Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids meet Wednesday in Commerce City, Colo., as both clubs look to tighten up defensively and avoid the costly lapses that have plagued them at opposite ends of the field.
Colorado (11-13-4, 37 points) drew 1-1 with San Jose on Saturday. The Rapids are winless in four straight matches and have surrendered leads in their last three on goals scored in the 57th minute or later.
Paxten Aaronson has recorded a goal contribution in five consecutive MLS matches, but Colorado has won just once in its past six (1-2-3).
“In the back of my mind,” Aaronson said, “I know I am going to deliver a goal or assist each game.”
Donavan Phillip scored against San Jose and has a goal in three straight matches. Aaronson said Phillip, a forward from Saint Lucia, is realizing his potential.
“Everyone knew about his talent and what he was going to bring to the table,” Aaronson said. “It was just a matter of when it was going to happen.”
Unlike Colorado, the Loons (7-12-9, 30 points) have struggled early, getting outscored 22-8 in the opening 30 minutes while scoring 19 goals in the final 30 minutes of matches.
Minnesota extended its winless streak to seven matches (0-5-2) with a 2-2 home draw against Houston on Saturday. Kelvin Yeboah and Marcus Caldeira scored second-half goals, giving the Loons a 2-1 lead before Houston equalized in stoppage time.
Yeboah’s 15th goal of the season set Minnesota’s single-season scoring record, surpassing Christian Ramirez’s mark of 14 in 2017.
Caldeira, a rookie forward, has scored six goals in his first 10 matches for the Loons. Minnesota coach Cameron Knowles has considered pairing Caldeira and Yeboah in a two-striker formation.
“We’ve looked at a number of ways to get them on the field together,” Knowles said.
Minnesota sits 14th in the Western Conference, six points behind the ninth-place Los Angeles Galaxy for the final playoff spot, with four teams between them.
“We have to think about the next game,” Knowles said. “There are six points to play for this week. That’s what we have to focus on, all our effort and concentration into that one game.”
–Field Level Media
