William Yarbrough made a career-high 11 saves to lead the host Colorado Rapids to a 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City in a Western Conference battle on Saturday night in Commerce City, Colo.
It was the 27th career shutout for Yarbrough as Colorado (0-1-1, 1 point) extended its home unbeaten streak to 10 games (5-0-5) while also improving to 16-4-8 all-time in home openers. The Rapids haven’t lost at home to Sporting KC since 2014.
John Pulskamp finished with four saves for his fifth career shutout for Sporting Kansas City (0-1-1, 1 point). The Wizards, who lost their opener at Portland, 1-0, on Monday, are winless in their last nine road matches (0-4-5), dating to a 2-1 victory at CF Montreal on July 9, 2022.
Colorado once again played without injured striker Diego Rubio, but 18-year-old Darren Yapi, making his third career MLS start, nearly scored twice in the first 27 minutes.
Yapi appeared to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when he tapped in a rebound of a Sam Nicholson shot in the six-yard box off a Michael Barrios cross. However, a VAR review determined that Yapi was offside at the time Nicholson touched the ball and the score was waived off.
Yapi then headed a crossing pass while colliding with Pulskamp in the 27th minute that caromed off the right post and along the goal-line, where Graham Zusi alertly kicked it out for the Wizards. No goal was awarded on the field on the play and VAR replays were inconclusive.
MLS does not employ goal-line technology.
Sporting Kansas City nearly took the lead in the 71st minute. Yarbrough was forced to make a double save on Erik Thommy’s knuckling free kick from outside the middle of the box and then on a point-blank rebound try by Daniel Salloi.
Yarbrough came up big again in the 88th minute when he had to make a diving save on a right-footed shot by Salloi in the middle of the box off a looping pass by Zusi.
–Field Level Media
