Diego Rubio scored his team-leading third goal of the season, Jonathan Lewis added his first of the year off the bench and the Colorado Rapids completed a smash-and-grab 2-0 victory to spoil FC Cincinnati's first game before a full-capacity crowd at TQL Stadium on Saturday night.
Rubio's goal arrived in the 21st minute, striking home near the penalty-kick spot after Michael Barrios was played over the top by Danny Wilson. Barrios rounded Cincinnati goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer, then laid off for Rubio's one-timed finish.
Lewis then doubled Colorado's lead with a tight-angle shot in the 72nd minute. Jack Price picked out the winger's darting run on the left side of the penalty area, allowing Lewis to catch Vermeer off guard with his quick shot.
Colorado goalkeeper William Yarbrough made seven saves to preserve his fourth shutout of the year, helping the visitors win five of their last six games. Yarbrough also shook off a nasty-looking collision with Isaac Atanga early in the second half to remain in the match.
Cincinnati generated a flurry of late chances, with Jurgen Locadia and Brandon Vazquez forcing Yarbrough into stops and Alvaro Barreal striking the crossbar with a header. Locadia also had a stoppage-time effort from close range blocked.
But the Rapids already led by multiple goals, while FCC marched to a third straight defeat at their new home.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: This was a game that exposed both the value and the shortcomings of the expected goals (xG) metric that has become so popular in soccer. Colorado's 0.4 xG was an accurate reflection of the lack of chances they created, but ruthlessness allowed the visitors to cede possession and absorb pressure. While Cincy created 2.1 xG, none of their chances had more than an 11% probability of being scored until Locadia's blocked effort deep into second-half stoppage time.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Against the run of play, Jack Price played a gorgeous through-ball into the path of Jonathan Lewis. He had a lot left to do before guiding a low finish into the far-side netting.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Kellyn Acosta. While Yarbrough made seven saves, Acosta was a major reason most of those were relatively simple ones. Acosta led his side with four tackles, tied for the team lead with 18 duels (winning half) and completed more than 88% of his passes.
Up Next
- CIN: Wednesday, June 23 at Chicago Fire FC | 8 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- COL: Wednesday, June 23 at Sporting Kansas City | 8:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
