Moïse Bombito made it a game, but the Colorado Rapids were unable to pull back for a point at TQL Stadium against FC Cincinnati. The 2-1 loss, headlined by two moments of Cincinnati excellence, is the first loss for the Rapids in more than a month.
Reigning MLS MVP Luciano Acosta got the scoring started in the 42nd minute when he and Corey Baird connected for a wonderful one-two past Bombito, which Acosta buried to the opposite post with Oliver Larraz hounding him from behind.
It was otherwise a great first half, but the Rapids found themselves with a deficit heading into the locker room.
In the 64th minute, Baird struck for his first goal in a Cincinnati jersey with a chip over Rapids keeper Zack Steffen. Bombito brought the match to within a goal just eight minutes later off of a corner kick, flying to head the ball to the left side of the goal to pull the Rapids within one with around 20 minutes to go. Djordje Mihailovic had the assist.
Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ second loss away from home this season:
Rapids not good enough in possession
It’s not unusual for Colorado to be out-possessed for the duration of a game, and that was definitely the case against Cincinnati, which led the match with just below 58% of the possession.
For much of the season, that hasn’t been a big issue, as the Rapids have typically done well to take advantage of the possession they do get. But against Cincinnati, chances were few and far between, leading to one of their poorest performances of the season in terms of expected goals.
Rapids coach Chris Armas attributed the struggles in possession to unforced errors and “taking the easy road out” by passing back to defenders rather than finding a good forward pass.
For Bombito, the sentiment was similar, but he also noted what needs to improve to gain possession in the first place.
“We have to be better at winning second balls as we’ve done well in the past games. That’s what we’re best at,” Bombito said. “I feel like today’s game was just a bit too frantic, trying to play vertically too quickly. … I feel like if we managed to do that a bit better, the game would look a lot different.”
Vines a bright spot despite questionable listing
Rapids left back Sam Vines had to be subbed off last week against FC Dallas with a head injury and spent the week in concussion protocol. He was questionable heading into the match, but turned out to be a bright spot.
The first glance of his impact was in the opening 10 minutes, when he and fellow USMNT defender DeAndre Yedlin collided for a 50-50 ball, and Yedlin was left on the ground off of a hard, clean shoulder by Vines.
Other than that, he consistently showed off a physical side of himself he hasn’t tapped into yet this year while moving up offensively in different positions than he has for most of the season. In some ways, it was reminiscent of the 2021 Vines, which is great for the Rapids moving forward.
“That first tackle, that first aerial duel, he won those. And I think it did set a tone for him on the night,” Armas said. “Every game, (Vines) has a tough matchup defensively and he comes out ahead a lot. He’s on a good trajectory, he’s moving in the right ways in a lot of plays. … The best is yet to come for the entire group, but it was nice to see him back.”
Tough environment “not an excuse”
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Simply put, Cincinnati can be one of those places where the crowd can easily be intimidating. Constant chanting from fans and boos among the loudest in the league when something doesn’t go their way headline the tough environment the Rapids had to deal with in the loss.
Armas acknowledges and admires the energy, but was clear in not using it as a cop-out for a rough performance.
“Look, they have good fans. We’re human beings out there and it can be intimidating, sure, but I won’t use it as an excuse,” Armas said. “We have to be better. We went to Miami — tough place to play. Seattle, Salt Lake, there’s a list of tough places we’ve gone and we’ve looked unfazed in those moments.”
Colorado will continue its road trip for a game at New York City FC at 2 p.m. Sunday.
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