"That was a long game!" Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas exclaimed after a wild 3-2 win over FC Juárez in the Leagues Cup Round of 32 Friday night. "Definitely not a boring game!"
As Armas said, it certainly wasn't boring. The two sides combined for 39 total shots in the five-goal thriller, going down to the wire as Juárez pressed for a late equalizer. The Rapids faced a bombardment and came out on the other side.
"This Leagues Cup is amazing. It's a wild tournament," said Armas. "It's been great for us to grow and I think we're growing every single game out. We're learning a lot. These games will challenge you, stretch it and teach you if you're paying attention. So great stuff for us."
Steffen steps up again
Crucial to the win was goalkeeper Zack Steffen. The U.S. international made seven saves to preserve the lead, following up a seven-save effort last time out in their group stage finale against Club León. The 29-year-old is enjoying arguably his best moment since returning to MLS at the start of the 2024 season.
"There's a lot of people in the room that have heard me say it all year long about Zack; in some of the wins and sometimes some of the losses, that he's been a guy that is so constant for us," Armas applauded after the match. "We can get critical at times of goalkeepers after somehow they get through 10 players. But yes, the goalkeeper is not an easy position because they get scrutinized and criticized oftentimes."
"...I say it like the way the guys look up to him the way he trains. He's a professional. He's a winner. He's a leader in that locker room. When he talks guys listen. But he's a guy by his example, he sets the tone around here."
More LIGA MX opposition ahead
After a penalty kick shootout win over León earlier this week and a Round-of-32 victory over Juárez on Friday, it's two wins in a row for the Rapids against LIGA MX opposition. They'll have to make it three if they want to advance, taking on an in-form and dangerous Toluca side Tuesday night in the Round of 16.
For Armas, playing against Mexican teams has been a joy.
"I looked around the stands before the game, right before kickoff at the national anthem of both countries, and there's a lot of Mexicans in the building. Proud, knowledgeable, loyal, supportive, passionate," he said. "I like that that's in our building, perfect, like this is a good thing. The fact that they get behind their team, of course, it's going to happen. This is excellent for our sport in our country.
"You know, I'm always hoping, can we give them another team to love?" Armas smiled. "Maybe one more fan in the community to say, 'Hey, maybe that's our club in the United States'. So I'm thinking along those lines. Yeah, I love that."
