Rapids Blank Union Omaha 1-0, Advance to U.S. Open Cup Round of 16
MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Blank Union Omaha 1-0, Advance to U.S. Open Cup Round of 16

Published on April 15, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


Notable Notes:

M Nathan Tchoumba became the youngest player in Colorado Rapids history to appear in a match at 15 years and 141 days old after being subbed on in the 86th minute. He was called up earlier today on a short-term agreement.

F Dante Sealy recorded his first goal with the club since being acquired this past offseason.

D Keegan Rosenberry recorded his first assist in U.S. Open Cup play.

The defender made the 13th U.S. Open Cup appearance of his career.

GK Nico Hansen recorded his first clean sheet in U.S. Open Cup play and the fourth of his career across all competitions.

Rapids players Rob Holding, Alexis Manyoma, Hamzat Ojediran, Rafael Navarro and Nico Hansen all made their U.S. Open Cup debuts in tonight's match.

Goal Summary:

Minute Team Player Assist

21' Rapids D. Sealy K. Rosenberry

Disciplinary Summary:

Minute Team Player Result

45' Omaha Bench YC

47' Rapids D. Sealy YC

66' Rapids K. Rosenberry YC

80' Omaha B. Kallman YC

82' Omaha D. Borczak YC

84' Omaha S. Guiediri YC

90' Rapids N. Hansen YC

Lineups:

Colorado Rapids: GK Nico Hansen; D Miguel Navarro, Rob Holding, Noah Cobb, Keegan Rosenberry (C), Jackson Travis M Paxten Aaronson (86' Alex Harris), Hamzat Ojediran; F Dante Sealy (68' Rafael Navarro), Darren Yapi (86' Nathan Tchoumba), Alexis Manyoma (57' Georgi Minoungou)

Unused substitutes: Zack Steffen, Ian Murphy, Kimani Stewart-Baynes,

Union Omaha: GK Rashid Nuhu (C); D Brent Kallman, Samuel Owusu, Ryen Jiba, Diego Guiterrez (76' Camron Lawrence); M Laurence Wooton (61' Sami Guiediri), Gabriel Cabral, Younes Boudadi; F Kempes Tekiela (15' Brandon Knapp), Adrian Billhardt (61' Dylan Borczak), Patricio Botello Faz

Unused substitutes: Cole Jensen, James Orson, Josue Gomez

Officials:

Referee: Alyssa Pennington; Assistants: Matt Troyer, Cameron Siles; Fourth Official: Adam Rice

COLORADO RAPIDS POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH MATT WELLS

On biggest takeaways from tonight...

"That's funny, you must have been in the in the dressing room. I was just talking to the guys exactly about that after the game, that some of the experiences I had with Tottenham, we went to Tamworth away, and we were Premier League, they were conference, and they took us to extra time. When I was at Bournemouth, we had played Borehamwood at home, and lost one-nil and went out of the cup. So, they're always, always difficult games and tonight was no different. That was a tough game, but our objective was to progress, and that's the biggest, most pleasing aspect of this evening along with a clean sheet, along with [Nathan] Tchoumba making his debut...a real positive evening in those aspects. Like I said to the guys, was it a performance that we can be proud of in terms of what we did with the ball, even what we did without the ball? No. Can we be proud in terms of our mentality, our approach to the game and taking the opponent seriously? Definitely, yes, and that's why we're through."

On the formation changes tonight...

"It wasn't experimenting. It was our usual process in terms of trying to find the spaces and analyzing the opponent and trying to find the best spaces, and then working with the dynamic of players that you have at your disposal. And obviously, because of their suspensions, I wanted both Jackson [Travis] and Miguel [Navarro] to start the game. Also wanted Keegan [Rosenberry] to start the game. Then it was about trying to be creative with Jackson. Spent all week showing him some clips of Philipp Lahm, who was a top full back that went inside, and once he did it from right back, but Jackson was doing it from left back. He was in midfield, and then trying to just use the rotations between him and Miguel, because they both...Jackson, pulling out to left back, Miguel going into the pocket, and then switching that up. We had some moments in the first half where it looked nice, and then we just always lost our energy on the left-hand side. We get Miguel in the pocket, and then between him and [Alexis] Manyoma, we even missed the last pass. We weren't aggressive enough to attack the space and go one-v-one. I thought we were a little bit passive all across the front line, to be honest, in terms of when we had one-v-one opportunities. And then we made a couple different changes at halftime and changed the press. Part of that is also what the game demands, but me testing the players at this early stage of us being together and just seeing where we are in terms of tactical comprehension and can they handle different changes we make in games. I think overall, the biggest thing tonight for me was that I'm pleased with, and especially seeing the other results, is the mentality and the approach to the game. We really took the opponent seriously, rightfully so because they're a very good side."

On having to prepare for opponents quickly...

"It's a good question. We did something a little bit different this week. Obviously, it was our first Tuesday night game. I still really wanted the guys to have Sunday off, but I always want two preparation sessions for every game, minimum. We tried to get creative. Gave the guys the Sunday off, trained as normal on the Monday with the guys that hadn't played against Houston, sort of, significant minutes. And then we actually trained today on the day of the game, and went through all of the tactical plan for this evening. Obviously, it wasn't too strenuous. It was more walkthroughs tactically, how we're going to press. We did the meeting of the opponent today as well. It's a structure that I like, because having lived the Europa League campaign at Tottenham, I know understand how demanding it can be. Thursday-Sunday can be emotionally draining, and it's very difficult to maintain your performance levels because you're just constantly in the building. You go from one game to the next. I think giving the guys the Sunday off to be with their families, to refresh, to get away from football, to switch off, and then come in and we still get our time on the grass. It's a creative way of doing things, which I haven't seen before, but I wanted to trial it for this game, and I feel like it was a success in terms of my feeling, how I feel. I feel freshened up from having a day with my wife and daughter on Sunday, but I'll check in with the players and see what they thought, and if it's not for them, we can go back to training on Sunday, Monday, and then just having a normal game day. Watch this space, we'll see."

On training the rest of the week ahead of Saturday's match...

"We're in now for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, first thing we'll do is a debrief video and give the guys the feedback in terms of where we need to improve. And obviously, you're always playing the game, so you have to beat that opponent, but as always say to the players, you're also we're always playing against ourselves and our level, and our level and the level and the standard that we're trying to create. One thing is, we did enough tonight to beat the opponent and get through, but we also know then if we're playing against ourselves, we were way below the level that we want to achieve tonight. It's just a case of showing them the images of in all different facets of the game, how we build up, where do we make the mistakes, who wasn't in the right position, when did we play the wrong pass, when do we play the right pass - and then the same with our pressing, the same with our recovery runs, the same with how we defend it around the box. We'll do that. The guys who didn't play over 45 minutes tonight will train, and then once we're through Wednesday, Thursday will be our normal, what we call defensive solutions. We'll prepare the gameplan for Miami: how we're going to press, how we're going to defend against them, what are the key movements they make? How do we stop their team play and their individuals? And then the day before the game, we're actually training at the stadium [Empower Field at Mile High], which will be nice, and we'll prepare what we do with the ball and how we try and take the ball away from Miami."

On Nathan Tchoumba making his first team debut...

"He didn't really feature too much through preseason, obviously, because of his age, and it's been more since we've been back here, and he's had, I'd say, a limited exposure to our training. Again, we've been conscious of his age and his stage of his development, but then the more I've watched of the Rapids 2 training, he's really excelled, and there's been great reports about him. He's a fantastic young man, and then I think he definitely warranted the opportunity. I was never sure I was going to put him on the pitch, but having him in the squad was definitely something I wanted to do because I think it's really exciting for the club to have a player like Tchoumba. I think it's very exciting for the fan base to have a young player, and we can always identify with that as fans. Then there was a case of just weighing up, is it the right stage? Is it the right move for him now, at this stage of his development, but once you meet him as a guy, and you see his level of maturity, I'm always conscious, is this something that's going to go to his head? Or sometimes with young players, like I just said to him in the dressing room, sometimes you now think this is my trajectory. Now, next week, I'm on the bench against Miami, and I come on, and the following week I start, and the following week I score a hat trick. The following week, after that, the manager makes me Captain, then I get a new contract. And sometimes a young player, you can think, this is the trajectory. This is never football. It's always maybe now he makes his debut. Maybe now he has to wait four months before he plays again. Maybe it's a year before he plays again. Maybe it's a week before he plays again. You never know in football. I'm very confident that him as a young man, with the support network he's got of his family, and also us as a club, that tonight will only be a really, a real positive for him, it will give him a taste to kick on and try and go for more. And for me, it's also a signal of intention to the rest of the club, the rest of the guys in the academy, if you don't take hope from Tchoumba making his debut tonight, if you don't see that, wow, there is a pathway for me here. Like I said a few times, we are the youngest team in the MLS, and we're building something special. I love young players, and I want everyone here in this building to feel like if I have the right attitude, the right mentality, and I really push to improve as a player, then we have a head coach that will give us an opportunity. Hopefully, off the back of tonight, everyone feels that."

On Dante Sealy finding the back of the net...

"It doesn't actually mean anything to me, but I know it will mean a lot to him. I've got a real close relationship with Dante [Sealy]. I'm pushing him all the time. I think if you asked him, he'd say sometimes I'm quite harsh on him, but that's only because I see massive potential in him as a player, and he's a great person. I know he can shoulder that responsibility. For sure, the lack of a goal to that point, had started to weigh on him. I could see that in the way he was training. I can see that in his decision making in games. A couple of times against Houston, where Dante at his best, would just pass the ball and get an assist, but instead he's trying to shoot. I could see his happiness afterwards in the dressing room. It's brilliant now that he doesn't have to worry about that -- the goal came. I had him in the office yesterday, and I said just focus on the process, focus on the habits, and the goals are only an outcome. If you start focusing on the goals, you're in trouble like focus on the habits that lead to goals. Focus on arriving in the right areas. It's always been at the back post, and he should have had a second goal tonight, there's one first-half where we play the ball across and he runs through the cutback zone, if he just runs to the back post -- the clips I'm always showing him, of Brennan Johnson, who's the best I've ever seen at that habit, just arrive at the back post, he gets a tap in, he gets his second goal. Still lots to improve but delighted for him that he gets his goal tonight and now he can just relax and focus on being himself."

On Nico Hansen's performance...

"I saw nothing different from Nico [Hansen] tonight than what I see from him in training, what I see from him whenever he has to step into games, from all the reports I heard, also of last season, when he was in that spell. We are very fortunate. We have two number ones, that's how I see it. We're really, really fortunate in that respect, and that is also inspirational to me in some way. That's what I want to create in every other position, and that's what I'm constantly talking to the club about - how skillful we are with having a clarity of game model where we know every position. What are the desirable attributes we need to make this game model incredible and that it can be seamless that, say, against Houston, I can drop Georgi [Minoungou] in and boom, instant impact. I can drop Kosi [Thompson] in and boom, instant impact. I think we're a little bit away from that, which is totally natural. I've only been here for one short space of time and one transfer window. I think the good news is, and the exciting thing for us as a club is we're all on the same page. We do have clarity of a game model. We are constantly working towards that and having conversations about players we can recruit in each position and what are the attributes it is that they need to be successful to play this version of football, and I've no doubt we'll get there, but definitely the goalkeeping group with Zack [Steffen] and Nico...if we can create that across every different position, then, my goodness, we're in a strong position as a team. ‚¬Â

COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD DANTE SEALY

On what he worked on to help him score his first goal for the club...

"It felt great. My process never changes. Every week, I try to keep the same mentality, same work rate, and eventually they're going to start going in. I just want to keep that consistency for the team. Keep working hard, and I know it will happen."

On what was different for the team in this game compared to previous matches...

"Obviously, it's going to be a tough game. You can see the other results in the Cup [Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup], so we know it's going to be a hard game. Obviously, some guys are more tired than others from the game a couple of days ago, but we got the result. That's all we wanted. We're through to the next round, so that's really all we care about."

On his own progress playing for the Rapids...

"I think I've done well. I'm still slowly integrating into the team. I felt like me and the other front guys have been meshing pretty well. What are we, the highest goal scoring team in the league tied with Vancouver? I think we're in a good space. We still haven't reached the surface yet and I'm excited to keep working and keep at the grind."

On playing with the other forwards...

"It's a very talented group. We have guys that can make a difference, and it's fun, honestly, playing with them. You have a lot of space, as you guys can see in the games. We have a lot of chances so it's fun and I think we'll score, we'll score a lot of goals."

On what the key was to keeping possession of the ball throughout the game...

"We had some trouble kind of maintaining that possession for the first half, but I feel in the second half we did a good job getting the lines up [and] kind of containing them. It was a hard game, but I felt we played a very humble game. We all defended together. There's no one walking. It was a team effort so I'm proud of the team and we got the result. ‚¬Â

On the tactics of the line behind him and Nathan Tchoumba debuting...

"On Nathan [Tchoumba] first, I don't know the kid much but he's young so that's great for him to get a debut at that age. With Wayne [Frederick] playing left back and Jackson [Travis], [Head] Coach [Matt Wells] gave us a good game plan. Wayne was in kind of his regular position. He went inside the midfield and allowed me to have the wide lane so that wasn't much different for him. Me and Wayne have a good connection, a good chemistry. Obviously, you guys' have seen that against Houston. I just want to adapt to whatever Matt expects from me [and] expects from the other guys."

On how he will approach the upcoming game against Inter Miami...

"I feel like it's just another game. We've got to keep our same identity and just attack like we always attack at home, and I think good things will happen if we stay to our identity and our ways."

On the conversations between Nico Hansen and Keegan Rosenberry and the other team...

"They're playing very physical so, Keegan [Rosenberry] and Nico [Hansen] weren't saying nice things to them. That's all I'm going to say. I can't speak too much on the ref, but yeah, it was a very physical game. That's what the Cup brings, that kind of intensity. This game for them [Union Omaha] was a final, you know? So, you saw that and it's good that we got the result. That's all that matters. ‚¬Â

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 15, 2026


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