Two MLS originals were slated to square off Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. Instead, Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids continue to wait out Major League Soccer’s suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fortunately, that won’t stop us from looking back at Sporting’s greatest moments against the Rapids. Considering the fact that Colorado is the most frequent opponent in Kansas City history—the sides have met 78 times in all competitions—the sample to pick from here is massive.
Among Sporting’s 31 all-time victories over the Rapids, we revisit six of the most notable ones in the space below.
Kansas City Wiz 3-0 Colorado Rapids (April 13, 1996)
Alas, the show that started it all. In the inaugural MLS match for both clubs at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Wiz erupted late to claim a 3-0 victory before 21,000 spectators. Digital Takawira bagged a brace and Frank Klopas also found the scoresheet as head coach Ron Newman’s men prevailed comfortably.
Kansas City Wizards 3-2 Colorado Rapids (Sept. 24, 2000)
In his first full year as head coach, Bob Gansler had assembled a defensive buzzsaw. The 2000 Kansas City Wizards remain one of the stingiest sides in MLS history, having earned 16 shutouts in 32 regular season fixtures, and parlayed their solidarity into an MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield double. In the decisive Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, however, offense was the name of the game. Chris Henderson, Miklos Molnar and Francisco Gomez fired Kansas City to a 3-0 lead, rendering Paul Bravo’s late double inconsequential.
Sporting KC 2-0 Colorado Rapids (Nov. 2, 2011)
The first playoff match at Children’s Mercy Park saw Sporting put the finishing touches on a 4-0 aggregate victory in the conference semifinals. Aurelien Collin landed the first punch near the half-hour mark and C.J. Sapong added gloss to the result with a late tally of his own.
Sporting KC 2-1 Colorado Rapids (Aug. 31, 2013)
This dramatic defeat of Colorado set Sporting on an upward path toward claiming the 2013 MLS Cup. Manager Peter Vermes’ men entered the night with losses in four of their previous five games, but a stunning strike from Benny Feilhaber and an 88th-minute Graham Zusi goal propelled the hosts to a much-needed, momentum-shifting win.
Sporting KC 3-2 Colorado Rapids (March 29, 2014)
Less than four months after hoisting the MLS Cup at Children’s Mercy Park, Sporting had begun their championship defense in impressive fashion. This five-goal thriller at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park featured a bevvy of action in the second half, with Zusi and Feilhaber scoring on either side of two successful Vicente Sanchez penalty kicks. With the score knotted at 2-2 in stoppage time, Dom Dwyer came off the bench to provide a last-gasp winner.
Sporting KC 3-1 Colorado Rapids (April 9, 2017)
In a nationally televised battle on FS1, Seth Sinovic scored his long-awaited first regular season goal to lift Sporting to a comfortable triumph. Gerso Fernandes also bagged his first goal in a Sporting uniform, with Dwyer rounding out the scoring in the dying embers.
