Rapids head to FC Dallas looking for a turnaround
The Colorado Rapids have not won a game since March 7 and FC Dallas hasn’t scored a goal since that same date.
The two match up Wednesday night in Texas with both teams in need of a positive development in the fight for the last playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Division. The Rapids are coming off an embarrassing performance Saturday that saw them surrender four secondhalf goals in a 4-1 loss to Real Salt Lake. The loss came on the heels of a frustrating MLS is Back Tournament in which they failed to advance from the group stage.
“Without a doubt, guys were disappointed in how the game finished the other night,” head coach Robin Fraser said, “and it’s good to have the opportunity to get back at it sooner rather than later.”
Fraser was hired a year ago. In his tenure, the Rapids are 7-5-1, with three of those losses coming in their last four matches. A recent trend under the former MLS Defender of the Year has been a leaky defense.
The Rapids have not recorded a shutout since Tim Howard’s final home game against Dallas last September. Colorado replaced the goaltending legend with his backup Clint Irwin and Liga MX veteran William Yarbrough.
“We’re just gonna go with Will and get him a run of games,” Fraser said.
“It’ll become a battle again with Clint, but for now Will is in and we’re in a really good situation where we have two guys continuously battling for the spot week in and week out.”
The problem extends past the net and to the back line, where Colorado has struggled to replace center back Tommy Smith, who left for Sunderland. Veteran Drew Moor and longtime Rapid Danny Wilson haven’t secured the position, while offseason addition Auston Trusty hasn’t been able to get into the lineup.
Kortne Ford could’ve been another candidate to replace Smith, but the 24-yearold announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he had undergone another knee surgery. Ford hasn’t played since October of 2018, due to multiple knee injuries.
“He’s really rested at nothing to try to get this alleviated and he’s been to see everyone that he can see,” Fraser said. “To finally get a surgery that we hope is going to have him turn the corner is a great thing.”
Also on the mend is Nicolas Benezet. The winger returned to practice this week after missing Saturday’s match with a lower-body injury. His status for Wednesday is unknown.
“They’re a well-coached team that is very meticulous in how they want to pick teams apart,” Fraser said.
“They’re a team that if they can unbalance you and expose weaknesses they definitely have players who can hurt you. We have to continue to be diligent in what we do and continue to work to get into good attacking spots to create uncertainty for them.”