Photo credit: Pat Radigan / Footy at 5280
Reggie Cannon, Rafael Navarro deliver some home cooking for Rapids’ third straight win at DSGP
Reggie Cannon scored his first goal since his team debut in 2024, Rafael Navarro added a stoppage-time insurance goal and Youssef Maziz tallied an assist in his MLS debut as the Colorado Rapids outlasted nine-man Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 win in Commerce City.
“It’s a really good feeling,” Cannon said postgame. “Ultimately to help the team in that moment, things just weren’t clicking tonight in front of goal, especially those first 70 minutes. It makes me feel really good. Overall our performance has been very good defensively. We’ve had consecutive shutouts now, and I think everyone is performing at a high level, but offensively that offensive side is something every defender loves to add to their game.”
The Rapids have struggled to find the back of the net since returning from the World Cup break, playing in three 1-0 games and winning two of them. Navarro’s 95th-minute goal marked the first time since April 18 at Empower Field against Inter Miami that Colorado has scored multiple goals in an MLS game.
“We’re always going to keep attacking,” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said. “I didn’t particularly like our performance against 10 men. I just said to the guys there’s loads of areas we can and will improve off the back of tonight. That’s good information for us.
“The facts are it’s another win. Since we’ve come back, it’s three wins out of four. Among those three wins are three clean sheets, and the only goal we’ve conceded since the break is a world class strike to St. Louis.”
Commerce City has been a welcoming environment for players in their home debut in burgundy. Hamzat Ojideran, Lucas Herrington, Kosi Thompson and Loïc Williams scored in their home debuts this season, and Georgi Minoungou had an assist in his own. Enter Maziz.
The newest Burgundy Boy, fresh off his visa being finalized earlier this week, decided to join the party, finding Cannon on a corner just nine minutes after stepping onto the field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for the first time. He also had a dangerous attempt on a free kick after Kansas City’s second red card in second-half stoppage time that went just wide.
“It’s a nice introduction for him” Wells said. “He showed his quality straight away with his general play, but of course we know his set play quality is outstanding. Both corners, wide free kicks, direct free kicks as well obviously. He was probably a half yard away from scoring a really good goal.
“We have an extreme physical level here, so it’s going to take him a little bit of time, but tonight is a very, very positive introduction for him.”
The game opened up early, despite any real dangerous chances either way. A closely-contested first half shifted drastically toward the Rapids when Kansas City’s Kwaku Agyabeng was given a straight red card for a brutal tackle on Miguel Navarro, stopping a Colorado counter in the 38th minute. Moisés Mosquera received the second straight red of the night for SKC for a denial of a goal scoring opportunity, tackling Cannon from behind just outside the box on a break in the 92nd minute.
Paxten Aaronson added his seventh assist of the season for the Rapids, and Nico Hansen recorded his fifth clean sheet of the year in goal.
Colorado has a short turnaround, facing LAFC at home Wednesday night. The team from Southern California poses a more daunting task than the first few games out of the World-Cup break for the Rapids.
“We’ve got a really big team coming here,” Wells said. “We got a good point at there place. We didn’t create enough in that game. They defended their box better than we attacked it. But between our goal and the edge of their box, we were the best team that night. We have to do that again.”
“(We’re) under no illusions: It will be a really really difficult challenge. We’re also in a really nice spot. We’re confident.”
