For the second time in just eight MLS games this season, the Rapids followed a bad loss with an outstanding home win over one of the best teams in the league. The victim of the rebound this time was the league’s newest franchise, San Diego FC, which lost 3-2 in its first trip to Colorado.

With the Rapids stuck in a rut trying to find consistent positive energy, and Kévin Cabral struggling to contribute to scoring, something had to change. And oh, did it.

Here are three takeaways from one of the most entertaining games of the Rapids’ season so far:

It’s Yapi hour somewhere

On paper, the most logical replacement for Cabral would have been Calvin Harris or Omir Fernández — two similar players at the same position who have contributed more to goal scoring off the bench than Cabral has as a starter. Even throw new Rapids winger Ted Ku-DiPietro, who made his debut after subbing into the match in the 84th minute, into that mix.

In reality, it was Darren Yapi who made the biggest impact, with a goal and an earned penalty in his first start of the season. Outside of the direct contributions to scoring, he brought a layer to the patented high press that was previously unseen this season. He added balance to Rafael Navarro island up front, and the two made life difficult for SDFC’s keeper and fullbacks.

“We thought we could maybe create some noise with the two strikers, help us be a little bit more vertical and energetic in our pressing. Yapi, I think, clearly helped in this,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “Oftentimes, Rafa is by himself in lots of moments, but Yapi took some pressure off. … Happy for Yapi for sure.”

Yapi has had moments in his career, like scoring his first MLS goal at the end of a 4-1 rout over St. Louis or a game-winning goal at the death against Toluca in last year’s Leagues Cup. But this was far and away Yapi’s most impressive all-around performance over the span of his 66 minutes.

Bold tactic allows Bassett to shine, play with comfort

Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic believes Cole Bassett can get a little bit too preoccupied thinking about goals and assists to actually score and provide them. With only one goal and zero assists coming into Saturday night, it has caused some visible frustration from Bassett that has at times spanned over multiple matches.

On Saturday, he played as free as he did hard, which if made consistent, can provide a valuable wrinkle to the Rapids on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he showed more intent in the press than he has all season and was a menace, particularly to whichever fullback to whom he was assigned.

On offense, a funky game plan placed him out wide, sometimes on either side of the field, but mostly was designed to create space around Bassett near the opposing box to generate offense.

It worked for basically the entire match, but was rewarded with Bassett’s first assist of the year in the 60th minute. The goal by Navarro put the Rapids up 3-1, but it turned out to be vital as SDFC brought it to within one in the 89th minute.

“It was better being higher up the pitch tonight. A lot of moments this year, I was kind of stuck in that double pivot, and I was so focused on dictating the game for the team and being the one to drive the team forward,” Bassett said. “I think I’m at my best when I’m around the goal and creating chances for teammates and for myself.

“The coaches harp that to me and we had a similar sort of conversation, and I did with (team president) Pádraig (Smith) as well, they were like, ‘You don’t have to score all the goals, you don’t have to put so much pressure on your shoulders every single week to be a 10 out of 10, just let the game find you and you’ll make things happen.’ So I was a lot happier.”

New (ar)rival?

Two good teams with contrasting styles. One brand new, the other an MLS original — the former snatching a player from the latter via the expansion draft.

Throw in a tight scoreline, some inconsistent officiating at times and a chock-full away fan section that stood up singing the entire night, and things were bound to get chippy.

It provided an extra layer of challenge for the Rapids already present by facing a new — and so far great — franchise trying to position itself in a competitive league. Colorado, along with the match itself, delivered.

Naturally, San Diego already has three in-state “rivals” built into its geography and the storied history of those three clubs. It has played two of them already — LAFC and LA Galaxy — and has won both. LAFC put up a strong case to be one of SDFC’s biggest rivals with a close finish (3-2) and a red card, but a battered Galaxy team took a beating.

With one exceptional game, San Diego and Colorado went from 2nd and 7th, respectively, in the Western Conference to tied for 3rd with 14 points each. Could this be a brewing out-of-state rivalry out west?

“I think so,” Armas pondered with a smirk. “It’s the way that game started and finished with energy and two, I’d say, contrasting styles. … We’re looking to play against teams that want to test our press, and they (passed) the test a lot of times, they beat our press. It’s a fun challenge.

“I saw a lot of their fans in the building, give them a lot of credit that they made the trip. That could be interesting, you know, maybe our fans make the trip when we go there.”

That opportunity will come in just a month, when Colorado travels to San Diego for a midweek game on Wednesday, May 14. In the meantime, the Rapids’ next game is an away match against the Houston Dynamo on April 19.

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Since 2015, MLS has added 12 new franchises to the fray, the most recent being San Diego FC, which is in its first season this year. This Saturday, the Rapids will face SDFC for the first time at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 7:30 p.m.

Only two expansion teams — 2018 LAFC and 2023 St. Louis CITY — had a better record through seven games than San Diego’s current 4-1-2 start, good for second in the Western Conference.

The Rapids (3-2-2) opened strong, but inconsistency has crept in. They’ve dominated top MLS teams like Charlotte FC, but also stumbled badly at home and on the road, even against short-handed and fixture-congested opponents.

Armas is a perfect 3-0 against expansion teams since becoming a head coach in 2018, all of which came as front man for the New York Red Bulls (one of them vs. that 2018 LAFC team). In the same span, the Rapids are an underwhelming 3-4-2.

Seven games may be a small sample size, but San Diego has shown early signs of a clear identity. Part of it is a bit like Colorado in that it’s high-energy and can destroy teams on the counter attack.

But it also possesses the ball at the highest clip in the league at 58.4%. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Rapids, who sit in the bottom 10 in the league in possession percentage but thrive on their press and 11-man defending to create chances.

For Armas, the game plan centers more on what his own team is trying to do than overanalyzing a relatively unknown opponent.

“There’s always enough film. A lot of what they know about themselves, we know about them because you can see it,” Armas said. “I think sometimes when you don’t know the (opponent) as well, it’s so much more about us, but I think it’s pretty clear. Some teams are very, very clear about what they try to do, their behaviors, their principles. That’s clear: They’re a team that can play direct, and they’re a team that can play really, really good in possession.”

Those values have led to 13 goals so far for SDFC, with most of the offensive firepower coming from winger Anders Dreyer, who has three goals and two assists. In total, the front three of Dreyer, Chucky Lozano and Onni Valakari have combined for six goals and eight assists.

The Rapids have faced some tough attacking duos like FC Dallas’s Luciano Acosta and Petar Musa; and Charlotte’s Patrick Agyemang and Wilfried Zaha. But firepower in threes doesn’t come often like this.

That said, it’s a chance to, as midfielder Oliver Larraz put it, “bring a little bit more to the table.” In the Armas era, the Rapids are an impressive 4-2-2 in home matches directly following a road loss.

Though the Vancouver Whitecaps had a couple of scoring moments last Saturday that would’ve been difficult for any team to stop, the Rapids were overall bad offensively, registering no shots on goal for the third time this season across all competitions.

According to Larraz, this week of training has served as a nice reset from a bad night in Canada.

“We came together as a team and said, ‘This is on us.’ I think this week of training has been one of our best, and we’re looking forward to the weekend,” Larraz said. “We approach this game the same as all the other games: with the intent to win.”

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The team announced Jen Millet as its president on Thursday morning. Millet, who was previously the chief operating officer for Bay FC and worked for six years for the Golden State Warriors before that, will be in charge of all business operations for the Denver club that’s set to debut in 2026.

Millet says her vision for women’s professional sports aligned with that of the Denver NWSL ownership, which is headlined by club governor Rob Cohen, and that drew her back to Colorado.

“The scope that they’ve accomplished so far is super impressive,” Millet said. “That was very attractive for me. The big differentiator also is that they were able to get a stadium project to the stage that it’s at and the training facility project to the stage that it’s at.

“When we talk about building a global sports brand, those are key things for a men’s or women’s club, to be able to have in their arsenal. They demonstrate to me that this ownership group is not just words, but actions.”

Millet, a 51-year-old New Jersey native, moved to Colorado in eighth grade. She was a three-sport athlete at Cherry Creek (soccer, basketball and track), where she graduated in 1992 before going on to earn a degree in English language and literature/letters from CU.

She has two sisters who live in Colorado, one of whom, Jackie Millet, is the former mayor of Lone Tree. Jen frequently spent her holidays in the state, and that personal connection, in conjunction with her vibing with Cohen & Co., prompted her to make the leap from Bay FC to Denver’s to-be-named NWSL club.

Millet will oversee marketing, merchandise, ticketing, partnerships and venue operations for Denver NWSL, in addition to the finance, human resources and legal departments.

She recalled going to the Rockies’ inaugural game at Mile High Stadium in 1993, and hopes to have a similar energy (albeit in a smaller venue) for the Denver NWSL opener next year. The club will play its first couple of seasons at a 12,000-seat modular stadium in Centennial before moving to its permanent home in a 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards in Denver.

“Next year, I hope it’s a sold-out crowd full of the demographics of Denver — different age groups, ethnicities,” Millet said. “I hope there’s massive excitement from fans about being a part of it, and we make it feel like they’re at a historic moment.

“They will bring that energy, and it will be my job and the team’s job to make sure the experience around them supports that and ignites that. I hope in that moment we will have people 20, 30 years later talking about how they went to the first NWSL match in Denver.”

With Millet’s hiring, Denver NWSL’s next move is to tab a general manager. That GM search is ongoing, with that hire expected to be announced soon.

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A blowout loss at home, followed by a blowout win at home, then an uninspiring 2-0 away loss to the shorthanded Vancouver Whitecaps (5-1-1, 1st Western Conference) on Saturday night have the Colorado Rapids (3-2-2, 7th Western Conference) in an awkward place just one-fifth into the season.

Some nights, they have it. Others they do not. Saturday evening at BC Place was the latter.

Here are three takeaways from an insipid night in Canada:

Defense falls asleep in critical moments

Like it has all season, Colorado had some encouraging defensive moments, particularly in putting out fires. Right back Keegan Rosenberry nearly hurt himself trying to recover to — successfully — block a point-blank shot that would have given Zack Steffen fits.

On both of Vancouver’s goals, one or multiple defenders fell asleep.

The first came in the 19th minute when Brian White put himself in between left back Ian Murphy and center back Chidozie Awaziem to receive an awkward but perfectly placed header by Sebastian Berhalter. On an even more awkward shot attempt, White fired it low and to the back post in what looked like a mishit.

Murphy seemed to have lost the initial ball that set up Berhalter’s headed assist, and Awaziem was a step too late to mark White and potentially block his shot.

The second goal caught the entire back line flat-footed. Give credit to Vancouver winger Ali Ahmed, whose pass threaded the needle to Emmanuel Sabbi, who cut inward like a wide receiver running a slant in behind Awaziem and center back Andreas Maxsø.

The execution and timing were millisecond- and inch-perfect, but at least one of the three or four defenders between the two Whitecaps players could have done better to intercept or prevent the pass from breaking through.

“Both (goals) come from, you know, we let them off the side,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “Oftentimes we’re talking about forcing the ball wide, winning the byline, outnumbering them. They wiggled out of a few spots and then it’s that they have good passers and clever movements behind our back line.”

Turnovers halt offensive rhythm

The moment that reflected the Rapids’ offense on Saturday night came just a few minutes before they gave up their second goal of the night.

After a clearance, Djordje Mihailovic found himself the front man of a three-on-one in the Rapids’ favor. He found Josh Atencio on the right, then Atencio tried to cross to either Mihailovic or Kévin Cabral, but passed it behind them both. Vancouver scored just three minutes later.

It was the best chance of the night that never came to fruition. For the first 10 minutes of the game, the Rapids were energetic, on the front foot and looked like they would steal an early goal. The rest of the match was riddled with miscues akin to Atencio’s giveaway, just in smaller moments as attacks were building.

“It’s a different surface (Vancouver plays on turf). They’re very comfortable on the turf and it’s a new surface for us,” Armas said. “The ball is a little more lively, so some of these little transition moments — Djordje got himself in some good spots right where we wanted him — and the ball is jumpy. … Other nights, that comes off for us.”

The Rapids recorded just nine shots on the evening, none of which were on goal — in last week’s win over Charlotte, they tallied 22.

Vines encouraging in return

Rapids Homegrown left back Sam Vines finally made his 2025 debut against Vancouver as a sub in the 55th minute, putting an end to a long bout with a soft-tissue quad injury.

He tweaked it in the Leagues Cup third-place match last season at the end of August, missed all of September and returned just in time for the playoff series against the L.A. Galaxy, where he tallied 114 minutes over two games. He reinjured the quad during the offseason, and the Rapids played his road to recovery slow and methodical.

“Now, it feels good,” Vines said after the match. “I feel 100%.”

He was put in a bit of a mixer on his first defensive action of the night, but he responded well and stymied Vancouver’s attack in some instances. But his biggest impact was on the offensive end, where he turned out to be one of the bright spots for the Rapids.

He made multiple deep runs to the left corner and whipped in a couple of good-looking crosses that didn’t quite find a runner. For the last 15 minutes of the game, the offense picked up a bit and almost looked like it did at the start of the match. Vines certainly played a role in the uptick.

The Rapids return home next Saturday for another clash against a top Western Conference team and the MLS’s newest club, San Diego FC, at 7:30 p.m.

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The club signed U.S. youth national team winger Bryce Jamison from USL Championship club Orange County SC on Friday. The deal is through 2027 with club options for 2028 and 2029, and he’ll stay at OCSC on loan for the remainder of 2025.

The 19-year old Atlanta native has had quite a career already, with 62 appearances (32 starts) at the USL Championship level and has scored seven goals in that time. Five of them came in 2024.

He represented the U.S. U-17 team at the 2023 U-17 World Cup with current Rapids goalkeepers Adam Beaudry and Zackory Campagnolo. Before joining Orange County, he was a member of Barcelona’s residency academy in Arizona and was selected to the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro All-Star game in 2022.

On tape, Jamison possesses the exact qualities the Rapids are looking for in wingers in coach Chris Armas’s system: speed, an eye for goal and an engine suited to press.

With his speed alone, he can keep outside backs honest while stretching the defense enough to facilitate good chances. If he’s opposite the play, he has a knack for getting into dangerous areas, and if a ball is played to him, he has a variety of finishes in his bag: headers, volleys, strength and finesse. He’s also shown an ability to drive the ball forward from as deep as his own box and kickstart counterattacks.

The Rapids signed a talented young winger in Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in the middle of preseason. With Kévin Cabral underperforming in what is effectively a contract year, the two new winger signings could serve as a long-term project or solution if the club wants to go a different direction out wide.

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The Rapids are back in the win column after a 2-0 win over a Charlotte FC team (3-2-1) that scored six goals in its two previous matches.

Djordje Mihailovic, a lot like in his coming-out party last season against LAFC, scored both goals in the team’s only home afternoon game of the season to open his 2025 MLS scoring account. They came within three minutes of each other via a half-volley in the 78th minute and a penalty in the 81st.

Unlike in that LAFC game, the Rapids kept a clean sheet against Charlotte, the team’s third in just six games this year.

Here are three takeaways from a momentum-building win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday afternoon:

Fernández over Cabral out wide?

Rapids winger Kévin Cabral has shown flashes of excellence this year, but has more often been where promising possessions go to die, whether by keeping the ball at his feet too long or by chopping the ball back just to pass and reset.

He proved most valuable during the home opener against FC Dallas, where he played in a 4-4-2 alongside Rafael Navarro. That game, he made annoying central runs that took defenders’ attention off of Navarro and ultimately opened up enough space for the striker to score two goals.

They haven’t gone to the formation again since, sticking with a 4-3-3 which has been fluid all year. Cabral’s impact has been minimal.

Given Cabral takes up a Designated Player spot on the roster, it’s highly unlikely he doesn’t start every match for which he’s available. But over the past three games, Omir Fernández has provided two assists off the bench, including to Djordje Mihailovic against Charlotte. Throw in Calvin Harris and his goal against San Jose (on a Fernández assist), and that’s a lot more wing production in way less minutes than Cabral.

That said, it’s a deep winger group and an even deeper midfield core — an important factor to consider given Armas has deployed central mids like Mihailovic, Bassett and Oliver Larraz out wide.

“Omir is a starter in this league. I think on our team, he is a starter,” Armas said. “Did he start tonight? No, but he’s not that ‘sixth man’ (type of player) who comes in and accumulates a certain amount of minutes that way.

“The internal competition we have going on, … I don’t know which coaches have to make these decisions: who’s in and who’s out,” Armas joked. “It’s me obviously, but this becomes tricky. On good teams, this is what it is.”

Rapids rewarded for persistence

It wasn’t much of a coincidence that when the Rapids rattled off their season high in shots (22), they won by multiple goals against a team that will likely finish in the top four of the Eastern Conference this year.

Keep the ball long enough and often enough to rattle off that many shots, and odds are the opponent won’t get as many opportunities. That held true on Saturday, as Charlotte only took 10 shots and had three on goal.

The first half mirrored last week’s first half against Portland in that the build-up was good, but decision-making and ultimately the final action was lacking when it came time to shoot the ball. The Rapids came out in the second half with some sort of vengeance.

At times, like in a five-minute stretch that included five straight blocked Rapids shots, it felt as though they would end up on the wrong side of that fortune. But belief never wavered prior to Mihailovic’s first goal.

“Yeah, that (stretch of blocked shots) was funny. We were in the box, but we didn’t make the goalie save one. I didn’t feel any frustration,” Mihailovic said. “The most important thing is we didn’t start doing our (old) thing. We stuck to the plan and that’s what gets us the first goal and the penalty shout.”

No defensive depth? No problem

With Sam Vines, Reggie Cannon and Jackson Travis all out with injuries, the only Rapids defender on the bench for the Charlotte match was Michael Edwards, who has less than 250 career minutes.

The ring of injuries has forced a variety of lineups defensively, whether it’s Keegan Rosenberry playing left or right back; Ian Murphy at left or center back; or Chidozie Awaziem and Andreas Maxsø switching sides centrally.

Against one of the MLS’s best attacks, you’d have never been able to tell how much discontinuity this back line has played through. Zack Steffen made just three saves in a shutout — the only game this season he had less was against Dallas, when he had two saves and three goals against.

It only spoke to the quality of defense the Rapids threw out. Maxsø’s 6-3 frame and physicality thwarted basically anything Patrick Agyemang was trying to do. Against Wilfried Zaha, it was a collective effort to maintain a slow night — Mihailovic said it made Zaha “quit halfway through the game.” Pep Biel, who was named the MLS Player of the Matchday a week ago, was pretty much a no-show.

“The boys in front of me were really connected and really sharp on the day,” Steffen said. “It gives us confidence, knowing that as long as we have the mentality and willingness to suffer and work together and just put everything out on the field, we can keep clean sheets and we can win games (despite the injuries).”

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There’s just something about afternoon games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park that brings the best out of Mihailovic, who had both goals in a 2-0 win over red-hot Charlotte FC — the Rapids’ first home win of the season.

Last season, in the Rapids’ only home afternoon game of the season, Mihailovic found his first two goals in burgundy against LAFC.

“I don’t know, if every game was a day game, I would be Messi, I guess,” Mihailovic joked. “I mean, that’s not what’s important. The most important thing is we finally get a win at home. I think the first two home games, you can see a bit of frustration, especially last game, we were completely played off the field in my opinion.

“(Today), we didn’t change, we didn’t get frustrated. We stuck to the plan and that’s the biggest thing, that’s what gets us the win.”

The Rapids’ string-puller had little resistance on his first goal of the game — and of his MLS season — basically a tap-in he made look easy. Omir Fernández, a 60th-minute sub, put in the service to Mihailovic, who found the back of the net on a half volley. That’s two assists for Fernández this season, both off the bench.

The opening tally came in the 78th minute. Fifteen minutes before, there was a three-minute stretch during which Charlotte blocked five Rapids shots. At that point, the game seemed destined to end without a score as the weather devolved into wind and some raindrops here and there.

“In the second half, we felt it building, we felt (a goal) coming,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “To give Charlotte a lot of credit, they’re blocking shots, putting their bodies on the line, you can see a winning mentality and believe in their team to defend their goal really well.

“But we felt like it was coming. Was it going to be the extra pass? Or the extra touch to elude a body in the box? … Or a moment where Omir helps get the goal and Djordje has a really clinical finish.”

Mihailovic doubled the lead in the 81st minute from the penalty spot. Rapids forward Rafael Navarro out-muscled and out-positioned Adilson Malanda on a breakaway, then Malanda pulled him down in the box. Mihailovic buried it lower left center.

The Rapids had a season-high 22 shots (six on goal). It took a while, but they were rewarded for finally playing a more direct style of offense to put pressure on a formidable Charlotte defense. As the Rapids tried to play out wide, Charlotte tried to funnel Rapids attackers toward the middle, where it was most compact and difficult to play through.

Defensively, Chidozie Awaziem overcame a silly early yellow card and dealt with Charlotte stars Patrick Agyemang and Wilfried Zaha smartly, but physically, as is the norm.

The clean sheet at home is an encouraging sign of life after giving up a three-goal shutout to Portland last week.

“Today was a really good reaction from our team after the last game, and we know we’re usually really good at home,” Armas said. “I thought it was mature. It was complete and we’ve been looking for that performance. We think as a staff and a team and our club, it might have been our best performance since the Leagues Cup run last year. Our team met the demands of a real game — Charlotte’s a good team.”

The Rapids (2-1-2, 6th Western Conference) have overperformed to start the season, stealing two tough road wins against Austin FC and the San Jose Earthquakes. The Timbers (2-2-1, 8th Western Conference) have been a bit disappointing, but are largely learning to play without MLS MVP candidate Evander.

For both teams, the fortune turned. In what Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett called one of the “worst home performances in a long time,” Portland beat Colorado, 3-0.

Here are three takeaways from a blowout loss to the Timbers.

“Wake-up call” for team leadership

Including Josh Atencio’s own goal in first-half stoppage time on Saturday night, the Rapids have conceded four goals in the final five minutes of first halves this season. The bigger gut punch against the Timbers was conceding another in the first five minutes after the break.

The own goal was a bit of a fluke — own goals are rare, and the Rapids were down to 10 men during that play after Kévin Cabral had to exit the game momentarily for injury — but closing and opening halves by conceding is a trend Colorado is looking to kick sooner rather than later.

“I think it’s maybe a few of us, leadership-wise, who could step in and see out halves better. If we were more on top of games and more in control, I think it would be a bit easier. Right now, it’s kind of back and forth,” Bassett said. “We’re not really set in these moments right before halftime. … I think it’s a learning moment and maybe a wake-up call for some of the leaders in the group to step up and make sure we get those moments right.”

Beaudry better than 3-0 scoreline in first home start

The two second-half Portland goals were both solid strikes that goalkeeper Adam Beaudry — in his first career start at home, with Zack Steffen away with the U.S. men’s national team — ultimately couldn’t do much about.

Despite an ugly scoreline, the 18-year-old Homegrown keeper showed flashes of brilliance a bit beyond his age and experience level.

Outside back Reggie Cannon was pleasantly surprised at how vocal Beaudry was in support or in barking orders on defensive set pieces. Rapids coach Chris Armas was impressed with the youngster’s distribution out of the back, both short- and long-distance. One long ball, he put on an absolute string to find Cabral nearly at the other box to set up an attack.

“It was good to get out in front of the fans for the first time. I had family out there supporting me, some friends out there, so to be able to play in front of them was something I’ll be grateful for,” Beaudry said. “(The distribution) is something Armas emphasizes with (the goalkeepers). It’s our playstyle. We want to put pressure on teams and force coincidence.”

“Play fast without rushing”

Offensively, the Rapids were a few inches or tight decisions away from creating dangerous chances or even scoring.

Armas alluded to his guys playing a bit too eager at times, particularly in front of a home crowd. Defensively, it can be a good thing to swarm and take the ball away as quickly as possible. But attacks need to be just a bit more methodical — an extra touch here and there to let the play develop.

“In the first half, we were on top of things, so in those moments when we won the ball, Josh Atencio, Oliver Larraz, Cole Bassett and fullbacks were jumping (to attack). We caused a lot of disruption,” Armas said. “In those moments, if we could just play fast without rushing. …

“It seemed a little antsy; we want to reward the fans, we want to get the goal, we want it now. It’s always tricky in transition, but (slowing down in) those moments can lead to chances.”

A fiery Charlotte FC — with 10 goals in five matches for second place in the east — is coming to town next Saturday at 2:30 p.m., the Rapids will have their hands full dealing with one of the best attacks they will have seen with Wilfried Zaha and rising star Patrick Agyemang.

That defense is quite formidable, too, with USMNT center back Tim Ream and reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina. If the Rapids can pull it together against a team like that at a week’s notice, it’s hard to think they couldn’t do it against anyone.

“It’s just taking a quick step back. That’s a (ticked-off) locker room right now,” Armas said. “We don’t harp on it, we look hard, we learn and we get right back to work.”

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An own goal right before halftime took the wind out of the Rapids’ sail and set the tone for what became an ugly 3-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.

That’s six goals in two MLS home games this season now. A small sample size, but at least against Dallas on Matchday 2, the Rapids were able to salvage a point after conceding three in that game.

“Probably one of our worst home performances in a long time,” midfielder Cole Bassett said. “But we’re in a decent spot in the league table. So we’ve just got to flush it and move on to next week.”

Colorado came out swinging like the unbeaten team it was coming into Matchday 5. On a few occasions, they tried to catch the Timbers sleeping with some early, low and driven crosses. Rafael Navarro was inches from getting a foot on two, which on a different day might have led to goals.

Portland was stymied offensively and only got four shots (none on goal) in the first half, which was uncharacteristically few from a Rapids standpoint to give up. But it took one dangerous-looking attack for the Timbers to get on the board.

Driving across the byline in first-half stoppage time, new Timbers midfielder David Da Costa put in a low cross trying to find a teammate’s foot, but instead found new Rapids midfielder Josh Atencio’s foot. Though intentions were good, it almost looked like Atencio tried to fire something toward the goal, and it found the opposite side netting.

Down at halftime, the Rapids came out energetic in the second half but only rattled one quick shot before the Timbers scored their second of the night. Portland midfielder Antony, who has now scored four goals against the Rapids in as many games the past two years, fired a rocket past Rapids keeper Adam Beaudry’s outstretched fingers from the top of the box just three minutes into the second half.

“The whole game, we never took real control of it,” Bassett said. “I think we’ve had trouble with that this year, where it’s a lot of back and forth, or we’ve just been sitting in a low block defending. There’s not been enough rest on the ball, keeping it and pinning teams in (their defensive third) and tiring them out. We did a lot of that last year and it helped us.”

Beaudry, in his first career home game in Zack Steffen’s absence, had a couple of quality saves after he was beaten by Antony, but his night ultimately got worse.

In the 75th minute, Kevin Kelsy scored a third for the Timbers, finding the opposite lower corner on a one-touch shot on his first touch of the game.

“We know in this league, the margins are so thin that if your good stuff doesn’t show up on the night, you could get punished,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “There’s different ways you lose games, and tonight was one where we don’t finish the half strong. We give up (three) minutes after halftime, it’s another one and maybe it’s history right there.

“In the first half, you could see we have so many little moments that could turn into goals, but we just weren’t sharp enough in those little moments.”

The Rapids will return home to face red-hot Charlotte FC next Saturday, March 29, at 2:30 p.m.

Harris and Omir Fernández subbed on in the 65th minute, replacing Kévin Cabral and Wayne Frederick, respectively, and made an almost immediate impact. Keegan Rosenberry played a through ball to Fernández, who slipped behind the defense and — as goalkeeper Daniel De Sousa Britto, known simply as Daniel, charged off his line — tapped a first-touch pass to Harris for the empty-net finish that gave Colorado (2-0-2) a 2-1 lead in the 71st.

Bassett opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 38th minute. Djordje Mihailovic, on the counter-attack, played a ball-in from the left side that was redirected toward the net before it was parried by Daniel as he fell to his knees. Bassett tapped a first-touch finish inside the back post before Steffen could recover.

Cristian “Chicho” Arango scored for San Jose (2-2-0) in first-half stoppage time to make it 1-1. Cristian Espinoza played a corner kick to the center of the area where a sliding Chicho blasted a rising volley into the net.

Frederick, a 20-year-old forward in his second MLS season, made his first career start.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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