The Colorado Rapids first competitive match of the 2022 season is over. It concluded with the Rapids falling 1-0 in Guatemala City in the first leg of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. The scoreline is the bad news. The good news is how much soccer is left to make up the deficit.
It’s a two-legged tie and the next match will be Wednesday, February 23rd at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. If you follow the US Men’s National Team, you probably saw their 3-0 victory earlier this month over Honduras in World Cup Qualifying in St. Paul where temperatures were in the single digits. If you believe cold weather gives teams from cold weather climates an advantage over teams from Central America, you might be looking forward to Wednesday’s forecast in Commerce City which one of my weather apps is describing as “frigid” with a low of 2º.
If you don’t believe in the psychological advantage weather provides, I have even better news for you: Tangible and material signs that should be reason for optimism. The first is the Rapids' defense. There were a few moments where fires needed to be extinguished and they were done so. The only goal conceded ended up being the result of a short free kick received by Comunicaciones’s Karel Espino that took a deflection en route to the back of the net.
Second, the club debuts of Max Alves and Bryan Acosta. Both were second-half subs who immediately made their presences felt. Acosta is an MLS veteran who should find success with his teammates quickly. For Max, you could see the smoothness on the ball, the aggressiveness to get forward and break lines and boundless energy. As he gets accustomed to his new team, new league, new style of play, I think he’s going to be electric.
And speaking of Brazilians settling in, wingback Lucas Esteves looked good both in defense and attack. He whipped in several crosses last night that, as the team gets back to playing competitive matches, are going to be turned into goals by the Rapids forwards. Opposite him across the pitch is Keegan Rosenberry, whose name is being written on the team sheet with pen because he’s so consistent and still appears to have a hidden battery pack that motors him along 90 minutes at a time.
Given that the next game is Wednesday the 23rd, just three days before the MLS season begins in Los Angeles, we might see some lineup changes from Robin Fraser and his staff. Max and Acosta came off the bench in the second half, so their changing fitness levels may determine whether or not they could start Wednesday or be early subs. Michael Barrios and Jonathan Lewis may flip roles where the Colombian winger starts and the American spells him in the second half.
The Rapids looked stout defensively––the offseason acquisitions showed their potential and guys from last year showed they took steps forward. In the attack, the Rapids weren’t as dangerous as they would like to be, no doubt, but goals are always the last thing to come when a new season begins. With 90 minutes under their belts and the next match at home, look for the attack to settle. All it takes is one goal to open the floodgates.
And one goal is all the Rapids would need to force kicks from the spot to see who advances to the quarterfinals. A 1-0 win means the teams would be level on aggregate with no away goals scored. That means no extra time––it's straight to kicks from the spot. If the Rapids concede a goal on Wednesday, Comunicaciones will hold a valuable away goal, which means the match won’t go to kicks from the spot under any circumstance and the Rapids will need to score three to stave off elimination.
The most straightforward path for advancement is winning 2-0. A 1-1 draw or 2-1 win would eliminate the Rapids.
Kickoff in DICK'S Sporting Goods Park is set for 6:30 p.m. MT and the game is available for streaming on FOX Sports (USA-English) and TUDN (USA-Spanish).
