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News & Notes from Week 5: International Call-Ups, Familiar Faces and a Clash with Austin

March 23, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS) - Colorado Rapids News Release


LOOKING FOR THREE AGAINST EL TREE

The Rapids will head to Texas this weekend looking to remain unbeaten against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. Colorado came away with a 1-0 win in their first-ever visit in 2021 before rallying to a last-gasp draw in their final game of the regular season last year. That match saw Diego Rubio tie the club's single-season goalscoring record when he collected his 16th goal of the season, finishing the year with the most goals + assists in a single season in club history (23). The match also saw forward Darren Yapi record his first MLS start, while defender Keegan Rosenberry surpassed 10,000 minutes as a member of the club.

HISTORIC YARBROUGH

Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough is just two shutouts away from matching the club's all-time record, currently held by Matt Pickens (29). The two-time Liga MX champion is one appearance away from recording his 86th appearance for Colorado, which would tie him with Joe Cannon for fourth-most appearances by a goalkeeper in club history. Yarbrough has also recorded 34 wins with the Rapids, one away from tying Clint Irwin for third-most wins by a goalkeeper in club history.

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RUBIO & YAPI EARN NATIONAL TEAM CALL-UPS

Rapids striker Diego Rubio has been called up to the Chilean national team ahead of their upcoming friendly against Paraguay on March 27. Rubio made his first appearance of the season during the Rapids' loss against Minnesota United FC last weekend after undergoing arthroscopic surgery last month. The Chilean forward enjoyed a career year in 2022 in which he equaled the Rapids' all-time, single-season scoring record (16 goals) and set a new record for most goal contributions in a season in club history (16 goals, 7 assists). Rubio is currently fifth in club history with 34 regular season goals scored all-time, which is just four away from surpassing John Spencer for fourth-most.

After training with the U.S. U-19 Men's Youth National Team in January, Yapi's call-up to the U.S. U-20 Men's Youth National Team is his first with the group since preparation for this summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup kicked off in 2021. Yapi and the rest of the 19-man roster named by head coach Mikey Varas will face France, England and Serbia's U-21s in this final training camp before the international tournament. This is not the young striker's first international call-up, as he first made his international debut with the U.S. U-17 youth national team during the UEFA Development Tournament in February 2020, featuring in all three of the United States' matches during the competition.

FAMILIAR FACES

Austin FC forward Gyasi Zardes faces Colorado for the first time since joining Los Verdes as a free agent this past offseason. Zardes previously spent the majority of 2022 with the Rapids, etching his name in MLS history as he recorded his fifth season with double-digit goals (2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022) and became the 14th player in MLS history to accomplish that feat, while he also became the 13th player in MLS history to score 90 or more regular-season goals all-time and the first MLS Homegrown Player to reach that mark.

On the bench, Austin FC goalkeeper coach Preston Burpo made 24 appearances between the sticks for Colorado during the 2008-09 seasons, recording four shutouts in that span.

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