San Jose Earthquakes vs Colorado Rapids | Roster Notes | July 27, 2019

Starting XI:

Goalkeeper Clint Irwin will make his third appearance of the 2019 season tonight. Last week, Irwin made his 123rd MLS appearance when he subbed on for the injured Tim Howard in the closing minutes of the first half. The 30-year-old made his first start of the 2019 season on May 29 in Philadelphia, recording five saves. The occasion marked his 120th MLS regular season start. Irwin rejoined the Rapids this season after spending the previous three with Toronto FC.

Defender
Keegan Rosenberry
will make his 22nd consecutive start of the season tonight. Last week, Rosenberry made his 101st MLS career appearance. The 25-year-old is the only player that has played every minute of the 2019 MLS regular season. Prior to joining the Rapids, Rosenberry spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Union, where he scored three goals and served up six assists over 81 appearances. 

Defender Lalas Abubakarwill make his 11th start of the season tonight for the Rapids. Abubakar has recorded 900 minutes this season. The Ghanaian has had a positive impact since joining the Rapids on loan from Columbus Crew SC, where he appeared in 31 games since 2017 for the Ohio club.

Defender Tommy Smith will make his 11th consecutive start tonight and pair with Lalas Abubakar to anchor the back line. Smith has scored two goals with one assist in 2019, his second season with the Rapids. Since joining Colorado in 2018, Smith has 48 MLS appearances, all starts, 6 goals, 4 assists, and 4,318 MLS minutes.

Homegrown defender Sam Vines starts at left fullback tonight vs the San Jose Earthquakes. Vines made his first MLS appearance in Avaya Stadium on October 21, 2018 as he came off the bench. The 20-year-old defender was named to the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game, where he will face Chivas de Guadalajara’s U-20 team this week on July 30 at 3:00 PM MT. The 20-year-old has featured in fourteen matches in 2019.

Midfielder Danny Wilson earns his sixth consecutive start of 2019 tonight. The 27-year-old has 12 appearances for the club this season. Wilson opened his MLS account on May 11, 2019 against rival Real Salt Lake. This is Wilson’s second season with the club, he featured in 23 matches in the 2018 season.

Midfielder Kellyn Acosta returns to the lineup, and will make his 19th start of the 2019 season. Acosta is currently in his second season with the Rapids after spending his previous six years with FC Dallas. Overall, Acosta has played a total of 1,571 minutes and has recorded one goal and two assists in 2019. The US international joined the Rapids midway through the 2018 season from his hometown club FC Dallas.

Left winger
Jonathan Lewis
will make his 12th MLS career start and his sixth start of the season for the Rapids. Lewis recorded an assist last week against his former club, NYCFC in the 6th minute. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and has recorded one assist in 400 minutes for the Rapids in 2019. Lewis will now have seven appearances for the Rapids in 2019 since being acquired from the Rapids via trade with NYCFC on May 7, 2019. 

Midfielder Sam Nicholson will make his seventh start this season after coming on for Jonathan Lewis in the 69th minute against NYCFC. Nicholson has recorded two assists and has six starts to his name thus far in 2019. Nicholson is in his second year with the Rapids, he was acquired from Minnesota United FC on May 1, 2018, in exchange for defender Eric Miller and $50,000 in GAM.

Diego Rubio will make his 15th start of 2019 tonight when the Rapids face the San Jose Earthquakes. The 26-year-old has scored four goals in 2019. In 2018, Rubio averaged 0.92 goals per 90 minutes which put him behind only Atlanta’s Josef Martínez and LA Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. The Chilean bagged eight goals and notched six assists in 2018 in just 781 minutes.

Forward Kei Kamara returns to the starting XI and will make his 20th start for the club tonight. The MLS veteran currently holds the fifth spot on the all-time goals list with 120 to his name. Kamara currently leads the Rapids with eight goals for the 2019 campaign. Kamara has added 45 career assists to his goal total in over 25,000 minutes of regular season play

On the Bench:

Goalkeeper Andre Rawls serves as the backup to Clint Irwin tonight. The 27-year-old has been on loan with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, where he has recorded 33 saves in 12 appearances. Rawls was selected third in the 2018 Re-Entry Draft on December 14, 2018 by the Rapids. Prior to joining Colorado, Rawls spent three seasons with New York City FC.

Defender Kofi Opare is listed on the gameday roster against San Jose. Opare joined the Rapids in February after spending five seasons with D.C. United. Since arriving in MLS, he's recorded 80 appearances, scored four goals, and added one assist in over 6,800 minutes of regular season play.

Midfielder Jack Price is listed on the gameday roster against the Earthquakes. Price has 47 MLS appearance, 46 MLS starts, nine assists, and one goal for Colorado since being acquired from the Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League on January 9, 2018. This is Price’s second season with the club.

Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett will feature on the gameday roster vs the Quakes. Bassett was named to the 2019 MLS Homegrown game, where he will face Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 team this week on July 30 at 3:00 PM MT. Since signing his contract in 2018, the 17-year-old has scored two goals and has recorded two assists in 1,126 minutes.

Homegrown midfielder Dillon Serna will feature on the gameday roster against the San Jose Earthquakes. Serna has thirteen appearances in 2019. This is Serna's seventh season with the club after signing on January 14, 2013. The 25-year-old has scored nine goals during his career. Serna became the first Homegrown to reach 100 regular season appearances for the club on April 27 against Atlanta United FC.

Midfielder Nicolás Mezquida features on the gameday roster against the Earthquakes after coming on for Cole Bassett at half-time vs NYCFC. Since joining the Rapids, the 27-year-old has scored three goals and added four assists, including two game-winning goals.

Andre Shinyashiki features on the gameday roster against the Earthquakes, after making his ninth start of the season last week against NYCFC. Shinyashiki has featured in 19 matches in 2019. The 22-year-old was selected fifth overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft after four productive years at the University of Denver where he scored 51 goals and added 15 assists over 83 appearances at the NCAA level.

Colorado Rapids Injury Report