The Colorado Rapids played down to the wire against Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 loss for the Rapids’ final Desert Showcase matchup. The friendly caps off a preseason stint in Tucson, Arizona, where Rapids veterans, Academy players, and SuperDraft picks had the chance to build chemistry and prepare for the upcoming 2022 season.
“I feel like we've made really good progress,” said head coach Robin Fraser. “I know the result of the game today doesn't feel like it, but if you look at how we played against Kansas City, then how we played against Seattle and then how we played for the first 20 minutes today, I certainly feel good about where we are. And a lot of it was fatigue and concentration there in the second part of the game, but overall we feel like we've made some progress.”
The Rapids took the lead early when wingback Lucas Esteves collected the ball on the left side and served a perfect ball into the box, right onto the head of striker Diego Rubio in the sixth minute. Rubio’s expertly-timed run into the 18 made the finish easy as his header sailed past Houston’s recently-added goalkeeper Steve Clark.
After going down early, the Dynamo put the pressure on the Rapids’ back line with a number of offensive attacks, including two close-range chances that defender Lalas Abubakar was able to clear out of danger. The Rapids’ defensive shape broke down in the 33rd minute when a newly-added Sebastian Ferreira finished a quick cross in the box, beating William Yarbrough for the equalizer.
Following a Houston lineup change at the half and a full Colorado substitution in the 78th minute, the Dynamo earned their second goal of the night to take the lead through Andre Gitau's solo effort. The Rapids responded quickly, equalizing just minutes later when Yaya Toure evaded defenders at the top of the box and sent a low ball rocketing to the far post off his left foot. The 17-year-old’s preseason goal was his first in burgundy since signing with the Rapids in March 2021.
Houston won the match on the final kick as Panamanian international Adalberto Carrasquilla finished a counter-attack off a Rapids turnover to put the Dynamo over the Rapids 3-2 to close out the Desert Showcase in Tucson.
“In regards to scoring goals early, I thought it was a great way to start, fill them up with confidence,” said Fraser. “And as a result, again, our attacks were flowing pretty well.
The actual final part of the attack was was difficult to execute, because they had a lot of numbers in front of the box. But we saw this a lot last year, and we know it's going to be something we have to deal with this year. So the key for us really is to be able to keep our concentration and be able to do the things that we do well. And if we do those things, then things usually take care of themselves.”
Up next, Colorado will travel to Orlando to take on Orlando City SC for their final preseason match before Concacaf Champions League competition. The Burgundy Boys will face Comunicaciones FC in Guatemala for Leg 1 of the Round of 16 match on Feb. 17.
Starting XI: William Yarbrough (GK), Auston Trusty, Danny Wilson, Lalas Abubakar, Keegan Rosenberry, Lucas Esteves, Collen Warner, Jack Price (C), Jonathan Lewis, Michael Barrios, Diego Rubio
Substitutes: Michael Edwards (52'), Philip Mayaka (78’), Sebastian Anderson (78’), Anthony Markanich (78’), Steven Beitashour (78’), Dantouma Toure (78’), Darren Yapi (78’), Oliver Larraz (78’), Aboubacar Keita (78’), Clint Irwin (78’)
