COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids 2 (5-0-1, 16 pts) will travel to California this weekend to face off against LA Galaxy II (1-4-1, 5 pts) for the first time in league history. The two second team sides will host their match on Sunday, May 7, at Dignity Health Sports Park following the match between the Colorado Rapids and LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 6. Kickoff for Rapids 2 is set for 6 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast through MLSNEXTPro.com.
“We know that they (LA Galaxy II) are a young but very talented side. They are good at keeping the ball. Even in some of the results that haven’t gone their way, they have held a large share of the possession. That will be a slightly different challenge than what we have faced at least in a couple of our games. We are just looking to see if we can build upon last week’s performance and we are excited about the opportunity,” said Erik Bushey, Rapids 2 head coach.
The team’s most recent match saw Colorado beat North Texas SC in a 4-2 victory after going down by two goals heading into the early minutes of the second half. Defender Blake Malone was first to kick off the scoring for the night, followed by an equalizer from Yosuke Hanya, a go-ahead goal from Oliver Larraz and a first-ever professional goal from Logan Batiste.
On the defensive end of the pitch, Rapids Academy goalkeeper Adam Beaudry put up his first-ever minutes in the MLS NEXT Pro regular season. Beaudry joined fellow goalkeeper Diego Gurrola as one of two Rapids Academy players to have played for Rapids 2 this season in the absence of first team goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez. The pair of Academy keepers have given Rapids 2 two wins in goal while Gurrola earned the team its first clean sheet of the season in the match against Earthquakes II.
Coming off its fifth win of the season, Rapids 2 has been a bright spot in MLS NEXT Pro news heading into week seven of the 2023 season.
Midfielder Yosuke Hanya earned himself both the MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Matchday award for week six of the 2023 season and the MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month for April. The Japanese international has dominated the pitch this season, scoring five goals and adding two assists in the five matches he has appeared in. With his goal and assist in the most recent game against North Texas SC, Hanya claimed his spot as the all-time leading goal scorer and all-time assists leader for Rapids 2 with nine goals and five assists across his two seasons of play.
In addition to Hanya, head coach Erik Bushey also earned himself a monthly MLS NEXT Pro award, taking home the Coach of the Month award for April for the team’s six game unbeaten run. Bushey’s side currently sits in a first place standing in the Western Conference with a 5-0-1 record as they head into their next match versus LA Galaxy II.
