Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2020 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 22
Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Dick's Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City
November 1 – 9:00 PM ET

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; on DAZN in Canada

LOCAL TV: Altitude, JOEtv, Amazon Prime Video [SEA region only]

Major League Soccer's announcement that qualification for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs will be determined by points per game has moved the Colorado Rapids above the playoff line in the Western Conference and they aim to stay there, and snap a two-game losing streak, when they host the first-place Seattle Sounders Sunday night.

The Rapids (5W-6L-4D) are coming off a 2-1 loss to Minnesota United, but are eighth in the West, averaging 1.27 points per game, better than Vancouver's 1.14 PPG. The Sounders (10W-4L-5D) moved atop the West, ahead of Sporting KC on points per game following a 2-0 win over Vancouver Tuesday night.

This will be the Rapids first game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park since a 5-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sept. 23.

Colorado Rapids

Andre Shinyashiki leveled for the Rapids, canceling out Robin Lod's goal late in the first half. But a Lalas Abubakar own goal at the death resulted in a devastating 2-1 defeat to Minnesota United Wednesday night.

"The result is disappointing," Robin Fraser said after the match. "Some of the play was so good and we felt we could have gotten more out of this game for sure. One of the big things is to look at how not sharp we were three or four days ago and then to look at our performance tonight, you really feel like the players are climatizing again and getting their legs under them."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Kortne Ford (D) - knee injury
- OUT: Collen Warner (M) - undisclosed injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Lalas Abubakar (D), Jack Price (M)
International duty: None

Seattle Sounders FC

Raul Ruidiaz made his triumphant return to the Sounders lineup after testing positive for COVID-19 while with Peru on international duty, scoring the decisive goal to help lead Seattle to a 2-0 win over the Whitecaps Tuesday at Providence Park. Gustav Svensson and Xavier Arreaga also returned from quarantines after stints with their national teams to help extend the Sounders' unbeaten streak to three matches as the team clinched a playoff berth for a 12th consecutive season.

"It's obviously a big moment for the club," Brian Schmetzer said after the match. "I'd like to push that back, even in the USL days and NASL days, this club's always been a winning club. It's something that is within the DNA, the culture of our club. I reminded the players before the game about the great players we've had at this club, and what does it take to make it to the playoffs, and other sports franchises and how, and asking them questions so that they can reflect on the job that they do.

"What I would come back with is the reason why we've been in the playoffs for 12 straight years — obviously Sigi [Schmid] laid a great foundation, very grateful for that — but the reason why the club has made it 12 years in a row is that the players always are committed to themselves, they're committed to their teammates, they're committed to the fans. And it's that type of culture that can drive, that can be successful, that can win championships. That's what we have with the Sounders, that's what what we have with this particular group."