Colorado Rapids eyeing return to home form against Minnesota United

For the Colorado Rapids, a return home this weekend is a chance to build on their success on the road this year and atone for their previous appearance at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Last time that they were in their home kit, the Rapids fell 3-1 to Austin FC in a disappointing result against an expansion side. On the road, the Rapids have been strong, with a scoreless draw against FC Dallas to start the season and a 1-0 win at the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.

Now with Minnesota United coming into town, the Rapids are looking to get their home form back in front of their home fans.

“Obviously, we didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked to last time [at home against Austin] and certainly looking forward to the opportunity to once again showcase who we are,” Colorado Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said this week during media availability.

“Having said that, Minnesota is a very good team. They have some very good players. The fact that they haven’t won yet is really irrelevant; they’re still a very good team. We’re going to need to be really sharp in all areas of the field.”

The Rapids are currently 1-1-1 (4 points) to start the season.

After conceding three goals in their last home outing, the Colorado Rapids are looking to tap into their road form where they have had two shutouts in as many games to start the season. The defense has emerged as a possible identity for this team that has several young players in their Starting XI but also some intriguing veteran talent in the final third.

For Minnesota United, the start to the season has been a struggle. This is a surprise given their finish last year when they got hot in the playoffs and were just minutes away from MLS Cup.

Minnesota has had a rough start to the season, the only club in MLS without a result to start the season. They started the season with a 4-0 loss at the Seattle Sounders, the side that beat them in the Western Conference Finals. They followed that with consecutive losses to Real Salt Lake (2-1) and then last week to Austin FC (1-0).

Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer