Sports stats



MLS Colorado Rapids

Harris Brace Leads Rapids to 4-1 Impactful Win Over CF Montréal

June 23, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


The Colorado Rapids (9-7-4, 31 pts.) earned all three points at home against CF Montréal (4-8-7, 19 pts.) at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night. A first-half Calvin Harris brace lifted his side to victory along with goals from Rafael Navarro and Djordje Mihailovic to record the club's third consecutive victory.

On the hunt for their third win in the span of a week, the Rapids were set for a battle with a CF Montréal side that was unbeaten in its last five matches.

The contest kicked off with the two sides trading possession throughout the early stages of the match. The visitors failed to scrape up any high-quality chances in the final third thanks to a strong start from the Colorado back line. On the other end, the Rapids put together multiple opportunities in from of the Montréal net, leading to their eventual breakthrough in the 28th minute.

After drawing a corner kick, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic whipped in the set piece to find the head of Calvin Harris. The midfielder had his first attempt saved by the goalkeeper, but the ball rebounded perfectly for another header that he buried into the open net.

That was just the beginning for Harris, who would strike yet again later in the first half.

The Rapids formed an attack in the late moments of the first half with the ball at the feet of Rafael Navarro. The forward played a short pass to Mihailovic, who then quickly sent a through ball to a streaking Harris. The winger made no mistake with a slick finish into the bottom left corner for his second of the match.

The brace was the first of Harris' MLS career and brought his season total to four goals. He became the fourth Rapids player to record a brace in a match this season, joining Navarro, Mihailovic, and Kévin Cabral in 2024.

That would be all for the scoring in the first 45 minutes, with more awaiting both sides in the second half.

Down two goals, Montréal began to increase its press coming out of the halftime break. The visitors controlled possession for around ten minutes, which led to their first goal of the match. Sunusi Ibrahim capitalized on a rebound opportunity by playing a center ball right in front of net, leading to a clearance attempt by Lalas Abubakar that found the back of his own net.

Despite conceding, Colorado did not slow down in its search for three points. The squad maintained its strong defensive play until the final minutes of the match, when the attack finished things off.

A Montréal handball in the box in the 87th minute gave Colorado yet another golden opportunity to score, and stepping up to take it was Mihailovic. The midfielder sent in a low and speedy shot to give the goalkeeper no chance and put the Rapids up 3-1.

Mihailovic has now scored in back-to-back matches, scoring four goals and adding two assists in the span. The goal was his ninth of the season, tying his single-season career high in MLS.

The Rapids would strike again just two minutes later to secure a three-match win-streak. Mihailovic led the play down the right wing and found midfielder Cole Bassett, who passed up a shot for an extra pass to Navarro for the finish to put the Rapids up 4-1.

Navarro's goal was his 11th of the season, bringing him to eight goal contributions in his last 10 matches (7g, 1a).

That would be all for a goal-filled night at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park, with Colorado securing its ninth point in the Western Conference standings in just eight days. The club has now scored 38 goals in MLS this season, which is good for second in the Western Conference and third across the entire league.

Colorado will look to continue its hot streak on the road against LAFC on Saturday night. Kickoff at BMO Stadium is set for 8:30 p.m. MT. (Apple TV-MLS Season Pass, Altitude Sports Radio 950AM).

Check out the Colorado Rapids Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from June 23, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central