COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids 2 (2-7-1, 7 pts) will face off against St. Louis CITY2 (6-2-2, 21 pts) on Sunday, June 2, for the teams’ second meeting of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. MT (MLNEXTPro.com) at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
Colorado took on MNUFC2 last week at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park during a doubleheader weekend between the two clubs. The match kicked off in Colorado’s favor with First Team forwards Jonathan Lewis and Darren Yapi attacking Minnesota’s goal in the early minutes of the match. The pair combined for 50 percent of the shots on target for the night, helping Rapids 2 put up six shots on goal to Minnesota’s four.
Despite the heavy attacking presence, Colorado remained scoreless over 90 minutes. Minnesota’s Patrick Weah scored the opening goal of the night off a penalty kick in the 30th minute and the team finished the night with a 90th minute goal off the foot of Jesse Khan.
Colorado will conclude its three-match homestand looking to earn a second win over St. Louis with the team having grabbed a 2-1 victory over the side in the MLS NEXT Pro season opener.
Rapids 2 opened their season with a goal in the 44th minute as returning midfielder Marlon Vargas netted the first goal of 2024 off an assist from newcomer Alec Díaz. St. Louis was quick to return the favor in the 55th minute with an equalizer from John Klein.
As the match was coming to a close, Jackson Travis forced an own goal off a St. Louis defender to secure the Rapids’ first win of the new season. Highlighting the match was the Rapids 2 debut of 10 players, including two Rapids Academy players, Noah Strellnauer and Rogelio Garcia, who made their professional debut in the match against CITY2.
The Rapids hold an undefeated 3-0-2 record against CITY2 in all-time competitions between the two sides. Colorado and St. Louis faced off two times in the 2023 season with Rapids 2 capturing a 1-0 win at CITYPARK and a 0-0 draw at home, marking only one of three scoreless matches for the team last season.
