The Colorado Rapids will try to stretch their unbeaten run to four games when they host Dallas from Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday.
The Rapids came back to draw the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend 1-1, while Dallas are winless in their last three games after suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Portland Timbers.
Match preview
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As they get set to wrap up a four-game homestand on Wednesday, Colorado will have an opportunity to match their longest unbeaten run from 2020 with a win or a draw versus the Toros.
Under Robin Fraser, this team have taken plenty of steps in the right direction, and that has been the case again so far this year as they are currently in fourth in the Western Conference with 21 points after 12 games.
They may be eight points out of first place in the west, but they do have games in hand on most teams in their own conference, so the Burgundy Boys will want to remain sharp as they wrap up the month of July with three games against teams below them in the table before facing Sporting Kansas City.
With 10 players already scoring at least one goal this season and eight different players with an assist, the Rapids have quickly become one of the most balanced offensive units in the league while also being pretty solid defensively, maintaining five clean sheets.
Since the start of July, Colorado have stepped up their game and earned points against some strong squads, holding the league-leading Seattle Sounders to just one shot on target and following that up with a dominant defensive performance against a vastly improved Minnesota United.
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Dallas found yet another way to lose last weekend, conceding in the 84th minute to the Portland Timbers as they dropped into the Western Conference basement with only 11 points so far.
Whatever momentum they gathered from their two-game unbeaten run in late June and early July has quickly evaporated after conceding three goals in less than a half-hour of play against the Galaxy, and then they failed to muster any quality scoring opportunities in Portland.
Another game on the road is not what Luchi Gonzalez and his team need right now, having lost all six of their matches played away from Toyota Stadium, failing to score on four occasions, including the last time they visited Dick's Sporting Goods Park at the end of May when they lost 3-0.
If the Toros want to get out of their current predicament quickly, they will need to be a lot sharper in every facet of the game as they battle four elite Western Conference sides in Colorado, the LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders.
Their biggest weakness has been their defensive shape all season long, as they have rarely looked comfortable at the back, having conceded in every game except their opener at home to Colorado, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
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Team News
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Rapids right-back Steven Beitashour and midfielder Younes Namli have unknown injuries and are unlikely to feature in this midweek encounter.
Defender Sam Vines is having a great Gold Cup so far for the USA, scoring in their opener and starting in a 1-0 win over Canada, while midfielder Kellyn Acosta has featured in the starting 11 in all three group matches for the US and striker Jonathan Lewis started in the opening match for the Americans with Haiti, but he sat out of their last two matches with a minor knock.
Goalkeeper William Yarbrough needs just one more clean sheet to hit 10 all-time for the Rapids, while Diego Rubio is one assist shy of 20 in his MLS career.
Dallas will be missing Matt Hedges with a hip injury, Jose Martinez has a thigh issue, Beni Redzic has an ankle sprain and Kyle Zobeck is suffering from a quad injury.
Midfielder Bryan Acosta is with the Honduran national team for the Gold Cup and played the full 90 minutes in their 3-2 win over Panama.
Franco Jara started as the lone striker in their weekend fixture with the Timbers, his first start since May as Ricardo Pepi moved to the right-wing and Paxton Pomykal played on the left, with Jesus Ferreira operating in central midfield.
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Yarbrough; Rosenbery, Moor, Wilson, Trusty; Bassett, Larraz; Barrios, Rubio, Galvan; Shinyashiki
Dallas possible starting lineup:
Maurer; Hollingshead, Bressan, Burgess, Nelson; Ricaurte, Schon; Pomykal, Ferreira; Jara, Pepi
We say: Colorado Rapids 2-0 Dallas
The Rapids have rarely had an off-game this season, and although they are not the flashiest team offensively, they always seem to find a way to score goals, having been shut out of just one game all year.
Dallas seem to have relapsed into their old habits and have been very predictable in attack over their last two games, while always looking vulnerable to concede.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Colorado Rapids win with a probability of 54.9%. A draw had a probability of 23.6% and a win for Dallas had a probability of 21.53%.
The most likely scoreline for a Colorado Rapids win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.79%) and 2-0 (9.78%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.2%), while for a Dallas win it was 0-1 (6.41%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Colorado Rapids would win this match.
