Nico Hansen made two saves for his first clean sheet of the season as the Colorado Rapids spoiled the going-away party for James Rodriguez with a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Rafael Navarro scored a goal for Colorado (5-7-1, 16 points), which snapped a five-game winless streak (0-4-1) with its first victory since a 6-2 win over the Houston Dynamo on April 11.
Rodriguez, the Golden Boot winner in the 2014 World Cup, played 63 minutes in his second start with the Loons. The captain of Colombia’s national team, he signed a short-term deal in late February with Minnesota that runs through June. However, he will miss the Loons’ final two matches before the World Cup break to begin his training with Colombia.
Rodriguez had two assists and no goals over 195 minutes in six MLS matches (two starts).
Drake Callender finished with one save for Minnesota United (6-4-3, 21 points), which lost for just the second time in its last nine matches (5-2-2).
Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute on Navarro’s eighth goal of the season. Paxten Aaronson set up the score with a through pass that split a pair of Minnesota defenders. Navarro then drilled a right-footed shot inside the bottom left corner of the net from the middle of the box.
Minnesota nearly tied it three minutes later after an Aaronson turnover. Rodriguez curled a left-footed shot from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box that caromed off the left corner of the crossbar.
A few moments later, the Loons had another excellent scoring chance when Rodriguez set up Anthony Markanich on the left edge of the six-yard box, but Markanich’s chip shot grazed off the top of the crossbar.
–Field Level Media
