A Night of Firsts – Matchday 24

By Keith Richards

July 8, 2023. Four months after their first home match, 12 matches in total, the Colorado Rapids finally broke through. In a night of firsts, the Rapids tallied their first home win of the season against FC Dallas. Not coincidentally, on the night Drew Moor was enshrined forever in the Colorado Rapids Gallery of Honor, it was the best and most complete game for the Rapids since their 3-1 road win against the LA Galaxy. On this night of firsts, it was not lost on Coach Robin Fraser and his team just how important this home victory was.

Addressing the media after the game, Coach Fraser stated regarding the team’s first home victory on the night of firsts, “Obviously elated to get this monkey off our back of not winning at home but even more than just three points is [I’m] really happy with the performance of the team…. I felt like we’re getting closer and closer to finishing a lot of these attacks and I thought tonight was just, again, a reflection of the mentality of the team that they really came out with real intent. You could see it and how we were not only attacking but, in terms of defending, I thought it was really good all night.”

It wasn’t just the team’s first win at home on the night of firsts, but it was also the first time the Rapids have led at home in league play since May 13th against the Philadelphia Union. Before that, their last home lead was on March 18th against Minnesota United FC. So, a home victory and maintaining a home lead was well overdue.

One first we did not see on this night of firsts was a goal from Darren Yapi. Yapi, 18, came into the season with a lot of hype and expectation. As a homegrown player, excitement and expectations were a little that much more for the 18-year-old forward. Unfortunately, Darren has to open his account with the Rapids and secure that first goal. However, Robin Fraser feels it’s coming.

When I asked Coach Fraser if he feels expectations put on Yapi make him try harder and if he feels a goal will come soon. Robin responded, “Yeah, I think he’s a forward and forwards want to score goals. And I think that’s the bottom line and obviously as a young player who’s breaking into the league, the biggest thing that you can do is score goals and we see all the other work that he’s doing and how diligent he is defensively and his running behind and his willingness to battle.”

Fraser continued, “I know that that’s weighing heavily on him but, as I said, I know it’s coming, and in the meantime, he’s getting better in every facet of his game…. All the things that we as coaches really, really appreciate that we see him getting better and better at. We’re so excited about his progress. But I know that as a young forward, you want to score goals, and I think his time will come for sure.”

The night of firsts also produced two first goals of the season for Braian Galvan and Andreas Maxso. It was Galvan’s first goal since August 14, 2021, and his first since returning from injury. The goal came from the penalty spot with an audacious and cheeky Panenka, which delighted everyone. Maxso’s first goal was his first since joining Colorado this season. He headed home a perfectly placed corner from Connor Ronan and you could see his excitement and relief to open his account.

I asked Robin how he feels Andreas has impacted the team in his first year leading up to, and after, the night of firsts. Fraser stated, “I think Maxso is a really, really experienced defender who’s seen a lot of different scenarios. He was a captain at Brondby and won a championship there. He carries himself with a certain level of composure at all times. I think it’s important for center backs to have that sort of demeanor.”

Coach continued to say, “My feeling when I look at him is that he’s a center back who knows how to win. And I feel like I’m sure it’s been frustrating for him as it is for everyone else around here in terms of how the results have gone. But even in spite of it, his demeanor doesn’t change. He trains hard every day, he’s very serious and he’s cerebral in how he approaches the game.”

The last big thing on the night of firsts was the first start for defender Andrew Gutman. The Rapids just acquired Gutman Wednesday from Atlanta United FC. For Andrew, the Rapids exchanged $300,000 in GAM in 2023, $100,00 in GAM in 2024, and a 2023 international roster spot. The deal includes an additional $150,000 in GAM if Gutman meets certain performance marks.

From the beginning, Gutman showed his quality. Even though he’s only played once at altitude and just arrived Wednesday, Andrew still played the full 90 minutes of the match. If you ask any player that has played in Commerce City, they will tell you that’s an extremely hard thing to do. Immediately, Andrew Gutman showed what he’s capable of both offensively and defensively.

I asked Andrew where he thinks he will fit in with the team and how he thinks he can help the team to improve as the season progresses after the night of firsts. Gutman responded, “I think just a little bit of experience and leadership. You know, certain moments of the game, how to manage it. You know, just being a solid player defensively and getting forward…and we still have almost half a season left to play. Anything can happen. You know, I’ve been on teams where we’ve won seven in a row and we’ve shot into the playoffs. So, just continuing to believe, continuing to push and train hard and hopefully we can turn the season around.”

Indeed, it was the first night in a long time that the Rapids and fans both left Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in high spirits on the night of firsts. The road doesn’t get much easier from here though. It starts Wednesday when Colorado continues their match against the Portland Timbers. Only the second half will be played as the first half was completed before the match was rained out. As Coach Fraser put it, “It will be intense,” but the Rapids have to feel confident they can win after last night’s performance.

Team NBS will be in the building Wednesday night when the Rapids resume their match against Portland. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for live updates of the match. Don’t forget to refresh your Rapids gear and check out our other futbol content as well!