Like the Colorado Rapids’ performance, Matt Wells’ facial expressions were night and day from a week ago.
Two Rapids offseason additions paid dividends in a 2-0 win in their home opener against the Portland Timbers on Saturday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, spoiling the homecoming of longtime Homegrown Cole Bassett.
Most importantly, the team played much more to Wells’ liking in his ideal system, a vast difference from what he called “unrecognizable” after last weekend’s 2-0 loss at Seattle. Last Sunday, the broadcast showed a perplexed, annoyed Wells who thought his team went missing. Saturday afternoon, he couldn’t keep from raising his hands and clapping every five minutes or so.
“I think the response from last week, the mentality today was much closer to the personality we want. Much, much closer to the identity we want as a team,” Wells said. “Still far from perfect, but there were a lot more elements on show today than there were against Seattle. So we’re pleased with that.”
And for good reason. Unlike the Seattle game, the Rapids didn’t turn the ball over from trying to play out of the back. They created numerous chances (25 shots, 10 on target) and held the majority of possession (55%), taking advantage of the space Portland afforded them.
Hamzat Ojediran, the $3 million midfielder acquired from RC Lens this offseason, opened the club’s 2026 account in the seventh minute. After a corner, Jackson Travis set Ojediran up to recycle the set piece, but the Nigerian instead opted to shoot from north of 25 yards. He wrongfooted Portland keeper James Pantemis and ran away with arms out to the side.
18-year-old center back Lucas Herrington, named Colorado’s Man of the Match, scored in his DSGP debut off a corner kick in the 53rd minute. The youngster, who has started both games so far, used his 6-foot-4 frame to get up for a header on a Dante Sealy — another new Rapid — corner kick.
“It feels great (to score). We’ve been working a lot during the week with our assistant coach, Rob (Burch); he’s been really good helping us turn where the space was,” Herrington said. “That’s where the space was against Portland, and Dante put in a great ball and I just had to finish it off.”
On and off the field, Herrington has pleasantly surprised as one of the additions to the 2026 team with a headspace well beyond his years.
“I think his maturity stands out again for someone of his age, the way he’s dropped in seamlessly, and he’s impressed me so much through preseason,” Wells said of the Australian. “He’s a wonderful character, and he has a good mentality. He’s got all the tools to improve, and he will improve as a player because there’s so many elements that you can continue to work on.”
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Some frustration on Portland’s end seemed to come to a head in the second half. Pantemis got away, perhaps mercifully, with a yellow card after a hard foul on Reggie Cannon out of desperation outside the box in the 73rd minute. Just four minutes later, Jimer Fory was shown red after a challenge on Paxten Aaronson that “endangered the safety of the opponent,” said referee Jair Marrufo after the game.
Colorado couldn’t capitalize scoring-wise up a man, but overall, Colorado looked calmer, more comfortable and knowledgeable within Wells’ system than against Seattle.
“I don’t want to always feel critical, but there were elements there. I don’t think we dominated today,” Wells said. “The chances, obviously, I think 25 shots and 10 on target is a good return, but there are spells of the game we can dominate a lot more, so we’ll keep trying to improve that.”
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