The Colorado Rapids (13-9-5, 44 points) have been the MLS’ team with something to prove all season long. And while they certainly don’t lack in character, their home match against the Portland Timbers (11-9-7, 40 points) is a chance to show who they really are.
Only two teams have beaten the Rapids twice this season by multiple goals: LAFC and Portland. BMO Stadium, home to perennial MVP threat Denis Bouanga and rising star Mateusz Bogusz, has been one of the Rapids’ boogey stadiums this year. They’ve been outscored there 7-0 in all competitions.
Life hasn’t been much better at Providence Park, home to Gary Neville’s revamped Timbers and midfielder Evander, whose 12 goals and 13 assists have him right there in this year’s MVP discussion. In two visits to Portland in all competitions, the Rapids have heard the chainsaw eight times and only scored once.
The only difference is they’ve beaten LAFC at home this year — a 3-2 thriller in May which saw Djordje Mihailovic arrive on the scene with two goals and an assist. They’ve not had a crack at Portland at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park yet, but a win this Saturday in a tight Western Conference playoff race — Colorado (44 points) is in fourth while Portland (40 points) slid to eighth — could give them a bit of breathing room while avenging a combined 8-1 scoreline.
“This is a team we feel we could face in the playoffs. These are the games you need to win, especially at home,” Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett said. “(In order to) clinch a top-four spot and get home field advantage in the playoffs, this is a game you need to win against a good team. This is definitely a test, a challenge and a chance to show character, but we know we have seven more chances to clinch this top-four spot. We’ll take it one game at a time, but we know these home games are important.”
After playing eight games in August, the team got a well-deserved week off during which Rapids coach Chris Armas did not hold a single training session.
After plenty of trips home, to the beach or the mountains, Armas says the energy within the team is good and they’re “picking up where they left off.”
And they’ll need to, according to Armas. At this point in the season, every moment matters, particularly when you’re leading a tight race for the last home playoff spot in the West. The Leagues Cup run was good preparation for that sort of mindset, he said, but it needs to be picked up this weekend against Portland and beyond.
“You have to always be in that mindset of win and move on; you do. That’s in training and that’s in games,” Armas said. “Because every point, every three points, you’re always on trial, and you’ve always got to have that mentality to fight and to keep resetting and going after it.
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“We’re always growing. The last Portland game wasn’t that long ago, but we’re always learning from yesterday. … (Since then) we’ve learned we’re resilient. The guys know that they can suffer, they can be pushed to the limit, we can play on the road, we can go behind, we can score early or late and we’re good on set pieces. I think what we’ve learned is understanding how to manage tough games and adversity.”
New signee Reggie Cannon, a defender who joined the Rapids on Tuesday as a free agent, could make his debut Saturday, though Armas will have to make that decision before game time.
On one hand, the club is being very cautious with left back Sam Vines, who has a repeat hamstring injury and should be questionable for the Portland match, and Cannon could slot in and play that position. On the other hand, Cannon has been vocal about the effects of the altitude and how noticeable it’s been in his first few days living in Colorado. Take away the thin air and his fitness should be up to par, as he had a full preseason with his former club, Queens Park Rangers, and has only been without a team for a little more than three weeks.
The match starts at DSGP at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
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