Mihailovic assists three goals in statement win against Vancouver
The Colorado Rapids (8-5-10) dominated the Vancouver Whitecaps (11-5-5) 3-0 Saturday night. Colorado midfielder Djordje Mihailovic assisted three goals en route to a dominating win and the much-needed three table points.
The Rapids elected to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which featured five changes from Wednesday's loss against LAFC. Goalie Zack Steffen made his first start since May after successfully recovering from oblique and knee injuries. The defense was once again altered as Keegan Rosenberry was relegated to the bench.
Eleven minutes into the match, Mihailovic combined with winger Calvin Harris to swiftly get the scoring started. Harris has four goals on the season and has scored in three of his last four starts.
In the 30th minute, Mihailovic assisted another goal after striker Rafael Navarro tapped the ball into the back of the net to extend the Rapids lead to two.
In the final minute of the first half, Colorado winger Ted Ku-DiPietro won a penalty after being chopped down at the top of the box. Navarro took the ensuing kick but was denied by Vancouver keeper Yohei Takaoka. The Rapids have three missed penalties this year, which was a problem that plagued them last season.
Even with the missed penalty, Colorado went into halftime up 2-0 and with every inch of momentum on their side. The Burgundy Boys were able to replicate their first-half success to command the Western Conference’s second-placed team for the full 90 minutes.
In the 59th minute, a Mihailovic corner found the head of defender Andreas Maxsø, who was able to bounce the ball into the net. Mihailovic now holds the team record for most goal contributions for a player in his first two seasons with the club. On a team that has had a roller coaster of a season, the midfielder has proved to be a constant.
“You can say a lot about Djordje Mihailovic and what he has meant to the team,” Colorado head coach Chris Armas said after the win. “The edge he has, the winning mentality, he makes everyone around him better … We have a special player.”
The Colorado defense was able to hold firm and deny the Whitecaps a goal in an instance where a score could have easily altered the game. In his first match back from injury, Steffen was able to make important saves, including a one-on-one chance save against his U.S. Men's National Team teammate Brian White to keep a clean sheet.
“On a night where they threw a lot at us … He [Steffen] looked strong, he's a presence out there.” Armas said.
A win against a top-ranked team like the Whitecaps could be what Colorado needs to finish the season off with good form.
“Proud of the team, they’ve had some tough results lately,” Armas said. “We now have to stick to what we have done; it's all about consistency.”
The Rapids head to Seattle to battle with the Sounders (9-6-6) on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. MT (MLS Season Pass via Apple TV). In their first meeting earlier in the season, they tied 1-1 after Navarro’s late game-winning score was negated due to a controversial foul call.