2020 MLS is Back Tournament – Group D
Colorado Rapids vs. Minnesota United
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Wed., July 22 – 8:30 PM MT
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes; TSN in Canada
RADIO: Altitude 95.2 FM
SECOND SCREEN: ColoradoRapids.com/LIVE
STREAMING: ESPN App in USA; TSN App in Canada
Matchup
The Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United FC face off in group play of the MLS is Back Tournament on July 22, with both teams battling for a result to qualify for the knockout round.
In order for the Rapids to advance to the Round of 16, they will need RSL to win against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday morning, and the Rapids will need a big win against the Loons. They will need to surpass Sporting KC in the standings through the first tie-breaker, which is goal differential. Colorado currently has a minus three differential, and Sporting is at zero. A three-goal win would seal the deal, presuming SKC loses, but a two-goal victory may also be sufficient, if RSL were to also win by a two-goal margin.
In addition, the Rapids would benefit from the teams that are already qualified for the next round of the tournament finishing out their games strong. That would mean wins by Columbus over Atlanta and Portland over LAFC. Teams that are in last place in their groups that the Rapids would like to have slim, 1-0 victories include Montreal over DC United, Vancouver over Chicago and LA Galaxy over Houston. Rapids fans should also hope for a victory from New York Red Bulls over F.C. Cincinnati, by as large a margin as possible. These matches do not all necessarily need to go Colorado's way, but they would provide additional support.
Regardless of the tournament implications, this match will count toward the 2020 regular season, which is all the motivation that Colorado needs. The Rapids are currently 2-2-0 after Friday's match against SKC. Colorado took an early lead on but couldn't hold on after two red cards brought the squad down to nine men in the second half. Jonathan Lewis equalized late, but a stoppage-time deflection from Graham Zusi sealed the win for Sporting. Colorado will be missing their captain Jack Price as well as defender Danny Wilson in Wednesday's match after a pair of red cards on Friday.
Minnesota remains undefeated (3-0-1) after a draw against RSL on Friday. Minnesota is without two-time MLS Defender of the Year Ike Opara, as he didn't travel with the team to Orlando in order to rehab a preexisting condition.
This will be the seventh time these two teams meet. The Rapids have won three out of the last five matches vs MNUFC.
Robin Fraser on Minnesota
"They are an unpredictable team," head coach Robin Fraser said. "They have a lot of talented players that can hurt you in a number of different ways ,and I wouldn't say any two attacking plays look the same. They are very free-flowing and have a lot of talented players. They have guys who can beat you on the dribble, guys who are good in front of the goal, good passers, so it presents one of those challenges where you have to be solid in our approach in terms of how you want to defend, and how you want to attack."
How to Watch
Fans can watch the match on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the Watch ESPN app, and they can listen to Richard Fleming and Marcelo Balboa on Altitude Radio. In addition, you can get the Rapids gameday feel through the club’s second screen experience, which gives supporters the opportunity to watch the match alongside fans like themselves and hear tidbits about the game from the perspective of their favorite team. You’ll hear from Rapids and MLS legend Tim Howard, watch live hits from Rachel Vigil on the ground in Orlando, get insight from Altitude Radio’s Connor Cape and much more. This viewing experience is designed to compliment the broadcast and bring together the Rapids community, so tune in to ColoradoRapids.com/LIVE at 5:30 PM to get ready with our match pregame show!
To learn more about the second screen experience, click here.
