Game Recap: Colorado Rapids 1, Sporting Kansas City 1

A crisp, clear night welcomed the Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Colorado’s Cole Bassett saw his first start of 2020, and Andre Shinyashiki was the other lineup change from last Saturday’s home match.

The first 25 minutes saw SKC come out pressing the Rapids into defending deep into their own third for most of that time. Possession by the home side was tough to come by as SKC forced Yarbrough into a good reaction save, and he watched as Gerso Fernandes blasted a long-distance shot just high as well.

Younes Namli, who wasn’t involved much early on, noticeably moved to an inside position to try and grab more time on the ball and it seemed to make a difference for Colorado after 30 minutes. However, SKC’s Graham Zusi almost stole the lead with a low-driven shot from the right to the back post but it snuck just wide in the 41st minute just after the hydration break.

The second half began with a sprinkle of rain coming down as the Rapids exited their locker room at the very last minute and SKC was waiting to get going. In the 57th minute, Namli did just that for Colorado as he started a buildup with a nice possession run down the right towards the box. His low cross found Bassett unmarked on the left of the box and he roofed the go-ahead goal for Colorado.

The addition of substitutes Jonathan Lewis and Nicolas Mezquida only furthered the energy level for the Rapids as they looked to take advantage of their newfound confidence. However unable to settle the play going up a goal, once again, Colorado saw their lead disappear on a shot from distance, this time in the 68th minute as SKC’s Busio drove the ball past a stunned Yarbrough inside the left post.

The Rapids got another boost after Gadi Kinda’s hard foul on Diego Rubio resulted in a second yellow, taking SKC down to 10 men. While they were able to advance a bit more, Colorado just couldn’t connect on a final pass in a good position to make a chance count. In the 89th minute, HC Robin Fraser continued to go for the win as Braian Galvan made his first appearance to aid the attack of the Rapids late. In the end, though, Colorado just couldn’t find any opportunities inside the box and had to settle for sharing a point on the night.