Considering how poorly things went for the Colorado Rapids in their most recent match, Nashville SC appear in good position to continue their recent surge.
Nashville eyes a season-high third straight victory while trying to keep the visiting Rapids winless over their fifth consecutive match on Wednesday night.
A little more than a week ago, Nashville (10-9-9, 39 points) was mired in an 0-3-3 rut and outside playoff position in the Western Conference. Then Nashville rolled to a 4-0 home victory over FC Dallas on Aug. 21, and followed with Saturday’s 3-0 triumph at Vancouver.
“We always knew how good (of) a soccer team we are,” said Nashville’s Jack Maher, who scored his first two goals of the season Saturday. “We’ve been consistent in that tough time, and we realize the bounces weren’t going our way … Now, it’s good to be trending in the right direction.”
Colorado (8-11-8, 32 points), meanwhile, continues to slide following a disastrous 6-0 loss at Philadelphia on Saturday, during which it played with 10 men following a second yellow card to Gustavo Vallecilla in the 34th minute.
The Rapids, looking to fight their way above the playoff line in the West, have totaled just three goals during their current 0-2-2 stretch.
“You can lose 1-0 or you can lose 10-0 — it’s still a loss and we put it behind us,” Colorado forward Gyasi Zardes said. “We have to win (Wednesday). There’s nothing less than three points.”
Colorado, however, is just 1-9-3 this season on the road, with that lone victory coming 5-4 at the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 2.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s Diego Rubio (12 goals) saw his three-match goal streak come to an end Aug. 17 in a 2-1 loss to Vancouver. He scored during the Rapids’ 3-1 home loss to Nashville in May.
Nashville star Hany Mukhtar recorded two of his team-leading 16 goals at Colorado. Mukhtar has posted four goals and five of his 11 assists on the season over his last four league contests.
–Field Level Media
