Coming off a shutout victory in Houston, the Twos are returning home to host Colorado Rapids 2 in the first game of the fall. (Don’t talk to me about the autumnal equinox. It’s fall now.)
Darius Randell’s goal last weekend brought him to seven on the season, and he also leads the club in shots (55) and shots on target (21). Alongside Jakob Friedman and Luke Hille, he’s proven to be a threatening attacking presence on the left and a real leader up front.
With Luciano Pechota providing a steadying midfield presence, plus a solid back four featuring Jack Clarkson and Anderson Farris, the Twos’ lineup has been at its most consistent in recent weeks. They have comfortable depth in every position, including goal. Shootouts aside, the Twos put together an undefeated run in August, and seeing as they’ve beaten Colorado in both of their previous meetings this season, prospects for the weekend look strong.
Colorado is having a tough season. They’re dead last in the West, with just three wins all year. Most recently, they fell at home to Ventura County, though they did manage to beat Real Monarchs 4-1 in their previous contest, behind the strength of four different goal scorers. Josh Copeland leads Rapids 2 in scoring with five goals, and Chris Aquino and Sydney Wathuta are close behind with four apiece. But while they have options in the final third, they’ve struggled to mount a consistent defense and have a goal differential of -22.
With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Twos are on a September sprint to make a push for the newly revamped MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. The postseason now includes a play-in round between the eighth and ninth seeds in each conference, much like Major League Soccer, widening the Twos’ chances of a playoff berth as they now sit in 10th place in the West, a mere three points from seventh.
Colorado — who knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs last year and made it all the way to the finals — have already been eliminated, but this weekend is a chance to play spoiler as the Twos fight for a very important three points. Get your tickets now and head to NSC to see the Twos take on the Rapids at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 5. If you can’t make it to the stadium, tune in live via MLSNEXTPro.com or OneFootball.
