Rapids Secure First Win of the Season, Defeat Austin FC 0-1 on the Road to Remain Unbeaten in MLS to Start 2025

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MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Secure First Win of the Season, Defeat Austin FC 0-1 on the Road to Remain Unbeaten in MLS to Start 2025

March 9, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


The Colorado Rapids (1-0-2, 5 pts.) remain unbeaten to start the 2025 MLS season after defeating Austin FC (1-2-0, 3 pts.) 0-1 on the road at Q2 Stadium. Rafael Navarro found the back of the net for the second match in a row for the Rapids' lone goal in the victory. Colorado is now unbeaten through their first three MLS regular season matches for the fifth time in club history and for the first time since 2015.

Notables

The Rapids are unbeaten through their first three matches to start the MLS regular season for the fifth time in club history and for the first time since 2015. F Rafael Navarro recorded his third goal of the season and the 19th of his MLS career. Navarro has now recorded five goals in his six appearances in the state of Texas (Houston Dynamo FC, FC Dallas, Austin FC). Navarro has now recorded a goal in consecutive matches for the fourth time in his Rapids career. M Djordje Mihailovic recorded his second assist of the season and the 52nd of his MLS career. GK Zack Steffen recorded his second clean sheet of the season and the 31st of his MLS career. D Keegan Rosenberry made his 170th start for the Rapids in tonight's match, tying Chris Henderson for the third-most MLS regular season starts of any player in club history. D Andreas Maxsø made his first appearance of the season after being sidelined with an injury in preseason. D Anderson Rosa made the second appearance of his Rapids career. The Rapids 2 defender played the match on his fourth and final Short-Term Agreement with the First Team.

COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH CHRIS ARMAS

On the match...

"It's a big three points on the road. We have been hunting for those points. I think it was a gutsy performance by our guys on the road. Another fairly strong performance on the road against a good team that is hard to break down. Nico [Estevez] has got them playing some good stuff and we knew that it'd be a tough one. I'm really proud of the guys to come on the road and get a clean sheet. We attacked on the night, we stayed aggressive, we tried to be the aggressors, and our boys got rewarded for that. In so many ways, it was mature. In St Louis, it was 0-0. Here, 1-0 on the road. I think it's something we're going to build upon. To get the first victory in the MLS season on the road in that manner is a big, big step for us."

On the team's performances on the road this season...

"C oming out on the road is never easy. Home games are not easy in this league. I coached 34 MLS games last year and they were 34 tough games. We won one on the road, 3-0 in San Jose, and they hit the post two or three times. Every game is difficult, and that's the first thing. Of course, we have a match plan. We have principles of play, which are our reference point of how we do things and behave. But most importantly, is that we play every match, and that we're the protagonist and we go after it. We're aggressive. We play with intensity and the energy always has to be there. If we don't have that, then we don't know where to go from there. So, the fact that we're developing an ability to ramp it up, as I say. If you watch Liverpool these days, they're a team that understands when that whistle blows, that it's on. Our guys did that tonight. They did this tonight. Djordje Mihailovic, Rafa Navarro ran hard through the 100th minute, whatever it was, and that's what winning looks like. Does it always equal a win? No. But I'm glad that the guys get to experience that emptying of the tank, that commitment to the way we play, that proactiveness and energetic football, and get rewarded. So only results like this can do that, and we'll build from it. There's lots of take we can learn and build on."

COLORADO RAPIDS MIDFIELDER DJORDJE MIHAILOVIC

On the match...

"First win of the season in the league. It's great for us. It was coming, especially after the last game against Dallas, we felt like we deserved that win. A few mistakes cost us three points, but the team bounced back, and we came to a very difficult place, plus a shutout away with the win. That is going to be very rare in this league. It always has been to get three points and a shut out on the road, but for 90 minutes we pushed, and the effort is what got us the win."

On the team's press...

"It's the second time we were playing in this kind of structure with me on the left and three sixes/eights. It definitely helps us with a bit more cover in the midfield. Pressing with the front three, instead of just a front two with me and Rafa. We go into these games with the mentality like we're playing at home. In the game against Dallas, we pressed very well from the start. Of course, the game didn't go the way we wanted against Dallas, but here, we came into the away game with the same mentality that we're going to put the team under pressure, give them as little time on the ball as we can, and force them into mistakes. There were a few moments in the beginning of the game where I picked the ball off their number six and tried to slip Rafa off and doesn't come off same. We put pressure on the center backs and the goalkeeper to force mistakes, and some of them could lead to goals. If we keep that idea throughout the season, we're definitely going to score a lot of goals coming off of a high press."

- ColoradoRapids.com | @ColoradoRapids -

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