The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (11-1-4, 40 pts) faced its fourth MLS NEXT Pro shootout of the year after drawing 1-1 against Whitecaps FC 2 (8-6-4, 30 pts) at BC Place on Saturday afternoon. Forward Rémi Cabral netted his sixth goal of the season off a rebound shot from midfielder Yosuke Hanya in the 69th minute to give Rapids 2 the equalizer in the second half. Cabral has now scored in back-to-back matches after giving Rapids 2 its game-winning goal in the team's last match against St. Louis CITY2. Following regulation, Rapids 2 collected two points on the night after winning tonight's shootout (3-4).
Notable:
- Rapids 2 faced its fourth MLS NEXT Pro shootout of the year after drawing 1-1 against Whitecaps FC 2 at BC Place on Saturday afternoon. Colorado took home the extra point after winning the shootout 3-4 against the home side.
- Forward Rémi Cabral scored his sixth goal of the season in tonight's match against Whitecaps FC 2 just nine minutes after he subbed onto the pitch.
- Goalkeeper Adam Beaudry made two saves during tonight's MLS NEXT Pro shootout against Whitecaps FC 2.
- Midfielder Yosuke Hanya reached the 1,000-minute mark for Rapids 2 during the 2023 season in tonight's match versus Whitecaps FC 2.
Postgame Media Availability:
- Head Coach Erik Bushey
- Rapids 2 Midfielder Robinson Aguirre
Select postgame quotes transcribed below.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match:
“Yeah, I am proud of the players for coming back from one-nil down. I am proud of the way we created chances and controlled the game through our possession. There are a lot of elements of the game that were very pleasing. I, along with the players, am disappointed in the end result. As we have talked about before, this can happen, this is soccer and full credit to Vancouver for their performance and their ability to protect their goal. I thought their goalkeeper was outstanding, probably the man of the match. We will learn how we can be more clinical, how we can create more, maybe how we can open ourselves up less when we are pushing. There is a lot for us to learn from the game. There is also a lot to learn from some of the positives that we displayed. A tough result in the end considering what I feel and what the players feel we deserved, but that is the game. We have a short turnaround, and we travel back and get ready for Real Monarchs."
On tonight's attacking presence:
“Again, they have a lot of players back in front of their goal. Early on, we made some very good efforts to try and expose them at the back post and we created some very good chances. Again, their keeper made some excellent saves. The timing of our arrival, the spacing of our arrival, these are things we are always going to look at. I think we can also look at our ability to keep them pinned in, so even if the chance to score breaks down, we can be first to the clearance, we can be in a position to prevent the clearance. I think there is a lot we can do to continue to try and create more opportunities. It shouldn't take away from the chances that we did create and the efforts that we made in front of goal because there was also a number of those."
On Adam Beaudry during the shootout:
"The same goes for the goalkeeper. He faces the same pressure. He is the one standing alone and charged with the job of making saves and Adam (Beaudry) did that today. I think both saves were excellent saves. Full credit goes to him for staying strong in that moment and giving us the chance to win."
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 MIDFIELDER ROBINSON AGUIRRE
On the match:
“It was a hard-fought match throughout the 90 minutes. I felt like we were the better side throughout the 90 minutes, but once again, we show that grit we have. We kept fighting through the 90 minutes and we just keep getting the results we need at the end of the day, and we came out with that extra point that we needed."
On tonight's attacking presence:
“Sometimes it is just a bit unlucky or sometimes it can be the lack of focus that we tend to lack sometimes in the games. I feel like today, it was just a bit of both. I felt like we weren't as sharp in the final third and I guess that is what cost us. When they had their chances, I thought they were more lethal than us. Overall, I felt like we just needed a little bit more threat going to goal. Overall, I felt like it was just unlucky throughout the 90 minutes."
On the team's fourth shootout of the year:
"Shootouts are always, you know, nerve wracking after the 90 minutes because you are tired and mentally sometimes you feel like your legs can't take it. So, when you shoot that final shot, it's always a big shot and your team is relying on you to get that extra point. I feel like when we get to a penalty shootout, we always come out and put it in the back of the net and that is what we did today."
