Rapids Continue Home Dominance with 2-0 Win over Sporting KC
MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Continue Home Dominance with 2-0 Win over Sporting KC

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


Colorado Rapids 2, Sporting Kansas City 0

MLS Regular Season | Saturday, August 15, 2026

DICK'S Sporting Goods Park | Commerce City, CO

Notable Notes:

D Reggie Cannon recorded his first goal of the season and the fourth of his MLS career.

F Rafael Navarro recorded his 10th goal of the season and the 38th of his MLS career.

Navarro's 38 MLS regular season goals put him into a tie with Diego Rubio for the third most in club history.

The striker is only one goal away from tying Paul Bravo and Omar Cummings for the second most goals in club history.

M Youssef Maziz made his club debut after subbing on in the 56th minute.

Maziz logged his first assist as a member of the Rapids on Cannon's goal.

M Paxten Aaronson recorded his club-leading sixth assist of the season on Navarro's goal.

GK Nico Hansen recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season, setting a new single-season career high.

The Colorado Rapids have now recorded three consecutive clean sheet victories at home.

The club has now recorded six clean sheets in 11 matches at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park this season across all competitions.

Goal Summary:

Minute Team Player Assist

65' COL R. Cannon Y. Maziz

90'+5' COL R. Navarro P. Aaronson

Disciplinary Summary:

Minute Team Player Result

30' SKC Z. Bassong YC

38' SKC K. Agyabeng RC

63' SKC S. Seleymanov YC

84' COL J. Atencio YC

88' SKC M. Mosquera YC

90'+2' SKC M. Mosquera RC

Lineups:

Colorado Rapids: GK Nico Hansen; D Reggie Cannon, Loïc Williams, Rob Holding, Miguel Navarro; M Wayne Frederick (56' Yousseff Maziz), Josh Atencio, Dante Sealy (65' Darren Yapi), Paxten Aaronson, Georgi Minoungou (85' Hamzat Ojediran); F Rafael Navarro (C)

Unused substitutes: Adam Beaudry, Keegan Rosenberry, Alex Harris, Noah Cobb, Donavan Phillip, Kosi Thompson

Sporting Kansas City: GK Stefan Cleveland; D Jake Davis, Moises Mosquera, Or Blorian (62' Wyatt Meyer), Emir Karic; M Shapi Seleymanov (42' Jacob Bartlett), Kwaku Agyabeng, Zorhan Bassong, Capita (66' Jayden Reid); F Dejan Joveljic (C) (66' Taylor Calheira), Calvin Harris

Unused substitutes: Josh Pulskamp, Ian James, Manu Garcia, Jansen Miller, Stephen Afrifa

Officials:

Referee: Guido Gonzalez, Jr. Assistants: Nick Uranga, Kevin Lock; Fourth Official: Timothy Ford; VAR: Kevin Terry, Jr. AVAR: Robert Schaap

COLORADO RAPIDS POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH MATT WELLS

On Yousseff Maziz's debut...

"It was probably a nice introduction for him. Obviously, the way the game had gone, and Kansas being down to 10 men, I wasn't really planning.... I don't think he was able to play that many minutes, but obviously the context of the game had shifted a little bit. That's why we brought him on a little bit earlier. He showed his quality straight away with his general play. But of course, we know his set play quality is outstanding. Both corners, the wide free kicks and direct free kicks as well. He was probably half a yard away from scoring a very good goal. It's a good introduction for him. He's still got a way to go physically to get up to the speed of the other guys. We know we have an extreme physical level here, so it's going to take him a little bit of time. But tonight, I'd say a very, very positive introduction for him."

On Reggie Cannon's performance tonight...

"I'd probably split the year in two, to be honest. I think he's been a very, very good version of himself since we came back from the break. He's been excellent in training, and he's carried that through into games and really nailed down the shirt. Obviously, we made a couple of tactical tweaks from how we were playing before the break versus how we're playing now. I think the role really suits him, and I thought it was a very strong performance from him again tonight. There were a couple of moments in the first half where I wanted him to play forward a little bit more, and I think that's just an ongoing project with Reggie [Cannon]. But he makes a lot of selfless runs. He arrives a lot in the final third and hasn't always been found. He's got that ability physically, but also mentally, just to keep going, keeps making his runs. And like you rightly said, there was a big impact, of course, for the goal. I think he said that was his first goal since his debut. I think he said, or his home debut. That's pretty impressive. I said to the guys at halftime, like the goal, we need to make the difference in the penalty box. They're of course going to go even deeper now. It's going to be crowded in the box. There were a couple of moments in the first half where crosses came in, and our wingers weren't in at the back post. I challenged the guys at half time to be more decisive in the box, and Reggie definitely was. It was a positive night for him."

On scoring multiple goals in the game adding a boost of confidence to the team...

"I don't know if it helps or doesn't help, but it's definitely who we are. We're always going to keep attacking. I didn't really particularly like our performance against 10 men. Theres, as I just said to the guys, loads of areas we can and will improve off the back of tonight. Loads of good information for us. But the facts are, it's another win. And I think since we come back, that's three wins out of four, amongst those three wins is three clean sheets. The only goal we've conceded since the break is a world class strike against St. Louis, which you're not going to suffer too often. We're in a really nice spot as a team defensively, and of course we do a lot of our defending with the ball. It's not the only reason with the ball is to is just to attack and create chances. We also rest a lot with the ball, so that definitely helps. We're in a good spot as a team. Certainly the Austin game and the game tonight. I think if you look statistically again, it's a pretty comprehensive performance in terms of the amount of shots generated. As I said, first half, I was disappointed. I think we were on zero shots on target and loads of moments in the box where we were decisive enough to get our shots off. It's an ongoing process. But as I've said many times, I'd be a lot more concerned if the statistics of the game were that we didn't deserve to score. And when we click in front of goal. I think there's another Houston-style performance that we had here, where we scored six, I think that no one could contest that that's not right around the corner. When you...as long as we maintain the level, if we suddenly drop the level, then and we're not creating the chances, then of course we might not score. But if we keep it where we've been for tonight and [against] Austin, and we just keep gradually improving like we're doing all the time, then I don't think it'll be too long before we really click in front of goal."

On the secret to scoring late game goals...

"A combination of fitness and mentality. Again, it's actually an area from the first half of the season that I was frustrated with. That we've not had more late goals, so it's something we worked really hard on over the break. More the mindset shift of trying to convince the guys that we're very capable of that. It's just our philosophy. We're always, regardless of the outcome or the current situation in the game, I always want us to be attacking. Always want to try and score goals. I mean, by now you've seen many times the substitutions I make. I never want to signal to the players that we're going defensive. It's always about being proactive and trying to score more. I think it's a product of that. And then I also have to acknowledge that tonight it's also the context of the game. Like the opponents are man down. They were then obviously in search of trying to get a draw, they then started to press from their deep shape, and then that left us some big spaces and tweaked the shape. We changed tactically twice, and I thought Hamzat [Ojediran] was key tonight. His introduction and our change of shape, and then playing more of the box with Rafa [Rafael Navarro] dropped in and Paxten [Aaronson] on the right, eventually was what led to the goal because just before that, I didn't like how we were. I felt we were going to concede because we'd lost control with the ball. Our positioning was off. Players were walking too much, so we weren't following the pressure down, so we never had the right overloads in the right spaces. We played up against [Moises] Mosquera too much, and he's a very good defender in those situations. And obviously, Calvin [Harris] had a big chance on the break. I think the change of shape really helped there. But for me, it's just we keep going in that vein where the work we do in the first half contributes to how the game is in the second half because we constantly wear teams down. And although even me on the sideline, frustrated saying that Georgi Minoungou should have scored very early in the game and puts it over the bar. We have to keep refining the habits of our front guys because I've got no problem with a missing, hit the target, make it a low finish. If the keeper saves it or it gets blocked, no problem. I don't like seeing the ball going over the bar. We have no chance of scoring from that situation. We just we just go again. We keep working as a team. We keep working on individuals, but also undertaking confidence from the fact that we're in a nice spot."

On their recent success against lower ranked teams and how they'll prepare for LAFC...

"It's a good point, but I also know that we really struggled last year in those situations against teams that were around us or below us. I think our record was really poor as a group in those situations. In a weird way, I just said to the guys, 'Hey, you're playing under more pressure.' I really wasn't so nice when we came back from the break. I really challenged the guys and put them under pressure and said, 'Look, we're three of the first four at home. If we don't take nine points, we're not making the playoffs.' I think I said seven points, but let's change it. It's more dramatic if I say nine. And to be fair to them, they're starting to show the characteristics of being big players in a big team. That's what a big team does. You have to play under pressure. You have to deliver and we knew coming back here, I knew really these first four games were decisive. If we don't pick up a nice, let's call it a nice tally of points, then we've got no chance. And [I'm] delighted with the guys, how they've applied themselves, how they've played amongst that situation, and we've not just done it by luck. In fact, a lot of the games should have been far more comfortable than what they transpired to be. That's a real positive for us that we're able to do that. I always look back at the statistics from last season and after the Austin game, again, if you check how the statistics of our performances against Austin last year versus our statistics against Austin this year, it's a complete shift in the team that's dominating that game. Now, whether you win, lose, or draw, [you] can't always control but that shows me we're headed in the right direction. And like you say, now we've got a really big team coming here. We got a good point at their place, but even after that, we didn't create enough in that game. They [LAFC] defended their box better than we attacked it, but between our goal and the edge of their box, we were the best team that night. We have to do that again. I was just watching a bit of them there on TV. They're an unbelievable team with incredible front half quality. Of course, I know Son [Heung-min] extremely well, so under no illusions, it'll be a really difficult challenge. But we're also in a really nice spot. We're very confident. LA will be analyzing us and saying three at home, three clean sheets. It's going to be a difficult place to go. They've had a tough schedule as well, so I don't know in terms of roster decisions. There's a couple of knocks from tonight, so have to see how the guys pull up tomorrow, and as of Monday, I'll start trying to formulate that game plan."

On Lucas Herrington and his last conversation with him...

"He took me out for lunch, which was nice, just before he left. When the bill came, I ended up paying, so I do need to speak to him about that. But no, it was very nice, and of course he asked me a lot of questions about the Premier League, and I was able to fill him in on many various, different things from different players over there, different style, like how each team plays and what he'll face. My last conversation with him was actually the Instagram video that the club put out of him packing his suitcase, and he packs his clothes, go back and watch it, he pats his clothes and he uses the back of his hands to pat his clothes down. So, I texted him about that and said that's a wild technique. We need to change that. There's no added efficiency. That's madness. We need to do that. That was technically my last conversation with him. I flipped Hull [City] on today on TV to watch, but he wasn't on the pitch yet. I know he came on later, so I didn't get to see any of him. Unbelievable kid. Delighted for him to be over there, and I'll be watching every minute that I can of him."

On Miguel Navarro...

"I think you see both sides of Miggy's [Navarro] abilities today. Obviously, first half, he was inside the pitch. I changed it at halftime and put him outside the pitch, and I wanted us to get to the byline more. I wanted much more overlaps to try and create openings for our wingers who weren't quite able to generate the shooting opportunities that we wanted in the first half. Miggy's in an incredible spot. He was good in the first part of the season, but he's another one I'd say, a bit like Reggie [Cannon], that's gone to another level over this training break, and I also think the slight change...we haven't changed principles, but we've changed like obviously the arrangement and the positional scheme of the players on the pitch, and that's definitely unlocked something in him extra. And speaking to him the other day, he's loving the role, and when a player's on the pitch and feels engaged and feels happy and wants to be out there and really enjoys and sees worth in what they're doing, and if you combine that with a good player, which of course he is, then you're in a really good spot. I thought it was another impressive performance from him tonight. I think the next step for him is just to add goals and assists because the position he's in, he's ended up in. He actually had a shooting position right at the start of the second half where I really wanted him to shoot, and he didn't take it. Then he gets in the penalty box a lot. There was a couple of moments second half where I need to watch it back to know was it a poor cross selection from him, or was it poor movement in the box, or was it just unlucky? I can't really comment on that. But he's getting in great positions, and now I just really want to, I think the positions he's getting, and he should end this season on a pretty healthy tally in terms of goal involvement, so that's probably the next step for him. But he's a great kid, top mentality. He's a real energizer of the group. I don't know if you a guys have had much interactions with him, but he's a great character. He's a bit of a joker, but then when he crosses the line on the pitch, he's very serious. I really like that balance in him. He's in a good place."

DEFENDER REGGIE CANNON

On what it was like to get another goal after some time...

"It's a really good feeling. Personally, just getting that stress relief off. It really feels good. But ultimately to help the team in that moment, when things just weren't clicking tonight in front of goal, especially those first 70 minutes. It makes me feel really good. Overall, our performance has been very good defensively. We've had consecutive shutouts now, and I think everyone's performing at a high level. But obviously, that offensive side is something every defender loves to add to their game. Adding that on the set piece is really fortunate for me. I'm very happy."

On Matt Wells' comment about him playing at a new level for the second part of the season...

"I definitely agree with that. Matt [Wells], the gaffer, is very straightforward and very honest as you guys have known. The first half of the season, I felt, for me personally, just wasn't the level I was accustomed to. And figuring out this new system, the new role I was meant to play. It was definitely a period of adaptation for me. Not only for me, for the team as well. And now in the second half, the team is clicking on all cylinders, especially defensively. I feel very confident in my role personally, and I know the guy next to me, whoever it is, on the wing, or in the center, behind me, the guys know what their role is, and they're executing it well. The second half of the season, I just know where I'm at, and I know what the gaffer wants for wants me, and what he expects from me, I know what the team needs from me. I think I'm doing a good job of that, so I just want to keep it going. Hopefully, the team, with everything that's coming together at the right moment, I think it's going to be a really exciting second half of the season."

On what things he can do to help his attackers around him...

"Personally, I think they're doing everything right. It's almost a moment of opening the floodgates because you know they're getting in all the right spots, they're doing all the right things. You can see by the XG metrics that they're doing everything that's asked of them. Unfortunately, it hasn't clicked to the utmost degree, and that's what we're doing as a team is we're getting them in the right spots, we're fueling them, we're giving positive energy, and you know how good they've been for us this season. Regardless of the outcome of the goals; the work ethic they've given, the tracking they've given, the defensive efforts they've given. It's top. I know people just like to look at the goal metrics and the assists, and it's easy to do that, especially for an attacking player. But they've given so much to this team, and I know that moment when it does open, it's going to be really good for the team, and the team's headed in the right direction. And ultimately, when they don't score, someone else is going to step up, and that's what's been happening in these wins. We trust in everyone to get the job done. I have faith that everything's going to work out offensively, and we're doing all the right things to get there."

On what it's been like playing with Youssef Maziz...

"Youssef [Maziz] is a top player. We could tell the first day he trained, he's just got the touch. That makes the game easy for players around him. He controls the game really well, and he's a creative spark we need in these games. You're going to see more of him as the season goes on, but he's a special player, and we're very lucky to have him. We can see in training, the quality that he's bringing to the attacking third. Obviously once he gets up and running to his full fitness, we're going to see another side to him that's even more than he provided tonight."

On what it will be like to be one of the older, more experienced players, like Keegan Rosenberry

"First I want to start off by saying, what an achievement it is for Keegan [Rosenberry] He's such an amazing guy, amazing player. He's so good for the locker room. I don't think in my whole career, and I met thousands of people and players, I've met someone as good as him. He's such a good a good guy. He gives such good energy to the team, regardless of his role, and it's just such an amazing thing that he's done and kudos to him. I've learned a lot from him, what to bring, especially with the young side, with the experience he's had and experience I've had in my career. It's something that we have to give this young side. You know, because we're an exciting team, but obviously there's inexperience in parts of the field, and that comes with age. But, the talent that we have, it's there and it's just about grinding out not as pretty wins as Houston's maybe 6-2. Tonight, where the XG is really high, but we only win 2-0. There's things where we're going to get experience under our belt, and this young team is going to be firing on all cylinders."

On his relationship with Loic Williams and Miguel Navarro...

"The backline has a lot of cohesion right now. Everyone understands their role and they're executing it really well. It's more so that we are competing for the shirt every week. I scored tonight, could not be starting Wednesday if I don't have a good two days of training. That's just the way the gaffer [Head Coach Matt Wells] is and that competition that he's created within the team, is exceptional because the product we're going to put on the field during the game is it's the person who deserves the shirt and whoever's not playing is supporting that person in that moment. He's creating a really good culture in the locker room where everyone's competing for that spot, and the backline is very cohesive right now. Very strong individual players and we're all covering each other. We know each other's strengths, and we also know, not weaknesses, but where you know some players just aren't as strong as others. Everyone's adapting to each other, and they know regardless of who steps up in those positions that there's going to be that chemistry that we have right now. We're hoping to keep it going."

On how to prepare for a big opponent, like LAFC on Wednesday...

"This is ultimately a chance to make a statement. Going back-to-back-to-back at would be exceptional for this team to establish some consistency and keep the run of form we have going. LAFC is obviously a top team, individual players are great. But we're the same, and we're obviously playing at home. We know the energy that our fans bring, and we know the level of fitness that we've accustomed to, obviously, due to the gaffer's [Head Coach matt Wells] preseason. Everyone's looking forward to the challenge and right now, it's about enjoying this win, but turning the page as quick as we can to LAFC and getting that win."

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