By Emor Villa
The match ended in a whirlwind, as Brazilian striker Rafael Navarro scored twice to lead the Colorado Rapids to a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Santos Laguna on Thursday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The win gave Colorado a valuable three points to kick off their Leagues Cup 2025 campaign.
Despite dominating the first half, the Rapids couldn’t find the net. They created at least five clear chances—one shot struck the post, while others forced the Santos defense and goalkeeper into tough saves. The pressure even led to a VAR check that overturned what would have been Colorado’s opening goal.
Santos Laguna came out with renewed energy after the break and took the lead through a spectacular overhead kick by 23-year-old midfielder Jordan Carrillo, who capitalized on a loose ball near the penalty spot.
But the night belonged to Navarro. The Brazilian forward turned the game around in the second half with his movement and precision inside the box. First, he slotted home the equalizer in the 62nd minute off a swift counterattack assisted by Calvin Harris. Then, in the closing stages, Djordje Mihailovic delivered a pinpoint free kick into the box, and Navarro finished it clinically to complete the comeback.
The match ended with tempers flaring. A late brawl resulted in Santos Laguna goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo being shown a red card just three minutes before full time. Despite the victory, the Rapids remain outside the top four in the MLS standings for Phase One and will need a strong showing—and more goals—on Sunday when they face their next Liga MX opponent, Club Tijuana (Xolos).
REACTIONS:
- Colorado Head Coach Chris Armas
- "We give a lot of credit to Santos Laguna, and that’s why we love this Leagues Cup. We know the level that all Mexican and MLS teams have, it’s a great challenge indeed”.
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH:
- Colorado:
- Rafael Navarro was dangerous all night, he scored two second half goals to seal the win
- Santos Laguna:
- Jordan Carrillo scored Santos Laguna's lone goal of the night
GAME NOTES
- Rafael Navarro notched his second brace of the season, he now has 6 goals in his last 7 games
- Colorado starts a Leagues Cup tournament for the first time, they had lost to Nashville in 2023 (2-1) and to Portland in 2024 (4-0)
- Colorado gets their first win vs Santos, they had lost their first two meetings by a combined score of 6-1
- Santos Laguna losses their 3rd straight game and 9 out of the last 10
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards
- Colorado: Reggie Cannon, Djordje Mihailovic
- Santos Laguna: Jesús Ocejo, Franco Fagúndez, Diego Medina, Ronaldo Prieto, Javier Guemez
- Red Cards
- Santos Laguna: Carlos Acevedo
LOOKING AHEAD
- Colorado's next match will be against Tijuana on August 3rd
- Santos Laguna's next match will be against Seattle on August 3rd
