Colorado Rapids bring their 2023 MLS campaign to a merciful end when they play host to Real Salt Lake at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.
Just two years on from clinching the Western Conference title, the Rapids will finish the MLS regular season rooted to the bottom of the table in what has been a truly forgettable season.
Match preview
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In a result that arguably sums up their 2023 MLS campaign, Colorado Rapids could only salvage a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas when the sides squared off at the Toyota Stadium last weekend.
Despite being under the cosh for most of the game, Rafael Navarro's first goal of the season saw the Rapids hold the lead for just 12 minutes before Alan Velasco struck in the 37th minute to
Despite being under pressure for most of the game, Chris Little's men were made to rue their wasteful display in front of goal once again as they squandered a plethora of clear-cut opportunities to get back into the lead.
This has been a recurring theme this season and a major reason behind what is their worst 34-match MLS season as they have scored just 26 goals so far, 11 goals fewer than the second
Heading into the final game of the regular season, Colorado Rapids have won just five of their 33 league matches while losing 16 and claiming 12 draws to sit bottom of the Western Conference table with 26 points.
The Rapids were also completely blown away in the Leagues Cup, where they suffered a group-stage exit following consecutive defeats against Nashville and Mexican outfit Toluca, and could only reach the US Open Cup round of 16 before losing 1-0 to Real Salt Lake back in May.
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It has been a contrasting story on the other side of Utah as Real Salt Lake now begin ramping up preparations for a third consecutive appearance in the playoffs since missing out in 2020.
While the Clarets and Cobalt Real Salt Lake have secured post-season football, they have struggled for results down this stretch of the season as they played out a 2-2 draw against LA Galaxy last time out.
Real Salt Lake found themselves two goals down inside the opening 34 minutes courtesy of strikes from Dejan Joveljic and Douglas Costa but Anderson Julio and Diego Luna found the back of the net to force a share of the spoils.
They head into the season finale on a run of just three wins in their last nine league games, while claiming one draw and losing five, just two losses fewer than they managed in their first 24 games.
While Real Salt Lake will finish the season with the fourth-worst point tally in MLS (23), they boast the best away record in the Western Conference, having picked up 25 points from their 16 games on the road.
Pablo Mastroeni's men currently sit fifth in the Western Conference table, level on 47 points with sixth-placed Vancouver Whitecaps and four points above eighth-placed FC Dallas in the first wildcard spot.
Real Salt Lake head into the final game of the regular season looking to end their two-match winless run and pick up a fourth consecutive victory over Colorado Rapids as they look to extend their dominance over their Utah rivals.
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Team News
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Colorado Rapids will take to the pitch without the services of experienced midfielder Jack Price, who has been sidelined since March through an Achilles tendon injury.
He is joined on the club's injury list by fellow midfielder Sam Nicholson, who has missed the last three matches, while Alex Gersbach is currently recuperating from a tendon injury.
Veteran goalkeeper William Yarbrough has been out of action since picking up a meniscus injury back in August, and will also play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Real Salt Lake also head into the season finale with a lengthy injury list as the likes of Gavin Beavers (groin), Danny Musovski (muscle), and Pablo Ruiz (knee) continue their spells on the sidelines.
Colombian forward Cristian Arango missed the trip to La Galaxy last time out through a hamstring injury and is also out of contention for Saturday's game, while Erik Holt is recuperating from a shoulder issue.
Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:
Ilic; Anderson, Abubakar, Maxso, Gutman; Ronan, Bassett; Lewis, Priso, Harris; Navarro!-- TN -->
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Brody, Silva, Vera, Oviedo; Chang, Ojeda, Palacio, Luna; Julio, Kreilach
We say: Colorado Rapids 1-1 Real Salt Lake
Although Colorado Rapids have nothing to play for as they are assured of finishing rock-bottom in the Western Conference table, they will be looking to end the campaign on a high. Real Salt Lake have already booked their spot in the playoffs, but given their current form on the road, we see them struggling at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park this weekend.
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 44.49%. A win for Real Salt Lake had a probability of 30.25% and a draw had a probability of 25.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Colorado Rapids win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.87%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.13%) and 2-0 (7.53%). The likeliest Real Salt Lake win was 0-1 (7.85%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.97%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 7.9% likelihood.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
