Back to MLS play on a regular basis starting with Sat's match v Portland. It looks to be a critical match for both sides with the Rapids looking to stay in the top four in the West and Portland only four points behind the Rapids looking to climb the table. The Rapids are only one point clear of Seattle, two of Vancouver and three of Houston. We all know how the Timbers have dominated the Rapids this season with a 4-1 win to start the season and a 4-0 win to begin Leagues Cup play back on Aug. 1. Both matches were at Providence Park in Portland. For whatever reason(s) Portland has figured out how to repeatedly score on counter attacks in both matches. It will be interesting to see how Armas approaches this issue tactically. The Rapids finally got some rest after the relentless pace of Leagues Cup with no training taking place the previous week. Ironically, they have one last midweek match next Wednesday at KFC. The Timbers also have a midweek match next week.
Tomorrow’s player availability report for our game against Portland.#Rapids96 pic.twitter.com/BZknt7PXC3— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) September 14, 2024
2-2 draw, goals by Navarro and Bassett. Portland seems to have our number and coming off the weird schedule we've had I think they steal a point (or worse). We're better than them, but not by much, and they know how to score on this back line. https://view-from-the-couch.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-final-section-of-whitewater-begins.html
2-1. Final Great comeback for the boys! But….What a strange ending to the match. The TV replays certainly did not look like a red for Yappi. Think he got hard done by. Anyways… Navarro and Mihailovich were excellent tonight. We just keep winning. Heart and effort nothing sexy about it. they just make it so damn hard for the opponents.
Unless there's another angle that shows something unseen by everyone but the CR, there's no way that's a red card
The red seemed like total BS, with the ref refusing to admit a mistake on replay. if anything it should have been a yellow for simulation. Unless he had a significantly better view that we had on broadcast...
This was an exceptionally well taken free kick by Mihailovic! Watching on TV as soon he hit the ball I said “wow!” Our resilient striker 💥 #Rapids96 pic.twitter.com/ackNOBd6Xa— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) September 15, 2024
Time to make your choice. 🥇Who’s your pick for the @MichelobULTRA Superior Player of the Matchday?— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 16, 2024
A master class in goal creation😤@DjoMihailovic collects his fifth @MLS Team of the Matchday spot following his two-assist performance over the weekend!📝» https://t.co/pJ67YMpImM#Rapids96 pic.twitter.com/nP03azf3Gb— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) September 16, 2024
At 6:29 they get into the Yapi red. No new views but better images than what we had. There's clearly a motion by Yapi's left arm into the back of the defender. The CR determined it was enough force to deserve red. Hard to argue the red given what you can see here. It really comes down to if you see enough force, which the CR would have had the best view of.