The Colorado Rapids have a chance to win back-to-back MLS encounters for the first time since early August when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday at Dick's Sporting Good Park.
On Saturday, the Burgundy Boys won for the first time in seven matches, 3-1 versus the Vancouver Whitecaps, while the Quakes fell apart at FC Cincinnati this past weekend, losing by a score of 6-0.
Match preview
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It was another poor start for the Rapids on Saturday, as they were down a goal after nine minutes, but they reacted well, scoring twice before the half was over while looking comfortable and in control after the interval.
That kind of resiliency is something that Robin Fraser has not seen much of from his players in recent outings, as the Rapids were outscored 10-1 in their previous three matches played before last weekend, with one of those games resulting in a 0-0 draw.
Another encouraging sign for this group is that two of their three goals scored against the Caps came from open play, an area where they have not excelled at since Fraser's arrival, with most of their opportunities coming via set-pieces.
There is no time for them to savour their first domestic victory since August 6 as they need points in a hurry, currently sitting seven points behind Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with only four matches left to play.
Colorado enter this fixture unbeaten in six straight MLS home contests and without a defeat in their last 10 matches played against the Quakes at Dick's Sporting Good Park.
After 30 matches, the Burgundy Boys have allowed 16 more goals (51) than they did in the 2021 regular season, and they have been even less potent in the attack than a year ago, tallying just 41 times so far, 10 fewer than they managed in their previous campaign.
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Just when you thought the Earthquakes had fixed their defensive problems, we saw their vulnerabilities along the backline exposed by the Orange and Blue on Saturday.
That was the Goonies' most lopsided defeat since 2020, when they lost 7-1 to the Seattle Sounders, and following their defeat last weekend, interim manager Alex Covelo called his side's performance frustrating and demoralising.
Before that, the Goonies had looked reasonably solid defensively, winning two of their last three games before they visited Cincinnati, conceding a goal or fewer in each of those contests.
San Jose cannot afford another defeat if they want a shot at making the postseason, trailing that final spot by 13 points with seven clubs to catch and only five matches remaining.
They have only scored once in their last three away fixtures, while the Quakes have given up a bundle of goals on the road, conceding 14 in their previous four matches played as the visitors.
While the Goonies have only won one of their last six regular-season encounters against the Burgundy Boys, they have managed to keep most of those matches tight, conceding a goal or fewer on four occasions.
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Team News
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Gyasi Zardes scored his 10th of the season for the Rapids this past weekend, and Jonathan Lewis tallied goal number five of 2022.
Diego Rubio scored the winner from the penalty spot, his team-leading 13th of the campaign and 32nd of his Colorado career, moving beyond Chris Henderson for fifth on the all-time franchise list.
Rubio's winning tally puts him in a tie with former Rapids midfielder Paul Bravo for the most all-time match winners with the club (12).
Felipe Gutierrez collected his first career MLS assist in that victory, and Jack Price set up his first goal of the campaign, as he now has the second-most assists in Rapids history (35).
Dantouma Toure, Aboubacar Keita and Braian Galvan are all out with right knee injuries, while Jackson Travis has a problem with his core and Oliver Larraz is still dealing with a sore right leg.
Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski faced 10 Cincinnati efforts on Saturday and has now conceded 11 goals in his last three road fixtures, though he did not allow a goal in his previous outing against Colorado when his team won 1-0 back in May thanks to a second-half strike from Nathan.
Leading goalscorer Jeremy Ebobisse has only tallied once in his MLS career versus Colorado, back in 2018 when he was a member of the Portland Timbers, while Cristian Espinoza leads them with 10 assists on the year.
Paul Marie, Tommy Thompson, and Jack Skahan have each tallied once this season for San Jose, with all of those goals coming away from home.
Judson and Carlos Akapo sat out of their previous match with a right knee and right foot problem, respectively, Will Richmond has an injured nose, Ousseni Bouda is dealing with a sore left foot and Gilbert Fuentes continues to take personal time.
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Wilson, Beitashour; Acosta, Gutierrez; Barrios, Rubio, Lewis; Zardes
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Marcinkowski; Beason, Nathan, Marie, Thompson; Yueill, Gregus; Cowell, Monteiro, Espinoza; Ebobisse
We say: Colorado Rapids 2-1 San Jose Earthquakes
The Burgundy Boys are by no means the deadliest attacking force in Major League Soccer, but the Quakes allow so many clear-cut scoring opportunities, particularly on the road, that you have to think it will only be a matter of time before Colorado bury those chances.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
