Keys against D.C. United: Rapids Need “Ruthless” Mentality on Sunday

September 4, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Colorado Rapids News Release

When the Colorado Rapids take the pitch Sunday evening in Washington D.C., they’ll be taking on a United team that hasn’t yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention but is nearing the necessary arithmetic.

Sitting on 25 points in 2022, it has been a disappointing season for the black and red. In total, they’ve had three different managers this year. They began the season with Argentinian coach Hernan Losada as the full-time gaffer. He was let go in the spring and replaced by interim manager Chad Ashton. On July, 12th, Wayne Rooney returned to DCU to take on the full-time role. After a month on the job, the Englishman has guided DC to a 2-5-1 record.

But Wayne Rooney didn’t take over in late July to make the playoffs in 2022. It would have been a nice bonus to be sure, but he’s here to institute a culture overhaul, navigate multiple transfer windows and return D.C. United to MLS prominence. In a lot of ways, the end of 2022 mirrors the end of Colorado’s 2019 season. Robin Fraser’s first match in charge was in August, and the Rapids narrowly missed the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. But they entered the off-season knowing they had the answer at the helm, the talent on the roster, and knew what they needed to do to make the playoffs in 2020 (which they did).

Along with Wayne Rooney, D.C. added Premier League striker Christian Benteke. The 31-year-old Belgian played 162 matches at Crystal Palace in London, and played for Liverpool and Aston Villa before that. He’s scored at the World Cup, so he’ll likely have little issue scoring in MLS when he adjusts to the league. He made his first appearance as a second-half sub in D.C.’s last match, a road victory over New York City FC. He may make his first start Sunday evening.

While D.C. have had a lackluster 2022 and are looking longterm towards a brighter 2023, they have games left to play, and as NYC learned midweek, this D.C. team can still pack a punch. So here’s how the Rapids can get three points and push for the postseason.

1) Bottle Benteke

He didn’t start Wednesday night against NYC, but he’d just joined United days before. With playoffs a long way off, I am assuming manager Wayne Rooney will be looking to get Benteke minutes right away. He’ll want to build for 2023, getting Benteke acclimated to his new teammates and life in MLS. And with Benteke in the lineup, DCU becomes a different team than who they were before…