Cole Bassett Return- Rapids Home Opener vs Portland Preview

Commerce City, CO– It’s the home opener for the Colorado Rapids, who will face another Cascadia team after a weird first game for Matt Wells. It wasn’t pretty in Seattle, on the scoreline or on the field. It will have to be a lot better against Portland Timbers, who will have a familiar face in their midfield. It is a quick return to Colorado for Cole Bassett, who had a shock trade this offseason to the Rapids bogey team in Portland. A lot of emotions and storylines in this game, as Colorado will look to get their first win against Portland since 2024. Let’s take a look at the matchup.

When: Saturday, February 28th @ 2:30 p.m. MST

Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

TV/Streaming: Apple TV

One of the Games of All Time in Seattle

It was a weird one in Seattle. The first half was one of the longest in MLS history, with multiple VAR stoppages pushing it to 61 minutes. Colorado did not look good in any of those 61 minutes. Colorado’s first half was filled with poor play, failed attempts to play out of the back, and almost zero moments of possession in the Seattle half. There have not been many worse Rapid performances in a half than that one. 

The second half was better, but not by much. It was a lot of the same motions for Colorado, just executed at a somewhat higher rate. It is clear how Wells wants the Rapids to play. It was hard to watch at times, but Colorado will want to play out of the back. This was more of a risk than a reward in Seattle, but it seems to be a staple of Wells’ tactics so far. Colorado did not deviate from it even after a few close calls. They remained patient, the most patient in the league.

Going into Seattle was always going to be difficult. But Colorado did not look like a competent team. The ideas are there, however. Playing out of the back is always going to be a contested topic, whether or not it is worth it. There are certainly benefits. But what we saw in Seattle is not what Wells has seen from his team in the preseason. He did not mince his words in the post-game presser. It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to Portland and if Wells makes any tactical changes for the home opener. 

Lineup Predictions:

Steffen (c) / Cannon, Holding, Herrington, Travis / Atencio, Ojediran, Aaronson / Manyoma, Navarro, Sealy

The starting lineup performed poorly in Seattle, with more questions than answers in the 2-0 loss. In a match where Wells thought about using all of his allotted subs at half, some rotation could be in order. Wells was happy with a few subs, with Alexis Manyoma and Alex Harris receiving some recognition for their play off the bench. Matt Wells had said that Harris especially deserved to start against Portland if he trains well throughout the week. But I’ll have to see it to believe it, and I expect a similar lineup against Portland. 

Although the midfield was lackluster in Seattle, a switch in the middle seems unlikely. It seems like a battle of who will play alongside Dante Sealy and Rafa Navarro, and Yapi did not do great in the season opener. A more natural winger of Manyoma could make more sense. Reggie Cannon was a first-half sub in Seattle, but he didn’t play himself out of the starting spot. Lucas Herrington was good in Seattle, but Noah Cobb left something to be desired. It would not be shocking to see Rob Holding take his place for the Portland game.

Cole Bassett’s First Game Back in Colorado

The big storyline of the game is the return of Cole Bassett to DICK’s Sporting Goods Park. Cole has already had a good first impression with his new team, with an assist in a 3-2 win against Columbus on opening day. The Rapid homegrown had become a fan favorite in his time in Colorado, and his departure was met with some criticisms from fans. It will certainly be hard to see him in Timbers gear on Saturday.

Cole’s introductory press conference for Portland was an interesting one. One could interpret his statement as shots at Rapids ownership, along with some words on Portland’s recent history against the Rapids.

Here’s some quotes from Bassett:

“The ambition the club has. You see it with Merritt (Paulson) being around all the time, how much the owner cares. I can’t say it’s like that at all the clubs I’ve been to.

“You see me exactly how I see myself as a player,” of new head coach Phil Neville.

“But I hope that now that continues, that Portland continues to beat Colorado.

“One of the first things I said to Antony, ‘keep scoring goals against Colorado when we get them next week.’”

There may be some bad blood between Cole, Wells, and the Rapids front office. There might be a little more in it for Cole this Saturday. However, it should be bittersweet for Cole and Rapids fans, and it will be interesting to see how the Rapids faithful welcome Cole back to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. 

Will Portland Continue Their Hot Streak Against Colorado?

It is a relatively similar Portland side this year. Portland added Brandon Bye, Cole Bassett, Alex Bonetig, and Alexander Aravena. They lost David Ayala, Maxime Crepeau, Cristhian Paredes, and Dario Zuparic. Time will tell whether they improved this winter transfer window or got worse. It does mean that Colorado will be in for a familiar fight against Portland, which has heavily favored Portland as of late.

It was vintage Portland in their 3-2 win against Columbus in their season opener. Despite conceding early and then later conceding an equalizer after taking the lead, it was a late goal from Ariel Lassiter that gave Portland all three points. Portland scored three goals off only 0.94 expected goals. If Colorado doesn’t improve from Seattle, they will likely get a lot more expected goals to convert. 

Colorado has only won once in their last eight meetings against the Timbers, but has won three of their last six home matches against the Portland side. It is a similar story to Seattle for Wells. It would be an impressive way to start his time in Colorado if the Rapids can win this one. It will have to be a much better side to stand a chance.

Prediction: Colorado continues to iron out the details of Wells’ tactics, and cannot figure it out in time to beat Portland. Timbers win it 2-0.