The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (8-0-3, 29 pts) took on its third MLS NEXT Pro shootout of the year against Earthquakes II (4-5-2,15 pts) after drawing 2-2 at the end of regulation. Midfielder Daouda Amadou found the equalizer in the dying seconds of the game off a corner kick delivery from Dillon Serna. Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry came up big in the shootout, making two back-to-back saves to give Colorado the 4-2 win and the extra point on the night. With tonight's result, Colorado Rapids 2 broke the all-time MLS NEXT Pro unbeaten streak with 11 games unbeaten.
Notable:
- Rapids 2 took on its third shootout of the year against Earthquakes II after drawing 2-2 at the end of regulation. The team ultimately took home the extra point with a 4-2 win in the shootout.
- With tonight's result, Rapids 2 has broken the all-time MLS NEXT Pro unbeaten streak with 11 games unbeaten.
- Rapids 2 remains the only team in the league with an unbeaten record and continues to maintain its first place standing in both the Western Conference and the league overall.
- Midfielder Yosuke Hanya netted his eighth goal of the season tonight off a penalty kick.
- Midfielder Daouda Amadou scored his first goal of the season in tonight's match versus Earthquakes II. Amadou found the equalizer in the 95th minute of the match for the team's fifth stoppage time goal of the year.
- Midfielder Dillon Serna recorded his first assist of the season in the 95th minute of the match. Serna made his return from injury tonight and recorded his first game minutes since the April 23 match against St. Louis CITY2.
- Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry made two back-to-back saves in tonight's MLS NEXT Pro shootout.
- Defender Sebastian Anderson wore the captain's armband in tonight's match for the first time this season.
Postgame Media Availability:
Select postgame quotes transcribed below.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match:
“Exciting. We can start with that. Another great ending for us. A wonderful night in terms of the conditions, the arena that we are playing in here, the opponent who I have a great deal of respect for. The rainy, cloudy day, it was easy weather to run in. The field was lightning fast. To be fair, perhaps a bit too fast for us, but we have to get to that level. We did not play as well as we would have liked in half number one. I think the guys felt that we would be okay. They came out, it was a better start to the second half. It was obviously a pretty good second half when you look at the comeback. Then we go down two goals and the guys' belief gets tested. Ultimately, they have to decide whether they are going to rise to the challenge or go the other direction. We keep preaching, and thankfully they are listening, that the game changes fast. We had several opportunities to change the game and ultimately when Yosuke got behind his man, that was a game-changing play for many different reasons. We kept playing and we kept our composure until the very end. An excellent set piece execution that gets us the tie. Once again, I am exceptionally pleased with the players."
On the stoppage time goal from Daouda Amadou:
“At this point, I suppose there is not too much that surprises me. When I am asked the questions after the game, 'What did you think at 2-0?', I know what I thought. I certainly am not smart enough to predict the future, but I trust the guys and I trust the fact that the game changes fast. The difference was, from first half to second half, even though we conceded the goal, is that our soccer was improving. It wasn't just grit and determination, there was good soccer that went with it. There was cause to believe. Certainly, I believe they have the ability to come back like that."
On breaking the league's all-time unbeaten run:
"The players deserve credit for that. They have done something that in the very, very short history of this league has not been done. Brilliant. I will say the same thing again, I love it when there is positivity that is shined on our club and on our program. Outside of that, the record will quickly be forgotten. It will mean nothing unless the success is sustained. What the guys proved tonight is that they do have the ability to sustain it. We will see one week from now if they can answer that call.
On Adam Beaudry's penalty kick saves:
"Well, you can't play without a goalkeeper. He has been pretty important. Iron sharpens iron and that is what our goalkeeping program does. You don't get the luxury of taking a day off because there are other players that can step in and do a job. If I had to summarize his training in our program, that is what I would say. Iron sharpens iron. I said the other day, Adam is playing beyond his years. However, what he is doing is what is expected of him. When he keeps answering the call, the expectations increase. He creates his own challenges, I suppose. I am really proud of him."
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 DEFENDER SEBASTIAN ANDERSON
On the match:
“I think obviously it is great to come back and get the win with penalties. We definitely started off a bit slow and took a bit to find our feet, which is a little bit to be expected. You have guys coming from everywhere, first team, second team, all over the place. I feel like after the first 20, 30 minutes, we felt our way into the game and kind of meshed better as a team. The last 20 minutes or so, we were really moving. I am just happy with the team and proud of the team for getting the result."
On the team's stoppage time goal:
“I feel like, to be honest, it is just a belief in the group that we have. We have a group of guys, guys that are playing, guys that aren't playing, that are coming on as subs, we just have a great group of guys that are really just willing to fight for each other. Fight for everything, fight until the final whistle. You saw it out there. We are scrapping until the very end, and we have that belief that we are going to get it done, we are going to tie it up there at the end and it happened. It was great, a great team effort there."
On breaking the all-time MLS NEXT Pro unbeaten record:
"It has kind of been flowing around the locker room a bit. It is not always something that we emphasize really or focus on too much, but it is always in the back of the mind. When you have a group of guys that are doing something special and honestly those records hanging up there, we were coming for those. We had that in the back of our mind, and we knew that was going to happen. It was just a matter of time. The way we have been playing, the way we trust each other, the staff, the coaches, everyone, the players, there is so much trust and so much belief in each other that it was bound to happen."
