San Diego FC look to bounce back against Colorado Rapids
MLS
San Diego FC will host the Colorado Rapids at Snapdragon Stadium for a game in the 2026 MLS regular season this Saturday, August 22.
SDFC is coming off a 3-1 loss against the Portland Timbers away from home.
However, the Azul and Chrome team has won their last three consecutive games at Snapdragon Stadium. The latest was an exciting 3-2 win against Puebla in the Leagues Cup.
Gabriel Pirani scored his first goal with San Diego FC in the loss to Portland. It will be interesting to see how the Brazilian player continues to contribute to this offense.
Mikey Varas rested some key players against the Timbers, like Anibal Godoy and Christopher McVey. Other players like Luca Bombino, Oscar Verhoeve,n and Elias Achouri came off the bench. Varas has needed to shake up his lineup in recent games, as some of these players should once again be in the starting 11.
San Diego continued to play its strong possession-based style against Portland, but failed to be clinical in front of the net. San Diego had 21 shots in the match, but all of that resulted in just one goal for Varas’ squad.
The defense also continues to be a major issue as San Diego has allowed the fourth most goals (32) in the Western Conference. That aspect of the game seems to not to be improving while the offense has severely lacked any consistency.
Colorado is on a hot streak with only one loss in its last five games. The Rapids are currently on a three-game winning streak with victories against LAFC, Kansas City, and Austin.
Colorado’s defense has been the most impressive component in this run of form, with just one goal allowed in these past five games. The Rapids’ backline has been the fourth-best in the Western Conference with 25 goals allowed.
Players like Rob Holding and Reggie Cannon have really been highly consistent in these past few games. Goalkeeper Nicholas Defreitas-Hansen has also been performing at a very consistent pace.
Defreitas-Hansen put in a great effort in Colorado’s 1-0 win against SDFC back on July 22 and has the potential to be key again here.
Rafael Navarro has been the key offensive player for Colorado with 10 goals scored and three assists. Paxten Aaronson has also been a key contributor with four goals and a team-leading five assists.
Colorado is clearly the team in much better form, as this is set to be a very tough task for San Diego FC.
Francisco, 28, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego FC, San Diego Wave. I have covered Liga MX, MLS, Mexico National Team, USWNT, Copa América and European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.