MLS Colorado Rapids

Preview: Rapids Visit U.S. Open Cup Champion Houston Dynamo for Penultimate Road Match of Season

Published on October 6, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Colorado Rapids (5-15-11, 26 pts) visit Houston Dynamo FC (12-11-9, 45 pts) at Shell Energy Stadium this Saturday, October 7, for their penultimate road match of the season (6:30 p.m. MT; Apple TV - Free, Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM).

Saturday's trip to Southeast Texas comes after the Rapids saw their midweek road match against FC Dallas postponed due to severe weather, with the match rescheduled to October 14. The Burgundy Boys are coming off a 1-0 win at home against Austin FC last Saturday thanks to defender Andreas Maxsø's first-half goal off a Connor Ronan corner kick, his second goal of the season. Ronan's assist marked his tenth of the year, leading the team and putting him in the company of Jack Price (2019 and 2021) as the only Rapids players since 2010 to achieve at least 10 assists in a single season. It also marked Ronan's second consecutive assist in as many matches, a first in his MLS career, and his third assist in his last five appearances.

Saturday's match against Houston will be the second time this season the two teams face one another. The first instance was on July 15 when both teams went scoreless through 90 minutes at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park. Goalkeeper William Yarbrough recorded his 101st appearance that game, surpassing Tim Howard for third-most starts and appearances by a goalkeeper in club history. With the scoreless draw, Yarbrough extended his franchise-record for the most clean sheets by a goalkeeper to 33.

On Sept. 27, Houston clinched their second Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title in club history (2018) by defeating Inter Miami CF. The Texas side built a two-goal lead in the first half that they held onto to secure a 2-1 victory. However, in league play, Dynamo FC are on a three-game winless streak that started with a 2-1 loss to a 10-man Sporting Kansas City team on Sept. 23. In their most recent match, Houston faced CF Montréal last Wednesday in a 1-1 draw. Dynamo FC midfielder Artur scored the opening goal within the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Texan side conceded a stoppage time equalizer from Montreal's Lassi Lappalainen. Midfielder Amine Bassi leads the team with nine goals, while midfielder Corey Baird follows shortly behind him with seven. Mexican international Héctor Herrera leads the team with 14 assists, currently tied for the second-most assists in MLS this year.

The Rapids and Houston have faced each other 38 times since Houston joined MLS in 2005, with the former having the upper hand in the series (15-10-13). Colorado is currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak against the Texas club, winning four matches in a row from Nov. 6, 2020, to Oct. 31, 2021. Historically, the series has been balanced between the two teams when in Houston, with neither side having the advantage in the head-to-head record (6-6-6). However, the Rapids have fared well against Dynamo FC on the road in recent history, recording a current five-game unbeaten streak in Houston that includes three wins.

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