Colorado Rapids win 3-1 against Houston Dynamo

By Javier Arellano | May 15, 2021

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - The Colorado Rapids made it three wins in a row with tonight’s 3-1 victory over Houston Dynamo. The last time they accomplished this streak dates back to November 8, 2020, ironically against this Texas team. 

A possession-oriented Colorado Rapids side took control of the game early on, pinging it around the back line and into the playmakers. Acosta and Bassett continuously found Barrios and Shinyashiki on the flanks despite the opponent sitting in deep. 

“Houston came in and their game plan was to make it really difficult for us, and playing the back five, they did a good job of taking away a lot of the spaces that we generally want to attack,” said Colorado Rapids Head Coach Robin Fraser. “But I thought our team did a really good job of being patient and moving the ball early in the game, and as a result, we were able to create some good chances and obviously score some good goals,” he added. 

Two of the goals scored tonight were from Colorado soccer products who had a memorable night. Cole Bassett (Littleton, CO) and Sam Vines (Colorado Springs, CO) not only started and played the full 90 minutes, but they performed a significant role in the 3-1 Rapids win by each scoring a goal.

Vines opened up the scoreboard at the 29th minute when Barrios played a ball across the 18-yard box for the Colorado Springs native to one-time it into the back of the net. “I just want to contribute the best I can. Obviously, I’m a defender so I have to defend first, but the system that we play now gives me more freedom to go forward and help with the attack,” said Vines following the game.

As for Bassett, his tenacity and relentless work rate paid dividends right before halftime.

“He (Bassett) is constantly looking for it and the goal tonight was obviously a culmination of those two things: his willingness to work defensively and his desire to be in front of the goal,” said Head Coach Robin Fraser. 

The memorable night continued for another Colorado player. 19-year-old midfielder Oliver Larraz (Denver, CO) made his professional MLS debut in the 89th minute coming in for captain Jack Price, a milestone Larraz has earned since being involved with the first team. 

“It actually goes back to about a year ago when Ollie first started training with us. He made an impression pretty quickly within the team and the guys have a lot of trust and faith in him, so it was good for him to come in this year as a signed player, start preseason, go through a preseason, go through some of the ups and downs,’ said Head Coach Robin Fraser. “He can do a lot of things with the ball and he’s got a really good soccer mind, so it was good for him to get on the field today and he certainly did well with the few minutes that he had.”

Up next, the Rapids will travel to Los Angeles to take on LAFC on Saturday, May 22, 2021. The game is set to kick-off at 8:30 PM MDT. 

Final Score

Colorado Rapids – 3 

Houston Dynamo – 1 

Scoring Summary

COL – Sam Vines (Barrios) 29’ 

COL – Diego Rubio (Barrios) 36’ 

HOU – Christian Ramirez (Lundkvist) 39’ 

COL – Cole Bassett (unassisted) 42’