego Rubio (injury)
Notes:
TWO TEAMS, ONE ENGINE
Saturday’s 90-minute performance was M Kellyn Acosta’s 33rd for Colorado and the U.S. Men’s National Team since returning from injury against Portland on Nov. 4, 2020. Acosta scored the game-winning goal that night, securing a playoff berth for Colorado.
Acosta has played 90 or more minutes in 22 of his 29 matches in 2021, including all 13 with Colorado and two, 120-minute performances with the USMNT to win the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup titles against Mexico. He leads the Rapids with 32 fouls committed and 28 tackles won this season.
Acosta has two goals and three assists in nine career MLS matches against Portland.
OFFSEASON SIGNING OF THE YEAR?
Michael Barrios is tied for second on the team with four assists and extended his team lead with his sixth goal of the season on Saturday. His six goals have come on just 42 shots, marking his highest shot conversion rate (14.3 percent) since his second MLS season in 2016, when he scored on nine of 50 shots (18 percent). His 10 combined goals and assists in 1,560 minutes this season are up from his six goal contributions (1g, 5a) in 1,681 minutes with Dallas in 2020.
Barrios was included on the Week 24 MLS Team of the Week bench, his second consecutive Team of the Week selection and his fourth of the season. A Rapids player has been included on the Team of the Week in six of the last seven weeks.
CRAZY EIGHT
Colorado’s current eight-game unbeaten run is the longest active streak in MLS. The Rapids’ current five-game road unbeaten streak is the third-longest active streak in MLS, behind San Jose (7) and Vancouver (6). The eight-game unbeaten streak is Colorado’s longest under HC Robin Fraser. A win or draw tonight would extend Colorado's road unbeaten streak to six games, tying a club record set in 2016.
William Yarbrough has been among the league’s best in his last eight games, posting 32 saves and three clean sheets, both second-most in MLS. His 86.5 save percentage over the last eight games is the highest in the league among goalkeepers with at least three games played.
SUBS STEPPING UP
Andre Shinyashiki assisted on Michael Barrios’ goal just three minutes after entering Saturday’s match against LA Galaxy. It was the third of Colorado’s last four goals to be scored or assisted by substitutes. Braian Galván entered the match against RSL on Aug. 21 to find M Mark-Anthony Kaye for the game-winner. A trio of subs combined for the 89th-minute game-winner on Sept. 4 against San Jose when Jonathan Lewis and Nico Mezquida connected with F Dominique Badji. Badji’s goal was the sixth by a Rapids sub this season, tied for fourth-most in MLS.
Shinyashiki and Lewis are tied for second in MLS with five goals as substitutes since 2019.
With Shinyashiki’s assist on Saturday, he has four career goals or assists within 10 minutes of entering a match as a substitute, including three in under three minutes. Shinyashiki scored one minute after coming on against LA in Aug. 17; he scored two minutes after entering against Dallas in September 2020; and he scored after just seven minutes on the field against LA in May 2019. His first MLS goal came against Portland in #SnowClasico3 on Opening Day 2019, four minutes into stoppage time and 17 into his MLS career.
NOTES & MILESTONES
- Jack Price’s next start will be his 90th in the regular season with the club. He will be the 18th player in club history to reach the milestone.
- Mark-Anthony Kaye has three goals and one assist in seven career appearances against Portland, his highest total against any MLS opponent.
- Dominique Badji has two goals and one assist in nine career MLS appearances against Portland.
- Diego Rubio has two goals and one assist in six career MLS appearances against the Timbers.
- Younes Namli assisted on M Kellyn Acosta’s playoff-clinching goal in his only match against Portland.
- Michael Barrios has three goals in 11 career MLS matches against Portland.
- Collen Warner picked up his first assist since 2017 on Michael Barrios’ goal on Saturday against LA. The Rapids now have 17 players with at least one assist this season, the most in MLS. No other team has more than 15.
