September 24, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Colorado Rapids News Release
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. â The Colorado Rapids (12-4-8, 44 points) will look to extend their unbeaten streak to 11 games when they host Toronto FC (4-15-6, 18 points) on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Fans can tune in to Altitude Sports for pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m., as well as Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM at 5:45 p.m.
Colorado enter Saturday’s match looking to extend its unbeaten streak to 11 games, the longest active streak in MLS, as well as its home unbeaten streak to 12 straight games at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. A win could jump the third-place Rapids into first place in the Western Conference, as they trail first-place Sporting KC by two points with a game in hand and second-place Seattle by one point even on games, while also leading fourth-place LA Galaxy by six points with a game in hand.
In the club’s last outing, Danny Wilson scored the opening goal in a 1-1 draw against Vancouver last Sunday. Wilson headed captain Jack Price’s corner delivery for his second goal of the season and Price’s ninth assist. The Scotsman’s goal marked the Rapids’ 10th off a set piece and the eighth from a corner kick this season. Price’s nine assists are tied for third in MLS.
Michael Barrios leads the team with seven goals and has two in his last three games. William Yarbrough is second in MLS with nine clean sheets and fourth with 76 saves this season.
Saturday’s match will also be Robin Fraser’s 50th in the regular season as Rapids head coach. Fraser has led the Rapids to 25 wins, 82 goals scored and 87 points, all the most by a Rapids head coach through his first 50 games in the post-shootout era. Colorado’s 87 points are third-most in MLS across each club’s last 49 games, and their 82 goals are tied for fifth-most in that time.
This is the first meeting between Toronto and Colorado since September 2019, when the Rapids fell, 3-2, at BMO Field in Fraser’s fourth game in charge. That match snapped a three-game winning streak for the newly appointed head coach as the Rapids went 5-2-0 to close the 2019 regular season.
The Reds enter the match on short rest after their 4-0 win over York United FC to advance to the semifinal of the Canadian Championship on Wednesday. Toronto previously defeated Nashville SC, 2-1, on Sept. 18 in a match that saw Jacob Shaffelburg open the scoring and CJ Sapong level for Nashville, before Omar González scored the winner in the 79th minute. The wins were Toronto’s first since July 24 in Chicago; the Reds are 1-7-2 in their last 10 MLS matches.
“They have so many players that are experienced and have won and can play,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said after training on Thursday. “When you look at their record, it’s easy to go, ‘Ah, the team is no good.’ But I know this team really well and I know how good they are. I know that on any given day they can be that good. Whatever their issues are that have gotten them to where they are now in the standings, for me, are irrelevant. I know the majority of the players and they’re very good players. They have talented and very aware midfielders, good passers, good dribblers, talented defenders who have played in big games and in big situations. They present a very real threat and a very good team that we have to beat.”
Jonathan Osorio leads Toronto with four goals, while Venezuelan midfielder Yeferson Soteldo has seven assists. The Reds are led by head coach Javier Perez, who served as interim head coach following the departure of Chris Armas in July.
News & Notes
The Rapids’ next win will be their 13th of the season, the most since the club won 15 matches in 2016.
Colorado is third in MLS with 15 shots off the woodwork. M Cole Bassett leads MLS with seven, while F Michael Barrios is tied for fourth with four.
M Mark-Anthony Kaye’s next start will be the 80th of his MLS career. It will also be his ninth with Colorado, tying his 2021 total while with Los Angeles FC.
D Danny Wilson’s next appearance will be his 23rd of the season, tying a single-season Rapids career high set in 2018, his first season with the club. Wilson is 33 minutes from tying his career high (1,935) set in 2018. His two goals and one assist this season are both career highs.
F Michael Barrios has two assists in five career matches against Toronto.
M Jack Price scored his first Rapids goal in his only meeting against Toronto in April 2018.
D Keegan Rosenberry has a goal and an assist in six matches against Toronto.
F Diego Rubio has one assist in two career meetings against Toronto.
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