Colorado Rapids vs. LAFC | 2020 MLS Match Preview

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 16
Colorado Rapids vs. LAFC
Dick's Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City
October 7 – 9:00 PM ET

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US

LOCAL TV: Altitude, NBC Sports California

After two matches were postponed and rescheduled because of positive COVID-19 tests, the Colorado Rapids return to the field for the first time since Sept. 23 to meet LAFC Wednesday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. 

The Rapids (5W-4L-4D) are in seventh place in the West, two points above the playoff line, while LAFC (6W-6L-3D) are in fifth after a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake Sunday. 

Colorado Rapids

For the first time since reporting positive COVID-19 tests on September 24, the Colorado Rapids resumed training Monday,

A Rapids player and three members of the club staff tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 24, which resulted in the postponement of a Week 14 match against Sporting Kansas City, which has since been rescheduled. Four days later, one additional Rapids player and seven more members of the club’s staff tested positive before their Week 15 match against the Portland Timbers was postponed with the announcement of an additional two players and one staff member testing positive.

"You’re not going to hear anyone here whine about not being able to train because of this," Robin Fraser said in a video conference call Tuesday. "This is the year it is and we've just gone through this, this you know, this kind of impactful situation with our team, and it is what it is, and we just have to get on with it.”

• Updated team roster
• Injury Report:
  • OUT: Kortne Ford (D) - knee injury
  • OUT: Younes Namli (M) - undisclosed injury
  • OUT: Diego Rubio (F) - undisclosed injury
  • OUT: Andre Shinyashiki (F) - undisclosed injury
  • OUT: Deklan Wynne (M) - undisclosed injury
• Suspended: Kellyn Acosta (M)
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty:  None

LAFC

Bradley Wright-Phillips and Diego Rossi scored five minutes apart in the first half and Brian Rodriguez tacked on a third goal just before the hour mark to lead LAFC to a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, their first road win of the 2020 season. 

"Not our best football. It's not an easy game to play, but the resiliency is important. We scored three very good goals and then after the own goal I thought we did a good job of concentrating and finishing out the match," Bob Bradley said after the match "So, in this crazy season, it's our first road win and sometimes on the road you don't play as well as you'd like, but you find ways to win. I think that that's a credit for the players.”

LAFC acquired forward Kwadwo “Mahala” Opoku from the Attram De Visser Soccer Academy in Ghana, the club announced Tuesday. He will join the squad pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P1 Visa.

• Updated team roster
• Injury Report:
  • OUT: Carlos Vela (F) - Grade 2 MLS sprain
  • OUT: Tristan Blackmon (D) - undisclosed injury
• Suspended: None
• Suspended after next caution: None
• International duty:  Diego Rossi (F), Brian Rodriguez (F), Jose Cifuentes (M), Diego Palacios (D)

Series Matchup at Rapids

• Rapids: 1 win, 1 goal
• LAFC: 11 win, 3 goals
• 0 draws

Officials

• Referee: Alex Chilowicz
• Assistant Referees: Corey Rockwell, Ian McKay
• 4th Official: Alejandro Mariscal
• VAR: Malik Badawi