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Colorado Rapids Face Do-or-Die Stretch as Playoff Push Intensifies
With the MLS regular season entering its final two months, the Rapids sit on the playoff bubble after a turbulent summer campaign.
How we reported this
The Colorado Rapids are running out of time.
A 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy on July 4 at Dignity Health Sports Park dropped the Rapids to ninth in the Western Conference, one point below the playoff line with 12 games left. The team has not reached the postseason since 2021, when it finished first in the West before falling in the conference semifinals.
Injury Woes and a Stalled Attack
The Rapids’ struggles this season trace directly to the injury list. Designated Player and leading scorer Rafael Navarro has missed five of the last seven matches with a hamstring strain suffered in late May. Without him, the team has managed just six goals in those seven games, a sharp drop from the 1.8 goals per game average they carried through April.
Head coach Chris Armas, now in his second season, has rotated through four different forward combinations since Navarro’s injury. No player has scored more than once in that stretch. The midfield, anchored by captain Jack Price, has generated only two assists since June 1, according to league statistics.
Defensively, the Rapids have been slightly better: they have allowed 1.3 goals per game in the last seven matches, a figure that keeps them competitive but rarely comfortable. The back line has been reshuffled three times since May due to yellow-card accumulation and minor knocks.
Three Games That Could Decide the Season
The Rapids face three consecutive home matches at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City starting July 17, a stretch that could determine whether they make the playoffs or watch from home. The schedule: July 17 against Austin FC, July 20 versus the San Jose Earthquakes, and July 27 hosting the Houston Dynamo.
Austin, San Jose and Houston all sit below the playoff line in the West. Two of them are within five points of the Rapids. That means these are not just winnable games, they are six-point swings in a conference where the margin between seventh place and 12th is eight points.
The Rapids won the season’s first meeting with San Jose, 3-1 on March 30, but lost to Houston 2-0 on April 13 and drew Austin 1-1 on May 11. Those results underline the inconsistency that has plagued this group.
Navarro is expected to return for the Austin match, according to training reports from the club’s YouTube channel, though he has not yet been cleared for full contact work. His presence would be the single biggest boost the Rapids could get. Without him, the team will again rely on midfielder Connor Ronan and winger Omir Fernandez to create chances from deep positions.
After the homestand, the Rapids travel to Seattle on Aug. 3 and host the Los Angeles FC on Aug. 10. Those are the kind of opponents, first and third in the West, respectively, that can expose any weakness.
The club last sold out Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 4, 2023, drawing 17,424 fans. Attendance this season has averaged just over 14,000, reflecting the frustration of a fan base that has watched three consecutive non-playoff seasons.
Playoff tickets for potential home matches have not gone on sale, and the club has not announced any promotional packages. That silence says something: the Rapids know they have to prove themselves first.
They have 12 games to do it.