COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids (6-5-4, 22 pts.) will take the trip to Texas for their second matchup against Houston Dynamo FC (5-6-3, 18 pts.) on Wednesday. Kickoff at Shell Energy Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. MT (Apple TV— MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5FM).
In their second of three matches over an eight-day span, the Rapids will look to stretch together another positive result on the road in Houston. With this being the second time that these two sides have seen each other in 2024, Colorado has its eyes on avenging the 1-0 loss at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park to this Houston group on March 20.
After over 95 minutes of scoreless play in that match, Dynamo midfielder Brad Smith scored the lone goal to secure all three points in stoppage time. Despite the loss, there were plenty of positives that the Rapids used to kick off a four-match unbeaten stretch immediately after. The result also marks the only match in which the Rapids have been shut out this season. In addition to plenty of positive chances created in the final third, 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick Kimani Stewart-Baynes made his league debut in the contest after subbing on for Oliver Larraz in the 82nd minute.
The Rapids will enter Wednesday’s match fresh off a heavyweight battle with Minnesota United FC. Although Colorado faced a 3-1 deficit at the halftime break, goals from Rafael Navarro and Kévin Cabral led the comeback for the home side to eventually level things at three a piece by the fulltime whistle.
Cabral's two-goal performance marked his first MLS brace, bringing his season total to three goals and earning him a spot on the MLS Team of Matchday bench for Matchday 16. Meanwhile, Navarro’s goal extended his historic stretch, putting him into a tie with Omar Cummings as only the second Rapids player since 2010 to record a five-match goal scoring stretch. Navarro now stands just one goal away from matching John Spencer's club record for the longest streak of consecutive matches with a goal, with Spencer having achieved this feat in six consecutive matches for the club in 2003.
In a thrilling finish, the Rapids rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the final 30 minutes to secure a 3-3 draw against Minnesota. This result halted a streak of 19 consecutive losses when trailing by multiple goals and marked only the sixth occasion in team history, and the first at home, where the Rapids managed to avoid defeat despite trailing by multiple goals after the hour mark.
Colorado will be heading into Houston to face a side that is determined to get back to its winning ways. The Dynamo are winless in their last three matches, with their most recent result being a 2-1 loss against LA Galaxy. Houston will also look to get their first win at Shell Energy Stadium in about two months, with their last victory at home coming in a 2-1 result against San Jose on March 30.
Wednesday’s midweek contest will mark a historic moment for the Rapids, as it will be their 900th MLS regular season match. In addition, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic is 25 minutes away from surpassing 10,000 MLS regular season minutes for his career.
The Rapids own the all-time series in MLS regular season play between these two sides, posting a 15-12-13 record all time against the Dynamo.
The match may evoke memories as Homegrown defender Sam Vines delivered his first MLS assist and defender Lalas Abubakar scored his first goal for the Rapids, both in a home match against the Houston Dynamo on September 9, 2020. Additionally, Homegrown midfielder Oliver Larraz made his MLS debut against the Houston Dynamo on May 15, 2021, while midfielder Jasper Löffelsend made his MLS debut on February 27, 2022, facing the Dynamo as a member of RSL.
Club connections are abundant in this matchup, particularly involving Rapids' head coach Chris Armas and Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen, who represented the U.S. National Team together and recorded 17 appearances alongside each other from 1999 to 2005. Armas also has ties with Dynamo assistant coach Aurélien Collin from their time at New York Red Bulls in 2018, where Armas coached Collin. Additionally, he coached Dynamo defender Griffin Dorsey in two matches while at Toronto in 2021.
On the field, several players share a history at Columbus Crew: Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen and Dynamo midfielder Artur played together in 68 matches from 2017 to 2019, while Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar and Dynamo midfielder Artur teamed up in 27 matches from 2017 to 2018. Notably, Rapids forward Kévin Cabral and Dynamo defender Daniel Steres were teammates at LA Galaxy in 2021, appearing in 13 matches together. These intertwined relationships create an interesting narrative for the upcoming match.
