The Big Picture
Colorado Rapids 2 (6-12-3, 22 pts.) fell to Real Monarchs (6-11-4, 25 pts.) in a 1-2 result on Sunday night at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Rapids Academy midfielder Rogelio Garcia scored his third goal in as many matches to record the second-longest scoring streak on the team this season.
Garcia was joined up top by two additional Rapids Academy players in Noah Strellnauer and Colton Swan. The match marked Swan’s first professional start while Garcia recorded his second start of the season. Strellnauer also contributed in a big way, recording his fourth assist of the season.
The first half saw both sides remain scoreless despite a handful of chances to find the back of the net.
In the 59th minute, Strellnauer found Marlon Vargas at the top of the box but the Rapids 2 captain dummied the ball and allowed Garcia to take a shot at goal. The strike flew over the left shoulder of goalkeeper William Mackay and into the back of the net for his third of the season. His tally on the year ties Strellnauer and Facundo Núñez for the second-most goals scored during 2024.
Rapids 2 continued to lock down their defense until the 80th minute when Owen Anderson found his first of two goals on the night with the second coming only a minute later.
The match ended with a few more attempts from Colorado but the team’s efforts were not enough to defeat the visiting side.
Rapids 2 will face off against Austin FC 2 on Friday, August 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT at Parmer Field.
Notable:
- Rapids Academy midfielder Rogelio Garcia has scored in three consecutive matches for Rapids 2, the second-longest scoring streak on the team this season.
- Rapids Academy forward Noah Strellnauer added his fourth assist of the season in tonight’s match.
- Rapids Academy F Colton Swan recorded his first professional start during tonight’s match against Real Monarchs.
- D Steve Flores recorded his 51st appearance tonight for Rapids 2, surpassing Yosuke Hanya for the third most appearances in team history.
Postgame Media Availability:
Select postgame quotes transcribed below.
COLORADO RAPIDS 2 HEAD COACH ERIK BUSHEY
On the match…
"Yeah, a difficult result. I think the guys were so optimistic coming in and I think for a decent portion of the game we felt good about the soccer. For me, it was a bit of a slow start but we began to get in the game a bit. Really happy for Rogelio [Garcia] to score another goal and really quite a nice goal by the team as well. The last 15 minutes were tough. These are two teams that have been in relatively good form over the last few games and even up to the last 10 games. We knew it was going to be a difficult match so the Monarchs deserve a lot of credit for sticking with it and getting the result. They earned it but we feel like we left a little something on the table there. It’s a short turnaround and rebound before Austin. I think it’s natural, from a competitive standpoint, guys will have felt that another three points would have been massive and who knows. That is football and we talk about the game changing fast and it changed fast tonight and unfortunately in the wrong way. We made errors and got punished and the level should be good enough for that to happen so we can learn and get better. Right now, that is the charge.”
On playing three Rapids Academy players up top…
“I was happy for Colton [Swan] to get his first start but there is no gift there. He earned that in the late minutes that he has gotten and the Monday through Friday component through training. He is creating a lot of competition for the position at the nine, so full credit to him. Rogelio [Garcia] and Noah [Strellnauer] continue to be impactful players. Again, there are no gifts given. I don’t really care about the age because the game doesn’t know about the age. It’s always something that we can reflect back on and be proud of but they are not going to be given minutes unless they are earning it. Clearly, when you look at even the stat sheet in this case for Noah and Rogelio, they continue to earn it. They have done so well so often that now it becomes a reasonable expectation. It is still something positive that we can reflect on but now, if it is an expectation, we move beyond that and we can start breaking down the game for them and others in different ways. It is good that they are on the score sheet, I am happy for them. It is something that we can look back and be positive with but ultimately, collectively, the group, we didn’t get it done. Right now, that is probably the overriding thoughts.”
COLORADO RAPIDS ACADEMY FORWARD COLTON SWAN
On the match…
“Obviously, it's a really tough loss, especially against Salt Lake. We are really close to them on the table and we were both on 22 points for the game. It would have been really nice to take the three points, especially at home in front of a good amount of fans. Just really disappointed with the result. I think as a team we did well. We were the best side through 75 minutes and then the last 15 minutes happened. I don't know if it was mental errors or if that's just the game. It's just terrible how that can happen, but that's football. I’m used to it at this point.
On his first professional start…
“I'm obviously really grateful for the coaching staff to give me an opportunity. I’ve been with this group for a long time waiting for this moment. It's tough for the first start to be a loss, but I think the effort from the group was good. I think I did well, and playing on the first team field with a good amount of fans because it's youth night, it was really fun. With that many people there, trying to inspire the young kids, and hearing the loud cheering made this a great first opportunity for me.
On MLS NEXT’s change to a U-18 academy structure
“It's helpful, it gives me more time to develop as a player, and also to be around that group. I love those guys. To see how the group is progressing, from a distance it might be a little bit more difficult, but I can be more integrated now as I would be eligible to play with them. We are trying to mirror what they do in Europe, which I think is great for youth soccer in general, but also great for the club. I'm happy with our 18s right now, all the new signings have been great. The coaching staff, I know them all really well and they're all amazing. I think one of the biggest things is it just gives you that one extra year, maybe to grow in your body, develop as a player, just a little bit longer to make the jump to either college or the professional level. I think it's really important.”
