Paxten Aaronson scored two goals, and Rafael Navarro contributed a goal and an assist, leading the Colorado Rapids to a 4-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City, Kansas, on Saturday.
Wayne Frederick netted the go-ahead goal during first-half stoppage time, with Darren Yapi providing an assist for the Rapids, who now have a record of 3-2-0 and 9 points.
Shapi Suleymanov scored for Sporting KC, which has 4 points and a record of 1-3-1, with an assist from Calvin Harris.
Just before halftime, Dante Sealy’s corner kick was initially blocked by SKC goalkeeper John Pulskamp. However, he lost his balance and fell into the net, allowing Frederick to score from the rebound, giving Colorado a 2-1 lead.
Aaronson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, chipping a pass from Yapi over Pulskamp to make it 1-0 for the Rapids.
Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen, returning from a shoulder injury, made an impressive kick save against Dejan Joveljic in the 15th minute. In the 19th minute, the Rapids had two close attempts, but both were saved by Pulskamp.
Suleymanov equalized for SKC with a left-footed shot from Harris’ assist in the 44th minute.
Early in the second half, Steffen saved another attempt from Suleymanov, preventing a dangerous shot from just outside the box. Navarro then extended Colorado’s lead with a sliding goal in the 71st minute, making it 3-1.
Colorado added a fourth when Navarro assisted Aaronson for his second goal in the 75th minute, bringing the score to 4-1.
The match started with some tension, as Manu Garcia received a yellow card in the fifth minute for blocking a Colorado free kick. Although the match settled, both teams received three yellow cards each. Colorado committed 21 fouls compared to SKC’s 17, and the Rapids also led with 9 shots on target against SKC’s 3.