The Colorado Rapids will take home-field advantage to the next level Saturday when they play host to Atlanta United with 20-degree temperatures and snow in the forecast for the game at Commerce City, Colo.
Colorado (0-1-0, 0 points) heads into its home opener still licking its wounds from a season-opening loss at Los Angeles FC, where it was beaten 3-0. Meanwhile, Atlanta United was victorious in its first game of the season, topping Sporting Kansas City 3-1 last weekend.
But Atlanta (1-0-0, 3 points) is facing some adversity after one of the club’s scorers last week, Luiz Araujo, was sidelined four weeks with a hamstring injury. The Brazilian winger opened the scoring against Sporting KC in the 20th minute. After his finish, he began limping and was replaced six minutes later.
Replacing Araujo will be no easy task, but head coach Gonzalo Pineda has options.
“We will go game by game,” Pineda said. “I cannot think in the long term because you never know what’s going to happen. There might be some players from the visa process coming back. So, we’re regrouping, and we will have alternatives.”
Atlanta’s other goal scorers included Dom Dwyer, who replaced Araujo, and Caleb Wiley. Midfielder Matheus Rossetto also has his eye on the back of the net, even if the playing conditions at Colorado will not be ideal.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to score some goals and get some assists as well,” Rossetto said. “It would be my first game playing in snow, so that’ll be interesting.”
To boost its depth ahead of its meeting with Colorado, Atlanta announced Friday it had signed defender Aiden McFadden to a short-term deal.
The Rapids also agreed to a one-year deal with SuperDraft first-round pick Anthony Markanich, a defender. The contract also has three club options.
Colorado’s defense could use a jolt after being pelted by LAFC’s Carlos Vela three times last weekend. The Rapids had the sixth-best goal differential in the league last season.
“It’s the awareness and the recognition of where we are and the fact that we can’t lose balls in certain spots,” Rapids coach Robin Fraser said. “If we do that, we set ourselves up for better attacks, we finish attacks better, and then we’re in good positions defensively.”
–Field Level Media
