Atlanta United makes its first road trip of the regular season for a matchup against Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.
The club is coming off a strong 3-1 victory in its season opener against Sporting Kansas City. Goals from Luiz Araújo, Dom Dwyer and Caleb Wiley gave Atlanta United its first-ever win for an MLS season opener played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
However, Atlanta United will go to Colorado without one of those goal scorers from Sunday. Araújo suffered a hamstring injury in the 20th minute, and on Tuesday the club announced the forward will miss several weeks.
During media availability on Thursday, Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda said Araújo’s injury “wasn’t part of the plan at all,” but has a positive mentality when it comes to filling the role of the left-footed inverted winger.
“I look at these opportunities to see all the players and to make them feel valuable and they’ll contribute to what we are going to achieve at the end of the year,” Pineda said.
Several of the team’s offseason acquisitions showed out during the match against Sporting Kansas City. Dwyer, who signed as a free agent on Feb. 22, and Wiley, who signed a Homegrown deal in January, both scored in their Atlanta United debuts. Andrew Gutman, who joined the team after being on loan with the New York Red Bulls in 2021, led the team with five tackles and earned Man of the Match honors.
Marcelino Moreno and Brooks Lennon, returning players who missed parts of preseason due to minor injuries, came into the Sporting Kansas City matchup as substitutes. Moreno assisted Wiley’s goal in the 89th minute. Without Araújo, either player could be an option for Pineda on Saturday.
The team is still without a few players. Emerson Hyndman and Jake Mulraney will be unavailable. Thiago Almada, Santiago Sosa and Franco Ibarra are still in Argentina waiting on their visas. There isn’t a clear timeline for their return, but they are keeping fit (Pineda reported fitness coach Ricky Oliveira spent the last week in Argentina with them training).
“I’m very happy with the squad that I have, and that’s what I tell the players, everybody’s important and everyone is vital to this team,” Pineda said. “And everybody provides some uniqueness to the lineup.”
Matchday Conditions
It’s the first road trip for Atlanta United in the regular season – and yes, it could snow.
The conditions in Colorado are expected to be cold on Saturday with a high of 37 degrees Fahrenheit and a chance of snow. That's quite different from here in Atlanta, where the temperature is projected to reach 80 degrees this weekend.
The team is training in Denver on Friday to get accustomed to the weather. And Atlanta United has faced heavy snowfall before. The club infamously played in snow during its inaugural season. In the match played at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Atlanta beat Minnesota United 6-1 behind a hattrick from Josef Martínez and a brace from Miguel Almiron. The gritty performance resulted in Atlanta United’s first-ever MLS win.
“What we learned from last year was basically how to overcome adversities, and I think the team, the players did fantastic in that regard,” Pineda said. “We just need to continue with that process of whatever happens on the field, whatever adversity we’re going to face -- the weather, the field, the opposition -- we have to find ways to win. We need to find the ways to win and get the next three points.”
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About The Opponent
Colorado Rapids is a Western Conference club based in Commerce City, Colo. Like last week’s opponent, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids is one of the league’s 10 charter clubs. The Rapids rank No. 8 in most MLS regular season wins (302). In its 26-year history, Colorado has won the MLS Cup once in 2010.
The club was originally founded by the Anschutz Corporation and began play in 1996. In 2004, Stan Kroenke and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, a group that also owns the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and Colorado Avalanche in NHL, bought the franchise. In its early years, Colorado Rapids played home matches at Mile High Stadium, home to the Denver Broncos, before moving to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. in 2007.
Colorado Rapids is led by manager Robin Fraser, a former professional player in MLS and the U.S. men’s national team. He played three seasons with the Colorado Rapids, and during his time in MLS, earned Best XI honors four times and was named MLS Defender of the Year in 1999.
In 2021, Colorado finished in first place in the Western Conference table with 61 points and was ousted in the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs by eventual MLS Cup runner-up Porland Timbers. As the conference's top seed, Colorado Rapids qualified for the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, which started before the MLS season.
Colorado Rapids is known for its balanced attacking style. Last season, they didn’t have a single double-digit goal scorer, but instead spread the wealth and had five players score five or more goals.
"I think they’re very good at running behind the back lines,” Pineda said. “I think they’re very intense and a very fast team. They have very fast players in the attack.”
Series History
Saturday will be the fourth all-time meeting between Atlanta United and Colorado Rapids, and the Rapids will be looking to get its first win over the 5-Stripes in club history. Atlanta has won all three of the previous matchups, scoring five goals and conceding none. Those three straight wins equals New England for the longest active winning streak against the Rapids in MLS.
Since Colorado is in the Western Conference, Atlanta United hasn’t faced the Rapids since 2019. However, the team has a leg up with Pineda. As a former assistant coach at the Seattle Sounders, another Western Conference club, Pineda has some familiarity with Colorado.
“We got to scout Colorado several times during my time with Seattle, and I know how they play,” Pineda said. “It’s a style I like a lot because they are very dynamic. Everyone touches and moves. Everyone is always in constant rotation and movement and that makes them difficult rivals.”
Last Meeting
The last meeting between the two sides was on April 27, 2019. Atlanta won the contest 1-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Midfielder Julian Gressel scored the game-winner. During the match, midfielder Darlington Nagbe completed 94 percent of his passes and assisted Gressel’s goal, which earned Nagbe both Man of the Match and MLS Team of the Week honors.
2022 So Far
It went Atlanta United’s way in Week 1. The team scored three goals in its MLS season opener against Sporting Kansas City 3-1, which matched the club’s total from its first five season opening matches in MLS combined.
The match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium also had the highest attendance (67,523) out of any other on MLS opening weekend. Atlanta United now holds 21 out of the 24 highest attended matches in league history, including the playoffs.
The result marked the second time in the club’s six-year history that Atlanta United won its MLS opener. The previous time was in 2020 when Atlanta United beat Nashville 2-1 on Feb. 29.
On the other hand, Colorado Rapids had a difficult MLS season opener, getting shut out against LAFC 3-0 at Banc of California Stadium behind a hattrick from LAFC forward Carlos Vela.
Colorado is not just competing in MLS this season. As the Western conference's top seed in 2021, the club also earned a spot in 2022 Concacaf Champions League, which began earlier than MLS. The club was eliminated by Comunicaciones FC, a top-tier club in Guatamala, after an intense penalty shootout.
“They are very intense, they all chase, they all press, so it’s a very difficult team,” Pineda said of the Rapids. “Even though the last few results haven’t been in their favor, but I think they played better than the score line says.”
Colorado Rapids |
Atlanta United |
|
|---|---|---|
Duel Percentage |
46 percent (21st) |
58.8 percent (1st) |
Passing Percentage |
84.6 (T-4th) |
80.3 percent (13th) |
Interceptions |
6 (T-12th) |
18 (3rd) |
Expected Goals |
0.5 (T-16th) |
2.2 (4th) |
Players To Watch
Josef Martínez – The club’s all-time leading goal scorer had two assists in the opener against Sporting Kansas City, a performance that awarded him MLS Team of the Week honors. He’ll be looking to continue his contributions to the score sheet in Colorado, and his experience and leadership will be needed without Araújo in the attack.
Tyler Wolff – The 19-year-old Homegrown had a strong preseason and was in the starting XI for the match against Sporting Kansas City. He connected with Martínez in what led to the club’s first goal of the season and the first assist of Wolff’s career. Pineda has been pleased with Wolff, especially his efforts on the defensive side, and said he’s on the right path toward playing a bigger role in impacting the scoreboard.
Michael Barrios – Barrios joined the Rapids in 2021 in a trade with FC Dallas. The trade rejuvenated the Colombian forward and he turned out a noteworthy year, leading the squad in goals scored (8).
Jonathan Lewis – A six-year MLS veteran, Lewis has been called up to the U.S. men’s national team a few times and was a substitute in the Gold Cup Final against Mexico where Atlanta United defender Miles Robinson headed in the game-winner. Lewis was the second-leading scorer for the Rapids in 2021 (7) and also had two assists.
Other Tidbits
- A win on Saturday would be the third time in club history that Atlanta United has started the MLS season with two consecutive wins (2018, 2020).
- For the first time Atlanta United will be wearing The Forest Kit, the 2022 secondary kit that represents the club’s commitment to sustainability. Check out the details behind the kit’s design and learn more about its story here.
It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET kickoff for Atlanta United and Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
