The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (6-13-3, 22 pts.) fell to Austin FC II (5-6-10, 28 pts.) in a thrilling 4-3 result on Friday night at Parmer Field. Rapids 2 captain Marlon Vargas netted his first brace in one of the most intense matches of the season.
The game kicked off quickly at Parmer Field with both sides trading off dangerous chances. However, it was Rapids 2’s Marlon Vargas who was first to take advantage of the moment in the 22nd minute.
Midfielder Ricardo Peña carried the ball toward the box and found Alec Díaz in the center, who played a quick ball to Vargas. The captain took one touch to bring the ball into space and let his shot rip into the top left corner of the net. The goal marked his team-leading ninth of the season.
A minute later, Austin’s CJ Fodrey evened the score at 1-1 with a goal of his own. The home side ended the half with another Fodrey goal in the 32nd minute, putting the team up by one heading into the second 45.
The Rapids came out swinging in the second half, earning a close-range free kick on a foul just outside of the box. Alec Díaz stood over the service and found Ricardo Peña on the far post. The Costa Rican headed the ball towards goal but it was pushed down by the keeper. Peña followed the ball to his feet and calmly placed the rebound in the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
The half continued to deliver on excitement with Colorado finding a chance for the go-ahead goal off a foul in the box. Vargas stepped up to the test and buried the penalty for his second on the night.
The lead didn’t last long as Austin’s Sebastian Pineau had other plans for the ending of his team’s night. In the last minutes of the match, Peneau found the back of the net twice to give Austin its equalizer and ultimately its game winner.
Rapids 2 will travel back to Texas to take on North Texas SC on Sunday, September 1. Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. MT at Choctaw Stadium.
Notable:
- M Marlon Vargas scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season and continues to lead the team in goals scored in 2024. The two-goal performance marked Vargas’ first brace of the season.
- F Alec Díaz added his third assist of the season in tonight’s match against Austin FC II.
- M Ricardo Peña scored his first goal of the season for Rapids 2 in tonight’s match against Austin FC II.
Postgame Media Availability:
Head Coach Erik Bushey
Colorado Rapids 2 Captain Marlon Vargas
Select postgame quotes transcribed below.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match…
"Yes, very proud of our team. A very tough game, I think well played in a lot of ways and well fought for both teams. It was an excellent game to be a part of. The last five minutes or so are obviously tough to swallow and I don’t think we are deserved of the result that came out but this is football and we understand that. There are a lot of disappointed players inside and I can say it a thousand times if I want to – keep your head up and to be proud, but it is difficult to get past the result. I couldn’t be more proud. Entering the halftime at 2-1 and really turning the game to our favor, the aggression we showed, the work we showed, and the production we showed, there is so much to be proud of. Most people will only see the score and another loss in the wrong column. The charge will be for the players to see more and to be proud and I hope upon reflection they can.”
On the team’s positive performance across 90 minutes…
“Yeah, I thought the effort was there the entire game. It is probably the most that we have adapted in a match. We, by design, defended in two, sometimes three different ways in the second half. Guys showed flexibility and confidence to adjust. It’s simple really but not easy and that is playing with such aggression. We were relentless in our work in that second half in particular – an exceptional amount of work. For many of our players, if not all, also some excellent opportunities to learn. That sucks in the moment, but upon reflection there are some wonderful areas for growth. The team doesn’t want to hear that right now but that is a part of why we are here and that’s why I am so pleased with the type of game it was. I thought it was a lovely game.”
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 CAPTAIN MARLON VARGAS
On the match…
“It is a tough one. Obviously, I thought we played well. We deserved more. I was telling some of the guys that this feels like the LAFC game on the road. We were playing really well and we went down 2-0 and came back and ended up tying the game. When you have that momentum, you think you are going to get a third and things change really quick. We conceded a penalty against LAFC. Similar to tonight, we go up 3-2 in our favor this time, and they get one goal and right away a second one and it’s like a killer. It is also like last weekend against Real Monarchs where it is just a couple of our own mistakes that cost us the game. We definitely take that upon ourselves and we just have to keep moving forward and go back again to the drawing board and video and watch where we can fix things. I am still proud of the boys because out of every game we have played so far, this is probably our best performance, in my opinion, coming to Austin, which is a tough place to get a result against a very good team. Obviously, we have history with Austin. We played them in the conference finals and it is always a good game against them and a tough one as well. I am pretty happy with the boys even though the result didn’t go our way. We have to move on and focus on North Texas coming up.”
On focusing on the positives of the match…
“In terms of how I see it, we have been playing well for 85 minutes and one little mistake or one little play where you switch off or you don’t really see it coming, it changes fast. I think that happened here and last week against Real Monarchs. For me, you just have to think about the positives. You don’t want to hang your head too low on the negatives. It is just about keeping pushing and trying to stay focused for the whole 90 minutes instead of the 85. Like I said, it is just one play where you aren’t expecting what is going to happen, it happens. Erik says it a lot, soccer changes very fast and it showed that again tonight in the last five minutes of the game. We have to keep working and make sure we are all dialed in for North Texas and hopefully we can get a result there and make sure we clean up our own mistakes. If we score in every game, I believe we always have a chance to win. It’s more about the little moments in defending, which we will for sure clean up.”
