COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids 2 (1-0-0, 3 pts) will compete in its first road match of the 2023 season against Houston Dynamo 2 (0-1-0, 0 pts) on Sunday, April 2, at AVEVA Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
“Going into the weekend against Houston, I think it will be a good match, especially coming off of an important win against Sporting KC II,” said Marlon Vargas, Rapids 2 midfielder. “I think the momentum coming off of last weekend’s match coming into this weekend will be huge for us, especially getting those three points at home. We know going on the road is going to be tough, but if we continue to translate the way we played last weekend and execute our game plan against Houston, we will get a good result.”
Rapids 2 is coming off its first win of the season in last weekend’s home opener versus Sporting KC II. Kansas City kicked off the scoring early in the night, putting away the opening goal in the 11th minute of the match. Colorado struggled to find their feet in the first 45 minutes of play and headed into the locker room at the half down by one goal.
The second half saw the team come to life as they controlled possession and continued to search for the equalizer. In the 59th minute, midfielder Yosuke Hanya found himself in the box at the perfect moment, settling a shot off the post from first team forward Calvin Harris to send it past the Kansas City keeper to level the score.
Hanya gave Rapids 2 its opening goal of the season for the second year in a row, scoring the historic home opener goal of the 2022 inaugural season for the MLS NEXT Pro side.
The final blow from Colorado was delivered in the 91st minute on a first touch finish from defender Blake Malone. The game winner marked Malone’s first-ever goal in Burgundy as he rounds into year two with the club.
Heading into the first road match of the season, Colorado will look to build on its home opener momentum. The Rapids struggled in the 2022 season to produce points on the road, ending the season with a 3-8-1 away record as compared to their 4-3-5 home record. However, with Houston’s loss to STL CITY 2 in the first match of their 2023 season, the Rapids will look to hand the home side its second loss of the season while collecting another three points to bring home to Colorado.
