Rapids II

RECAP | Rapids 2 fall to Sporting Kansas City II, 0-1, at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park

The Big Picture

Colorado Rapids 2 (6-14-4, 23 pts.) fell at home to Sporting Kansas City II (9-11-5, 34 pts.), 0-1, on Saturday night. The lone goal of the match came from the visitors in stoppage time of the second half to take all three points.

Sunday’s match started off very similar to how it ended, with strong defensive play on both sides. The back line of Colorado, including goalkeeper Adam Beaudry, stood strong and stopped just about every chance they were faced with for a majority of the match.

While the defensive play was strong, Kansas City managed to find the only goal of the match in stoppage time to secure the victory.

Rapids 2 will hit the road for a matchup with Houston Dynamo 2 on Sunday, September 22. Kickoff at SaberCats Stadium is set for 4:00 p.m. MT.

Notable:

  • First Team goalkeeper Adam Beaudry made his tenth appearance of the season for Rapids 2 and his first since June 16 against Ventura County FC.
  • Beaudry posted five saves in tonight’s matchup, the most for the goalkeeper in a single match during the 2024 season.
  • First Team defender Daniel Chacón started and logged 30 minutes in his second appearance for Rapids 2 since suffering ACL injury last year.

Postgame Media Availability:

Select postgame quotes transcribed below.

COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY

On the match…

"The goal that defined the game. Once again, unfortunate. It was a well-constructed counterattack by Kansas City, and we dedicated a lot of energy to get forward. We saw the opportunity, so I can't fault the guys for their aggression in trying to do so. There were probably a few different ways we could have impacted that counterattack, but we weren't able to. And that, as I said, defines the game. You know, it's unfortunate. There's a lot of guys out there, the team out there, the Rapids 2 team, gave forth a great effort. I'm proud of that. That's another difficult result. We have three games to go. It starts with a game next week in Houston. We're going to do our best to make the most out of that game and bring home three points.”

On having Adam Beaudry back in net…

“Always nice to have Adam [Beaudry] back. You know, he just brings a presence, a calming presence. He's far more than a goaltender, he's a footballer. He can help initiate attacks. It was a real pleasure having him back with the group.”

On how the club will attack the remainder of the season...

Yeah, probably same way in the beginning, one game at a time. Tonight was a difficult game. Once again, I'd feel that we're probably deserving of more, but, you know, that's football. I probably said that too many times in post-game interviews. I probably talked about the need to respond, the player's ability to respond after a difficult result, and tonight was. Tonight was a difficult result. There was a lot of good in the game, and so trying to figure out a way to help the guys lean in on that a bit. It was a really wonderful opportunity for us tonight, with a real mix of players from first team influence, obviously our second team influence, and as we've had for so much of the year, the academy influence. Trying to pull things together to look like one team and one cohesive unit. Certainly, there were moments in the game where we did that. So, it was a really neat opportunity for our team and our program. Just another reason why I was so hoping for the best result. You know, it didn't happen. So, when you're in the bottom and you're in the gutter, you have to fight your way out. I believe that. Nobody's going to let you out. That ball is not just going to, all of a sudden, bounce your way. So that's what we're going to do for three games. That's what we're going to do in Houston. We're going to fight to get out of the gutter. We're going to fight. Now, that ultimately is up to the players, with the help of us. We are one team, so we're going to keep pushing, and we'll not go quietly into the end of the season. We’ll have a day off tomorrow, recover, and get back together on Tuesday. Then we will ramp up to get ready for Houston, who’s a good team. So I hope we will all look forward to that challenge. I'm proud of the players. I want to restate that. Each time this year, when we've been kicked in the teeth, they've responded, I expect they'll respond again.

COLORADO RAPIDS 2 CAPTAIN STEVE FLORES

On the match…

“I thought we were strong for both halves. I feel like our defensive performance was good, attacking as well. Just at the end, we missed a small detail, and they took advantage of that.”

On his role as captain in a match like tonight…

“Yeah, there's obviously some players from the first team, and me being able to lead them and command them, that's a big deal to me. I know they believe in me to do that and it’s something I'm proud of.”

On how the team will finish the 2024 season…

“Just finish strong. I feel like these last games, they still have a value. We have to show character. We have to perform for the team, but also for ourselves. We still have to earn stuff, earn spots, earn stuff for the future. So, we have to finish out strong.”