The Colorado Rapids are in uncharted territory.
Friday at 7:30 p.m., they’ll take on Liga MX side FC Juárez at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the Leagues Cup round of 32, their first go-around in the knockout stage of the competition. In a wild win over Club León on Monday, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic returned from the Olympics as a sub, trading a head of hair for sharper play despite not being fully adjusted back to Mountain Time.
He’s had a few more days to acclimate, but it’s unclear whether he’ll start against Juárez. Either way, the Rapids are a much better team whenever he’s on the pitch.
Here are three notes heading into the Leagues Cup knockouts:
Locker room in high spirits
After using a last-minute goal and a penalty shootout to beat Club León on Monday, goalkeeper Zack Steffen — who had seven saves in regulation and two more during the shootout — said the team is in high spirits.
In many ways, the sour taste of a 4-0 Leagues Cup opening loss to Portland was washed away, and something akin to the sweetness of a Rocky Mountain Cup victory a week earlier has been restored.
“The vibes are good, the boys are feeling good,” Steffen said. “We’re healthy, confident and focused. We’re just excited for another game.”
Steffen approaching short week as “just another one”
A close second for confidence levels is forward Rafael Navarro, who scored his first goal in eight games to send the Rapids to penalties against León, but Steffen had his best game of the season by far.
A performance like his against León is hard to come by, but even harder to replicate, particularly after a short week’s rest and in a must-win game.
But the Rapids have played in almost as many games with short rest as they have with adequate rest this season. So Steffen’s approach and message to the team is simple.
“It’s just another game, just another short week,” Steffen said. “So just getting recharged after the last game and having a good training today and getting your mind right for tomorrow. We’re just excited for another chance to play, especially at home in front of our fans against an opponent we don’t know.”
Juárez another unique challenge
Rapids coach Chris Armas can scout and analyze Juárez all he wants. But given the short week and the total unfamiliarity of the opponent, he says this game is more about his own team and the way it plays.
Still, the way the two teams counteract each other should make for interesting theater.
Juárez likes to keep possession while the Rapids do what they can to absorb pressure and win the ball back as quickly as possible. Juárez can counter-press well, but the Rapids are as good in transition as just about anyone they play.
In many ways, it almost seems like the two teams were built to face each other from a stylistic point of view.
“We use our principles to try to counteract their principles,” Armas said. “Mauricio (Barbieri), the coach there, he’s done a really nice job. The team plays well and as we saw, even against MLS opposition, they’re more than capable. We’ll have our hands full, but we love the challenge. “
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