By the numbers: here are 10 stats from the Colorado Rapids' 3-0 loss to Chicago Fire at Toyota Park on Wednesday night.
1. Having been an unused sub in the previous seven games, rookie midfielder Sam Hamilton finally made his professional debut, playing the last 27 minutes as a replacement for Dillon Powers. Hamilton, from Evergreen in Colorado, was a first round pick (15th overall) in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft back in January, out of the University of Denver.
2. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni opted for the same 11 which took to the field against San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, and so - for the first time this season - the Rapids fielded an unchanged starting lineup for successive games, in what was the 10th game of the campaign.
3. Three Rapids players have featured in all 10 games - Dominique Badji, Micheal Azira, and Marlon Hairston - but only Azira has started all 10, and only Azira has played every single minute.
4. Center forward Alan Gordon made his fourth successive start on Wednesday night. Not since 2013 has he started as many games in a row. On that occasion - between August 18 and September 14 - he made five starts on the bounce, when with San Jose Earthquakes.
5. Central defender Axel Sjöberg was named among the substitutes at Toyota Park. He had been absent from the squad since injuring his hamstring late on in the game at New York Red Bulls on March 11.
6. Wednesday night’s loss was the heaviest to Chicago Fire since a 4-0 defeat at Cardinal Stadium on May 25, 2003.
7. With this outcome, the Rapids have now been shutout in four of their last five games, for a 7-3 aggregate. Their only goals came in the 3-0 home win over San Jose Earthquakes last weekend.
8. This was the Rapids’ fifth away game, and their fifth defeat on the road. Kevin Doyle’s stoppage time penalty in the 3-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City (April 9) has been the team’s only goal away from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
9. Chicago out-shot the Rapids 11-7 on Wednesday, with a 4-3 advantage when it came to shots on goal.
10. The Fire were the more dominant in front of goal, and more crisp with their passing. They out-passed the Rapids 548-407, with a completion percentage of 84%-78%.
