Match Preview: Colorado Rapids 2 open 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season with a match against Sporting KC II
Merchant City, Colorado. – The Colorado Rapids 2 take on Sporting KC II for the first time this season on Sunday, March 26 at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00 MT and the game will be streamed on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass.
The 2023 home game comes exactly one year after the team’s first MLS NEXT Pro match against Sporting KC II on March 27, 2022. The two teams held a 1-1 draw in regular time for 90 minutes. Under league rules, teams experienced their first-ever MLS NEXT Pro shootout at the end of regular time, a rule introduced in the inaugural season that gave teams an opportunity to win an extra point for a shootout win at the end of a tie . Ultimately, Rapids 2 took home two points that night after beating Kansas City in a 4-2 shootout win that included two saves from first-team goaltender Abrahram Rodriguez.
Rapids 2 finished their inaugural season with a 7-11-6 record, just missing a spot in the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. They enter the game on Sunday after a busy offseason that saw several additions to their roster , including defenders Logan Batiste (Inter Miami II) and Daniel Chacón (CS Cartaginés); midfielders Rémi Cabral (LA Galaxy II) and Marlon Vargas (Tacoma Defiance); and directs Caique de Brito (Canaã) and Pariss Mitchell (Vaughan SC).
Colorado is going into its first game, trying to build on the success of its inaugural season. Rapids 2 Player of the Year Yosuke Hanya will return to the field in 2023 after scoring four goals and three assists in the team’s inaugural season. Fans will also see playmaker Daouda Amadou take the stage in midfield after a season in which he has three assists and has been the most in the team with Hanya. Former amateur midfielder Robinson Aguirre will take on a bigger role this season after signing a full professional contract with Rapids 2 during the off-season. In addition, the club will see the return of Dillon Serna from a season-ending left shin injury.
During the 2022 season, the Rapids faced Sporting KC II three times, recording one draw and two losses. In the absence of Kansas City’s top scorer Rauf Salifu, forward Bakary Bagayoko must step into the spotlight for the guests in their upcoming game in Commerce City. Meanwhile, the Rapids will look to turn the tide toward 2023 and open the season with three points against their home rivals.