Photo credit: Pat Radigan / Footy at 5280
Some signs pointing to Lucas Herrington’s departure hours after advanced talks reportedly emerge with Premier League side Hull City
The Colorado Rapids are loving to leave it late.
The club’s lone loss since the World Cup break came via a game-winner in the final 10 minutes on the road against St. Louis CITY SC. The other two games, both at home, have taken stoppage-time winners to take three points.
Rafael Navarro scored a penalty in the 90+4th minute to take points from Austin FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night with a 1-0 win. He drew the penalty a few minutes prior after winning position on an Austin defender following a rebound at the inside edge of the box.
Navarro called both the penalty and the play in which he drew it “natural moments” and said it felt good to get back on the scoresheet, especially in such a big moment for the team’s season.
His run-up for the kick was noticeably different than in years past. That’s because new assistant coach Rob Burch has taken Navarro under his wing this season. Burch and Rapids coach Matt Wells have been credited at least in part with transforming the PK processes of global superstars Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, both of whom are nearly unstoppable from the spot.
Where Navarro used to rush, he now slows down. Two deep breaths a few meters behind the ball, a slight stutter at the beginning of his run-up and no nonsense from there. His last-second stutter — a stereotype for Brazilian strikers — is a thing of the past. He’s 2-for-2 from the spot this year, which so far is a smaller sample size than in previous years but a far cry from converting at around a 50% rate over his first two full seasons with the club.
“It’s been phenomenal. … You can see from last year he’s changed up a bit of his routine with the penalties, and I think he strikes it with much more power,” said Rapids goalkeeper Nico Hansen, who has been Navarro’s spot-kick test subject this year. “He’s putting it in the corners and I think he can show his quality on the penalties. He’s been phenomenal in that way.”
Colorado dominated the match in every facet but the scoreboard. It had a whopping 2.93 xG to Austin’s 1.41, nearly 64% possession and created 14 more shots than Austin (five more on goal).
Still, Wells feared at one point in the second half the Rapids could have lost the game. Around the midway point of the second half, he said he felt the team “became less detailed” in possession and in its chance creation, which on a few occasions left Austin with chances to break.
At one point in the final 10 minutes, the Rapids gave up a dangerous-looking free kick, which Joseph Rosales narrowly missed high.
Austin has been dreadful on the road this year, this being its seventh loss in seven tries away from home. It presented the Rapids a chance to get back on track and perhaps earn a convincing win before a two-week break. While the dramatic win feels good, there are areas to improve before facing the Western Conference’s worst team in Sporting Kansas City.
“It was a jigsaw out there, and that’s why I joke that it was a little bit of a stressful game,” Wells said, speaking about substitutions causing a shuffle up top as the Rapids chased a win. “It should have been a formality. It should have been finished a lot earlier. But when you get to those latter stages, I have to earn my money as well from the sidelines. I think overall, as a coaching team and a group of players, it’s a really successful night for us.”
With two weeks before Colorado’s next match, a lot could look different for the Rapids who are tasked with fighting an uphill battle for a playoff spot. Before the game, reports surfaced from numerous reputable outlets that newly-promoted Premier League club Hull City is in serious talks with the Rapids for center back Lucas Herrington, though nothing has been finalized.
After initially being left off the docket for media interviews after the match, he was made available with the caveat that he would not address those rumors.
When fans asked a Rapids player after the match if it was Herrington’s last with the club, he said yes — an exchange a fan present for the interaction later described to RMSJ. Fans also described a farewell vibe to the team’s on-field celebration, turning water bottles and praise to the 18-year-old in an obvious show of individual appreciation, which to some felt like a finality.
Wells was coy about the rumors after the game, saying they were off his radar and that he had “no real update.”
New signing Youssef Maziz could be available for selection come the Aug. 15 matchup with SKC as well. He’s a player Wells said will complement the entire offense, especially in chance creation. He’s currently training off to the side while he awaits his P-1 visa. Wells also said the club plans to add at least one more attacker by the end of the secondary transfer window.
If Herrington is sold, that could turn into more players than one, and at higher profiles than what the club currently has to offer.
