Minnesota United Fall in Narrow 1-0 Home Defeat to Colorado Rapids
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Fall in Narrow 1-0 Home Defeat to Colorado Rapids

Published on May 14, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota United fell 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night at Allianz Field after Rafael Navarro's first-half goal proved to be the difference. Despite dangerous chances from James Rodríguez, Joaquín Pereyra and Kelvin Yeboah throughout the match, the Loons were unable to find the equalizer in the Western Conference showdown. Minnesota United will next head east to face the New England Revolution on Saturday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

6' - Colorado Rapids created the first dangerous chance of the match when Keegan Rosenberry settled the ball inside the 18-yard box for Connor Ronan, who fired a first-time attempt. The shot deflected off Michael Boxall and sailed over the crossbar.

21' - Minnesota United created their first dangerous chance of the match through Jefferson Díaz after James Rodríguez delivered a long switch into the top of the six-yard box. Díaz got an attempt on goal, but it was comfortably collected by goalkeeper Defreitas-Hansen.

23' - Shortly after, Joaquín Pereyra made his presence known following a defensive mistake just outside the penalty area. Pereyra collected the ball and fired a first-time left-footed attempt that narrowly missed the right post.

26' (0-1) - The Rapids opened the scoring through Rafael Navarro after Paxten Aaronson played a through ball down the middle for the forward. Navarro found himself one-on-one with Drake Callender before finishing through the left side of the net.

29' - Colombian midfielder James Rodríguez attempted to find the equalizer when he fired an attempt from outside the 18-yard box following a defensive mistake, but the shot rattled off the crossbar. Moments later in the same sequence, James Rodríguez delivered a long cross from the right flank that connected with Anthony Markanich inside the six-yard box, though his attempt sailed just over the crossbar.

77' - The Loons continued to apply pressure in search of an equalizer when Nectarios Triantis played a through ball down the left flank for Tomás Chancalay. Chancalay then sent a cross into the box for Kelvin Yeboah, whose redirected effort rolled just wide of the left post.

89' - Aaronson had a late opportunity after receiving a pass from Reggie Cannon, but his attempt rolled just wide of the right post.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 COL - Rafael Navarro (Paxten Aaronson, Connor Ronan) - 26'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Morris Duggan (caution) - 1'

MIN - Kelvin Yeboah (caution) - 21'

COL - Connor Ronan (caution) - 49'

COL - Jackson Travis (caution) - 51'

COL - Kosi Thompson (caution) - 69'

MIN - Jefferson Diaz (caution) - 76'

MIN - Tomás Chancalay (caution) - 82'

MIN - Wil Trapp (caution) - 84'

COL - Rafael Navarro (caution) - 86'

ATTENDANCE: 18,458

BELL BANK MAN OF THE MATCH: Joaquín Pereyra - Animal Humane Society

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Drake Callender; D Anthony Markanich (Mamadou Dieng 83'), Morris Duggan, Michael Boxall © (Nicolás Romero 46'), Jefferson Diaz, Kyle Duncan (Bongokuhle Hlongwane 63'); M Owen Gene (Nectarios Triantis 63'), James Rodríguez (Tomás Chancalay 64'), Wil Trapp, Joaquín Pereyra; F Kelvin Yeboah

Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Smir; D DJ Taylor, Devin Padelford; F Mauricio González

Colorado Rapids XI: GK Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen; D Miguel Navarro, Lucas Herrington, Noah Cobb, Keegan Rosenberry ©; M Jackson Travis (Kosi Thompson 64'), Wayne Frederick, Connor Ronan (Dante Sealy 64'), Georgi Minoungou (Reggie Cannon 81'); F Rafael Navarro, Paxten Aaronson (Darren Yapi 90')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Adam Beaudry; D Ian Murphy; M Ali Fadal, Alexis Manyoma; F Alex Harris

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC @ NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Gillette Stadium | Foxborough, Massachusetts

05.16.2026 | MLS 2026 Regular Season | Match 14

6:30 p.m. CT (Apple TV/1500 ESPN)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH CAMERON KNOWLES

On why it has been difficult to win at home...

"I think as far as this year and these couple of games, tonight [we had] done enough to get more out of the game. They've [Colorado Rapids] taken their chance and we haven't taken ours. It's almost a broken record; sometimes we've had large parts of the game that were very, very good. It's just some of those key moments. It's disappointing because we have been such a good team on the road this year; we were last year. We want to bring that joy that we get to feel these last couple of weeks winning on the road. We want to bring that home and share that with the supporters, and so there's just a lot of disappointment with the guys in not being able to do that tonight."

On Rafael Navarro's goal and what he saw from Jefferson Díaz on the play...

"We just talked about how dangerous they [Colorado Rapids] can be once they get inside your shape, and the importance of getting them wide, and being able to defend in wide areas. We felt like if we could get them into wide areas, we'd have a good chance of winning the ball, and then when they get through the middle of you, it's very difficult to recover, and we saw that with that chance, and unfortunately, we couldn't recover and then put the ball in the back of the net."

On if he thought Minnesota United were the better team tonight...

"Yeah, I feel like we were, but they [Colorado Rapids] took their chance, and then they were able to deny us ours. So you have to give credit to the opposition. In that sequence in the first half, where we have a shot that hits the woodwork in the same sequence, we get another chance out of that and two really good chances in the space of probably less than a minute, and a number of decent opportunities throughout the game that we were just not able to convert. So just unfortunate on the night."

On coaching a player who has a preferred foot to strike with...

"You're talking about split-second decisions in moments of a game. Obviously, most guys have a dominant foot. Most guys will tend to gravitate towards it. The sort of instincts you feel in front of goal, he's [Kelvin Yeboah] has shown good instincts to score goals in the past, and he has to trust his instincts."

On James Rodriguez's unsuccessful scoring chances...

"Just disappointing. You want the chances to go in. You want to be creating chances, and we certainly did. I think it was like nine shots from inside the box, that's a pretty good number, and you want to be able to convert. You look at the expected goals, the moments were in the final third and in the box. It's just disappointing that we don't get one of those to fall."

On how the team has responded after a difficult stretch in March, and how to move the team forward despite recent struggles at home...

"I certainly wouldn't characterize them as bad, you know, perhaps the results, but the performances. The LA [Los Angeles FC] game was probably one of our best performances to not get something out of the game. We controlled large portions of it, we had the chances, we should have done better, but same thing tonight, and even the start, when you look at the start of the season, there were some difficult results in there, but I think we had probably one of the hardest starts to the season in terms of strength of schedule across the league. So when we look at the broader view of that and the points we were able to get to that point, as a group, we felt like it set us up for the next stretch, and I think over the following six games that came before we got into this stretch of the last four games, we did really well. We put ourselves in a good position on the table, got some great results away from home, and so now, we have two more games to look forward to until the break, and we need to take care of business."

On James Rodríguez on the field... "You see his chance creation, he can create for himself. He has some great moments in possession and in the final third where he is able to create for others and you saw that the other night with the two assists. He has some exceptional quality. Overall his professionalism, his quality and his character in the locker room is truly exceptional as well."

On Michael Boxall being subbed out at halftime...

"It's just being mindful of building his minutes up as he comes back. He has been out for a while and we just want to be cautious with that and don't push him too hard. He probably could've kept going a little bit, but in this situation it's probably better to be safe."

On James Rodríguez's future with MNUFC after the World Cup...

"We just see how it goes. He's obviously got the World Cup to focus on as do a couple of our other players. We have a transfer window coming up where we have the ability to make other additions to the squad as well. In totality that stuff gets assessed over the break. My position on that is really just that the time that we have had up to this point, again to echo it - he has been incredible. His professionalism, his impact on the other players in the locker room, and we got to see the quality on the field as well."

On Michael Boxall making the New Zealand National Team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup...

"We are waiting for the New Zealand vs Colombia final [laughs]. It's an incredible achievement for him, for Boxy [Michael Boxall]. The level of professionalism he's shown over his career, the way he takes care of himself, he seems to just continue getting better and better each year. To have the opportunity to represent the country is an incredible one. He scores the goal that punches the ticket and now he gets to go to the biggest sporting event in the world and compete on the biggest stage, there's probably no greater honor for him in the sport than that."

On coaching players on decision making in the final third...

"We talk a lot about getting the ball into good areas and sort of upgrading some of the chances and I think you see that mindfulness of guys trying to put guys in that may be in a better chance to score and we are seeing a lot more selflessness with a lot of that stuff and it's difficult. We go back as coaches, we watch the game and press pause and we judge everything in hindsight, but we have to trust the players to make decisions in real time and then we reflect after the game."

DEFENDER MORRIS DUGGAN

On MNUFC's performance in the last few matches...

"It's been really unfortunate these past couple of games, especially when you look at the data points and xG [expected goals] and overall how the games are going. I feel like we're making progress in our overall play, how we possess the ball and all those kinds of steps, but the results just haven't been good enough. In the beginning of the year, we focused a lot on our duel rate, and that's what made us great and helped us win games. As we progress in terms of playing style, we just can't forget that. Those are the moments, especially today, I felt like they [Colorado Rapids] won more duels than we did. Speaking for myself too, there were a lot of moments where I was just a step too late. I feel like that's been the past couple of games. It's unfortunate, too. I don't even know how many games it is now where we go down first. The way the goal came today is just too easy. It's been too easy to score on us lately. Like I said, it might be something in terms of duels, that we just have to get back to, 'alright, how bad do we want it?'"

On difference when playing against teams who are lower in standings...

"Yeah. Certainly with those weeks where we have three games, it's obvious, you look to some games thinking they're going to be maybe a bit easier on you, but it's especially those games where people [other teams] come here, they know this is a tough place to play, and then they play with an extra fire in them. It's those games where we just have to take the crowd with us and really just be like dogs, go into tackles, win tackles, and then the goals come by themselves. But we didn't do that today and maybe that plays into it. We were in a great spot before these two games, but now we know we dropped five points at home, which is unlike us. Yeah, that gives us an extra fire to go now on the road and redeem ourselves before the break."

MIDFIELDER WIL TRAPP

On dropping points at home and how that has been similar to other seasons...

"I can't speak about the other years, I don't think they're directly correlated or connected. I think this [game] was, and Cameron [Knowles] said after the game, we've done really well when we're looking up. When we're looking up and chasing the teams ahead of us, we get up for those games and we tend to find ways to ascend to those teams whereas I think maybe when the teams are right around us or below us, we take the foot off the gas slightly, I don't know what it is. This is a game in which maybe one chance in the first half, they [Colorado Rapids] punish us, we had a number of chances to potentially score. But like Cameron said, we've got to stomp on teams when we have the chance, especially at home."

On having the better game but not coming away with points...

"'Clearly the better team' is a tough way to look at it when you lose, because I think ultimately the point is to win. We can use platitudes and say all the things we want about playing well, but ultimately, the three points is what matters most, and we didn't get that in the past few games."

On being a teammate for Kelvin Yeboah... "I think he [Kelvin Yeboah] is a resilient guy and we talk a lot. He is an incredible professional in his process and how he approaches whether it is ups or downs, it is extremely consistent. I think for him, it is just about getting back to 'hey you're fine'. As strikers, you always know that it is the goldfish mentality of there is always the next chance. I think for him, it is just about reinforcing that and encouraging that."

On having built a relationship with midfielder James Rodríguez...

"He has never met an American like me. You never know what a truly iconic player is going to be like or how they are going to interact with their teammates. From day one, he has been an incredible human. Truly someone who you want to be around, someone who makes their teammates better, whether he's playing or not. For someone to be as humble [as he is], with the things he has achieved in his career, has been such an example for all of our guys. For me, I think it is just fun to get to know good people."

On wanting to prove something in the match against New England Revolution...

"Yeah, especially after these two results. Also, we found that when we go on the road, we have just maybe a different mentality. I don't know what that is. I need to take a little more time and really process what that is. [New England] is a team who started off a little shaky but has really come around and are doing extremely well in the Eastern Conference. So, it won't be an easy game. There are no easy games, but one in which I think we will be motivated to get the three points."

On staying healthy throughout a congested schedule...

"It is just about recovery right now. I think in many ways the blessing is that we play again in two-and-a-half or three days. You really get to kind or let go of this one and move forward."

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