Game Recap: Rapids beat Orlando 2-1 in home opener

After winning the first game of the season last weekend in D.C., the Colorado Rapids gave supporters even more hope for the 2020 MLS season on Saturday night, beating Orlando City SC 2-1.

There was a lot of back-and-forth in the first half, but thanks to a couple of massive saves from Clint Irwin, the game was still 0-0 after 45 minutes.

Rapids fans were not impressed by Colorado’s initial effort, calling it rough, sloppy, and lacking the final product, but many stayed hopeful. But finally, in the 64th minute, Younes Namli moved through multiple defenders, took the shot, and got his first MLS goal to put the Burgundy Boys on the board.

Many mentioned that they’ve been impressed by what they have seen so far from Namli, and the new DP said, “I couldn’t have wished for a better home debut than what I had today... we had to fight for the three points. And we did it again like last week. So this is just amazing.”

The Lions were without Nani (suspension) and Dom Dwyer (injury) and were unable to score at home against Real Salt Lake last weekend, so a big question going into the game today was who (if anyone) was going to score? On Saturday night, it was sub Chris Mueller. Less than five minutes after coming into the game, the forward was on the receiving end of a really nice through ball (gotta give credit where credit is due) and leveled things at 1-1.

As the game wound down, it looked like both sides were going to walk away with a point each, but the Rapids had one final chance on a corner kick in the 90th minute. Set-piece king Jack Price lined up, delivered a perfect ball into the box, and fan-favorite Drew Moor headed the ball into the back of the net for the win.

After the game, Moor called Price “the best set-piece taker in the league right now,” saying that Price “delivers a perfect ball almost every single time.” The defender also told the media that “I think you saw for my celebration, I didn’t really know what to do... hopefully I’ll score again this season, I’ll act like I’ve done it before. But now just obviously you saw the excitement... the crowd was phenomenal tonight. And to get the game-winner coming back here is some I’ll remember for a long time.”

In the post-game press conference, Head Coach Robin Fraser agreed that it “wasn’t perfect performance. But it’s a group that if they’re learning and winning at the same time, that’s a pretty good situation.”

Watch all the highlights here.