On a rare road trip to Colorado, Atlanta United lost to Rapids 3-1. The 5-Stripes conceded twice in the span of seven minutes in the second half, a tough pill to swallow after a confident first half. A longshot goal was the one chance to register on the scoreboard for Atlanta, but they had more looks at the net that didn't come to fruition.
What happened: Atlanta's first look came when Alexey Miranchuk took a corner kick that bounced back out to him in the seventh minute. His second cross fell to Latte Lath, who laid the ball off to Will Reilly. He struck the ball, but it soared over the frame and out for a goal kick.
Colorado settled into spells of possession, a surprise given their tendency to play off the ball this season. After one of those spells, a flicked-on header through to Darren Yapi gave Colorado the lead in the 18th minute. The forward hit a tricky first-time volley into the right side of the goal from a few paces outside the 6-yard box.
Atlanta United's response was almost immediate, and it was Alexey Miranchuk again. He cut in on his preferred left foot just outside the top of the box and, as he has done a fair few times this season, curled a strike into the bottom left corner. The lead lasted just under three minutes, as the 5-Stripes made it 1-1 in the 20th minute.
The 5-Stripes looked to regain their hold on the ball after their goal, patiently swinging the ball around the backline and eventually finding passing channels both centrally and out wide. They earned a free kick from a while out in the 33rd minute from one of those entry passes, and it found Saba Lobjanidze at the back post. The angle was tight, and his shot rolled wide of the right post.
As the teams returned to their locker rooms for halftime, the scored stood knotted at 1-1. Atlanta United had 62.2 percent of the ball, not a unexpected figure but still a hearty share of the possession. Their second half mission was to work their way into more goalscoring spaces with the ball.
To start the second period, a bouncing ball fell to Calvin Harris, who bobbled with it through on goal. Over came, who Stian Gregersen put in an authoritative first challenge and a clutch second effort to prevent multiple shots.
Juan Berrocal was head coach Ronny Deila's first choice as a substitute, coming into the match in the 58th minute for Lobjanidze. With the move, the 5-Stripes changed shape to a back five, a formation they've employed at points during the season.
Colorado's designated player Rafael Navarro made his mark on the match with a scissor step just inside the box that drew a foul and earned Colorado a penalty in the 64th minute. He stepped up to take the penalty he made himself, and Brad Guzan got a hand on the ball, but it trickled into the net to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
Soon after in the 71st minute, Navarro had his brace. A physical tackle inside the box caused some confusion amongst both teams, and Navarro was first to pounce, striking the ball low and sneaking it under Guzan for 3-1.
Deila went to Steven Alzate, Tristan Muyumba and Luke Brennan off the bench as the match restarted in the 73rd minute. Brennan nearly had an assist within a minute of coming on, juking a defender with a fake shot and squaring the ball across goal. Muyumba approached for the shot, but Miranchuk, who was also crashing, accidentally deflected the ball wide.
Nyk Sessock was the last substitute in the 94th minute, but Atlanta United couldn't find their way back after six minutes of additional time. Brennan made a few noble efforts to carry the ball forward late, but Rapids were happy to foul to prevent breaks and were keen defending crosses.
Key stat: Navarro's quick double. In just seven minutes, Rafael Navarro changed the complexion of the match. He both drew and scored the penalty kick to give Rapids the lead, and his driven longshot was on target soon after for 3-1. The designated player from Brazil was a danger throughout the night.
Milestones:
- Alexey Miranchuk scored his fifth goal of his 2025 MLS campaign. He's up to nine goal contributions in the regular season, and he added two Leagues Cup goals to his tally as well.
- Atlanta United scored in the first half of an away match for the first time this season.
Up next: Atlanta United returns home for their fourth-to-last home match of the season, this one against Toronto FC Sunday, Aug. 24. The match will kick off at 4 p.m. ET and will be followed by a match between Atlanta and Toronto's Unified teams — the final game of Unified's season.
