COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids hosted Minnesota United FC on Saturday night. The Rapids were coming off their first win of the season. Minnesota had lost the first three games going into this coming into this contest. After a tough first half, many were wondering if a Colorado Rapids comeback was on the cards.
Colorado Rapids Comeback to Beat Minnesota Down 2-0
The Loons responded in the first half about as well as manager Adrian Heath could have hoped for. Their passing and movement off the ball were much improved. They played through the Rapids press and got into the final third with relative ease. Playing direct, Robin Lod nearly scored in the opening minutes.
Emanuel Reynoso opened the scoring 17 minutes in. Hassani Dotson won a free kick at the top of the box. Reynoso bent the ball over the wall and past Yarbrough.
They made it 2-0 in the 24th minute. Younes Namli, who was carrying a knock, turned the ball over with both fullbacks upfield. Minnesota went direct, with Lod luring Danny Wilson close, then passing on the first touch to get him out of position. He and Dotson ran forward, with Lod squaring the ball to Dotson for a tap in.
Colorado woke up after that, creating several chances from down their right flank. Michael Barrios and Cole Bassett had shots that went off the post.
After several corners in a row, Colorado finally broke the deadlock. The ball was headed out straight to Kellyn Acosta, who volleyed it past goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
The Rapids were the better side in the second half, completing the comeback in the 71st minute. Sam Vines sent a ball into the box for Diego Rubio. St. Clair got to it first but could not control the ball, leaving the rebound for Cole Bassett to pass it into the net.
Danny Wilson completed the comeback with a header goal in the 82nd minute. Bassett won a free kick. Jack Price provided the service and Wilson rose up to direct the ball into the back of the net.
The match ended 3-2.
BOOM! @ColoradoRapids take the 3-2 lead! #COLvMIN pic.twitter.com/VciicXJNPn
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 9, 2021
Three Key Takeaways:
Reynoso comes alive: A fabulous free kick woke up the No. 10 for the visitors. It was a good match from him personally, but wasn’t enough to get a result.
Injuries to starters: Namli and Romain Métanire were both subbed out of this game with apparent injuries. Both exited the field with a visible limp.
Keep Fighting: Despite giving up two goals in a short time span, the Rapids showed a lot of resilience for the first time this season. This needs to become a habit for them to compete for the playoffs this year; it has yet to be in the Robin Fraser era.
Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken, Last Word on Soccer.
