Rapids Set for 2026 Home Opener against Portland Timbers
MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Set for 2026 Home Opener against Portland Timbers

Published on February 27, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


The Colorado Rapids (0-0-1, 0, points, 14th West) will return to DICK'S Sporting Goods Park for their 2026 MLS home opener against the Portland Timbers (1-0-0, 3 points, 5th West) on Saturday, February 28. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. MT, with coverage available on Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, ColoradoRapids.com, and the Colorado Rapids app.

After opening the 2026 campaign on the road, Colorado now shifts its focus to playing in front of the home supporters for the first time this season. Saturday marks the club's first regular-season match at DSGP under new Head Coach Matt Wells, who joined the Rapids after spending the past two-plus seasons on the first-team coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur F.C., where he helped the club capture the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League title. Wells is joined by new assistant coaches Rob Burch and Alastair Harris, both of whom bring extensive European experience to Colorado's technical staff.

Saturday's match will also mark Colorado's first chance to showcase the club's new primary kit, the Colorful Colorado Kit, in front of the home crowd. The launch of the kit is paired with a community initiative alongside UCHealth, with plans to donate 10,000 soccer balls to youth across Colorado over the next two years.

Portland enters the matchup with a familiar core that includes several players well known to Rapids supporters. Timbers midfielder Cole Bassett made 172 appearances for Colorado as a Homegrown player before his move to Portland earlier this year. Defender Eric Miller logged more than 4,700 minutes in 56 appearances from 2016-18. On the roster, but currently dealing with an injury is winger Omir Fernandez, who appeared 50 times for the Rapids across all competitions. The Timbers' familiarity adds an extra layer to Saturday's early-season matchup in the Western Conference.

Additional ties include a shared past at FC Cincinnati, where Rapids defender Ian Murphy and Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy made 24 appearances together across all competitions during the 2024 season. Further connections stem from RC Lens, where Rapids midfielder Hamzat Ojediran and Timbers midfielder David Da Costa featured together six times in Ligue 1 from 2024-25, as well as Tacoma Defiance, where Rapids midfielder Josh Atencio and Timbers goalkeeper Trey Muse made 18 appearances together during the 2019-20 USL Championship seasons.

With a new coaching staff, new faces throughout the roster, and the return of soccer to DSGP, Saturday's home opener sets the stage for the Rapids' 2026 campaign in front of the home supporters.

OUR OPPONENT

The Portland Timbers enter the match 1-0-0 (3 points), following a 3-2 victory at home against the Columbus Crew, with all goals coming from different goalscorers in Felipe Mora, Antony and Ariel Lassiter. Goalkeeper James Pantemis recorded three saves in the match. (full roster here).

Matchup History:

Regular Season Record against Portland Timbers: 11-15-7 | Home: 9-3-5 | Away: 2-12-2

Last Regular Season Meeting: May 28, 2025: 2-1 loss in Portland.

Milestones to Watch:

Rafael Navarro

Navarro is one goal shy of tying Dominique Badji for eighth place on the club's all-time goals list. With two more goals, he would claim sole possession of eighth place.

Keegan Rosenberry

Rosenberry continues to climb the club's all-time minutes list, ranking third in Rapids history with 16,033 minutes played. He is 1,160 minutes shy of Drew Moor for second place, trailing only Moor (17,140) and Pablo Mastroeni (18,669).

Zack Steffen

Steffen continues to climb the Rapids' all-time goalkeeping charts. He ranks seventh in club history with 57 appearances, nine shy of Marcus Hahnemann for sixth. Steffen has also recorded 10 clean sheets, sitting three away from tying Hahnemann (13) for eighth-most, and stands eighth on the club's all-time saves list with 216, after recently surpassing Scott Garlick (211).

Home Debuts

Lucas Herrington, Miguel Navarro, Ali Fadal, Hamzat Ojediran, Bryce Jamison, Donavan Phillip and Dante Sealy could all make their respective home debuts.

MLS Debuts

Ali Fadal, Bryce Jamison, and Donavan Phillip could all make their respective MLS debuts.

Team Connections:

Rapids defender Ian Murphy and Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy made 24 appearances together across all competitions while at FC Cincinnati in 2024.

Rapids midfielder Hamzat Ojediran and Timbers midfielder David Da Costa made six appearances together while at RC Lens in Ligue 1 from 2024-2025.

Rapids midfielder Josh Atencio and Timbers goalkeeper Trey Muse made 18 appearances together while at Tacoma Defiance in the USL Championship from 2019-2020.

Timbers midfielder Cole Bassett, made 172 appearances for the Rapids across all competitions. He recorded 31 goals and 21 assists after joining the club as a Homegrown in 2018. Bassett was traded to Portland in February 2026 in exchange for $2.65 million in a cash-for-player trade.

Timbers winger Omir Fernandez, made 50 appearances for the Rapids across all competitions. He recorded two goals and five assists after joining the club as a free agent in December 2023. Fernandez was traded to Portland in April 2025 in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money.

Timbers defender Eric Miller previously logged 4,700 minutes in 56 appearances with the Rapids from 2016 to 2018 after being acquired from CF Montréal in February 2016 in exchange for a 2018 first-round SuperDraft pick and General Allocation Money.

Check out the Colorado Rapids Statistics

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