COMMERCE CITY, Colo – After nearly a month away of unsuccessful league play on the road, the Colorado Rapids (4-6-1, 13 points, ninth in the Western Conference) will return home to DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Saturday, May 9, to face off against Western Conference opponent, St. Louis CITY SC (1-6-3, 6 points, 14th in the Western Conference), with doors opening at 6:30 p.m and kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT.
Though making two home appearances for The Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup tournament matchups in past weeks, the Colorado team has yet to return to DSGP since April 11. In the early April match, the Rapids showcased dominance, defeating Houston Dynamo FC 6-2 in fulltime.
“It does feel like a long time,” head coach Matt Wells said. “Always excited to play every week, but even more excited to play at home in front of our fans in the stadium where we also have a lot of confidence here, we have a great record and obviously the intention is to keep that going against St. Louis.”
Searching to maintain their perfect Commerce City record this season, the Rapids enter Saturday unbeaten at home with a 5-0-0 record across all competitions while outscoring opponents 15-5. The club’s only Colorado loss this season came against Inter Miami CF during the club’s 30th anniversary celebration match, though hosted at downtown Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High rather than Rapids home turf.
Their most recent home victories came in the U.S. Open Cup action, where Colorado defeated Union Omaha and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to secure a spot in next week’s quarterfinal round.
Following the Open Cup victory over the Switchbacks, the Rapids traveled to face Houston Dynamo FC once again last weekend, for the clubs second meet of the season.
In a physical and lengthy battle, Houston defeated Colorado with a single goal to claim the win and avoid a sweep. A late goal in the 72nd minute from Dynamo winger Lawrence Ennali left Colorado unsuccessful.
St. Louis enters Saturday’s contest still searching for momentum early in the season and hoping to turn around their current record. Only managing one victory throughout its opening 10 matches, the Missouri team has not won a regular season match since March 21.
For Colorado, most eyes remain on Designated Player Rafael Navarro, who has continued to impress as one of both the Rapids and MLS’ top performers this season. Currently leading the league with 11 goal contributions, The Brazilian striker has recorded seven goals and four assists, earning two Team of the Matchday selections and one Player of the Matchday honor thus far this season.
Navarro remains close to numerous Rapids goals. He currently is two goals shy of tying John Spencer for fifth place on the club’s all-time goals list and one multi-goal game away from tying Paul Bravo for the most multi-goal games in club history.
The teams have yet to face each other this season, though the Rapids secured positive results in both meetings against St. Louis last season, finishing the series with one win and one draw. During the home win, Homegrown forward Darren Yapi scored the game-winning goal.
Early this week, Yapi signed a new U-22 Initiative player contract, signing him to the team through the 2028-29 MLS Season with club option for 2029-30
A busy week for Yapi was concluded with an additional meet and greet Wednesday at F1 Arcade Denver. Allowing committed fans to engage with homegrown talent and understand the Rapids club pathway, Coloradans and members of the Rapids academy battled the snow to meet the standout 21-year-old.
Having made 116 appearances across all competitions since his Rapids debut in March of 2022, the Rapids Academy product, became the youngest player in club history at the time to sign a professional contract. He has held additional records, becoming the youngest player in club history to score a brace and currently ranks second in goals among Rapids Homegrown players in club history with 13. He has currently recorded three goals and two assists throughout the 2026 season, momentum that is expected to carry on throughout the remainder of the year.
“Darren has made a really positive start to the season and continues to grow into a more complete front line player for us,” Wells said. “He has the right level of ambition and we believe he has so much more growth to come, so we’re looking forward to continuing to work with him.”
Still in his first season with the Rapids, Wells has showcased his impact on the young club, though things seemed rocky looking forward to this week. Describing nearly a quarter of the team as “half injured” last week, fans are eager to see whether player availability has an impact on Saturday’s competition. Updated player availability has yet to be posted.
Though lineups remain questionable, typical traditions will be present at this week’s match. Whether looking forward to pre-game fireworks and pyrotechnics the teams return home will bring the energy. Rapids Academy high school graduates will also be honored during halftime, with a celebration of their success and introduction into their post-graduate plans.
