The Colorado Rapids (9-11-6) defeated Minnesota United FC (12-6-8) 2-1 thanks to striker Darren Yapi’s first career MLS brace. Although Minnesota statistically dominated the game, Yapi was able to score two goals in rapid succession.
In their first meaningful game since the transfer of ace Djordje Mihailovic, Colorado Head Coach Chris Armas elected to use a 3-4-3 lineup with Rafael Navarro as the striker along with Calvin Harris and Yapi as support wingers. Reggie Cannon and Sam Vines worked as wingbacks to move to a five-man backline when defending and a four-man midfield when attacking.
The Rapids spent the first 30 minutes of the game in their half of the field. Although Minnesota’s attackers were getting into the 18-yard box easily, the defenders were forcing tough shots which resulted in routine Zack Steffen saves.
Through 45 minutes, they stood level, but Colorado failed to create a single opportunity that could have resulted in a goal.
In the 55th minute, a Minnesota defender nearly headed a ball into the back of the net, but was denied by a diving Steffen.
Five minutes later, Vines found Yapi up the left side of the pitch, and he did the rest. The attacker drove his defenders into the box and curled a shot into the bottom right bin to score the first goal. Then, in the 70th minute, Navarro found an unmarked Yapi on a counterattack that resulted in his second goal in 10 minutes. The Colorado native now has a career-high six goals on the season.
“We knew that guys needed to step up,” Yapi said. “We can’t just sit back and say, oh, we lost Djordje [Mihailovic], it’s over. We have to just keep going and take these games.”
In the 73rd minute, Minnesota’s Tani Oluwaseyi buried a ball into the top corner of the net to bring the deficit down to one and to give his team hope for the final 17 minutes of play.
Despite spending most of the game on the defensive, the Rapids created better chances in the final minutes of play.
“We come to win,” Armas said after the game. “We don’t play it safe, home or away, and it’s always about attacking [the] football and being proactive. We did that tonight in a different structure. They’re an impressive group.”
The Rapids will head home to face Atlanta United (4-10-11) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. MT. The game can be streamed on the MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.
