WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: COLORADO RAPIDS
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a match preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Opponent: Colorado Rapids
KICKOFF time: 8:39 PM US Central Time
Location: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado
Austin FC starting XI vs the Houston Dynamo away from home MLS Match Day 18. Photo courtesy of Chris Rodriguez (RDZFLICKZ)
History vs. Austin FC:
Austin FC are 4-2-5 against the Colorado Rapids, including 3-0-3 in Denver. Last season they won this fixture 2-0 thanks to a goal from Mikkel Desler and an OG by Colorado’s Rafael Navarro.
Recent Matches:
Colorado lost at St Louis CITY 1-0 last weekend thanks to an early (and deserved) red card on Rob Holding. They have alternated wins and losses in their past six matches and currently are in 13th in the Western Conference.
Players to Watch:
Lucas Herrington
The 18-year-old Australian has been a starter for Colorado all season and was a starter in the MLS All-Star game. He also played for Australia in the World Cup but, unfortunately, missed a penalty against Egypt that led to their elimination.
Paxton Aaronsen
Former Philadelphia Union Academy product has stayed in MLS while his brother Brendan continues to bounce around European clubs. Colorado uses him as an attacking midfielder behind their front three, leveraging his work rate and versatility to link the rest of the team to the attack. He leads the team in assists with 4.
Rafael Navarro
Since coming to the Rapids mid-season in 2023 from Palmeiras, he has scored 36 goals in 92 matches, leading them in goals in 2024, 2025, and so far in 2026 (and has three assists).
Keys to the Match:
Tactics
Davy Arnaud took over as interim manager after the firing of Nico Estévez, and after two matches we have seen some notable differences in how the team plays. Like with all changes, some work and some don’t.
Against Houston, Austin attempted to press higher up the pitch, putting pressure on a weak back line and goalkeeper. Unfortunately, that didn’t mesh as the pressure wasn’t enough to force difficult passes or limit Houston getting their heads up, and it left Austin’s high backline (forced higher to maintain line discipline) with space against faster Houston attackers that was exploited time and again. With Jon Bell and Mikkel Desler out again, Austin does not have the pace to try and match speed with this Colorado team, even more so at altitude, much like they didn’t after not rotating following one of the hottest matches in club history on Wednesday.
As was discussed on this week’s Suffering From Joy, Davy’s love of inverted wide players (when a player on the right side but prefers their left foot, or vice versa) was on full display. He used Jon Gallagher on the left, which kept him wanting to cut back inside to deliver crosses, and Joseph Rosales on the right. Austin fans recognized the lack of attack and “verticality” the team had, and this was a big reason for it. The extra second for Gallagher to get the ball on his preferred foot allows defenders to get into position and set up to defend crosses if they come.
Every strategy can work assuming it has the correct players and/or opponent, and inverting wingers is something we see all over the world. It’s designed to get players cutting inside to link with their striker or allow fullbacks to overlap their runs to get to the byline. Austin did neither of those things because they also inverted their fullbacks along with it, negating any advantage the tactic would gain. To get better service into the box, let them get to the byline and hit first-time crosses against defenses not already in position.
“I wasn’t aware of that”
In the post-game press conference after another embarrassing away loss, Phil West of Verde All Day (please subscribe if you don’t already) asked Davy Arnaud if he was aware Austin is the only MLS team without a win on the road this season. He gave the above answer, and this is inherently disqualifying for a coach at any level, especially for one who has been with the club since its first season. Austin’s road issues, as I’ve mentioned, are a cultural issue that has to be solved for this team to get any kind of real success. While the team showed more second-half life than in other away losses, it was still a 3-0 loss on the road to one of our rivals. Davy Arnaud is a career assistant who is not considered for MLS head coaching jobs, and we are seeing why.
Prediction:
Austin FC: 2
Colorado Rapids: 1
WRITTEN BY: SCOTT SPECHT
