The Colorado Rapids defense has been historically great in 2016, laying the foundation for their current 14-game unbeaten run.
They have conceded just 13 goals in 19 games, for an average of just .68 goals against per game. That is just .01 the all-time record of .67 set by Real Salt Lake back in 2010. It should be noted that games are averaging .25 more goals per game in 2016 than they did in 2010.
The Rapids were a solid defensive team last year, conceding 43 goals, the sixth-fewest in MLS. They didn’t have star defenders to rely on either. No defender made more than 22 starts last season, with a total of eight players making at least eight starts at the back.
This year has been a bit different. The names still aren’t big ones, but they are playing together on a far more consistent basis. Axel Sjoberg has been a rock at center back, starting 17 of 19 games, and is one of the biggest All-Star Game snubs this season. Mekeil Williams has solidified himself as one of the best right backs in MLS, while Marc Burch and Eric Miller have been more than adequate on the left. The last spot has been split between Jared Watts and Bobby Burling, with each making at least eight starts.
Zac MacMath performed admirably, though was vulnerable to the big mistake, in his 16 games between the pipes before conceding the position to Tim Howard in the last three games.
The reason for this astounding record in 2016? Mostly unknown.
Micheal Azira’s addition in the defensive midfield has been one of the acquisitions of the season and Sam Cronin is playing at an All-Star level for some. This, in addition to the strong backline, has helped the Rapids concede the fewest shots on target of any team in MLS.
Colorado has shown a stark improvement in this stat during Pablo Mastroeni’s tenure, as they conceded 4.56 shots on target per game in 2014, before improving to 4.03 last season.
These improvements are also shown in the Rapids’ expected goals figures, provided by AmericanSoccerAnalysis.com prior to their 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday.
This shows that the Rapids are clearly the best defensive team in MLS, but not by as wide of a margin as their actual goals-against numbers would dictate. So they are clearly a strong group, but are getting a bit lucky.
Their opponents have not been stifled in their build-up as you might expect, either. Mastroeni’s team have allowed their opponents to complete 75.49 percent of their passes, good for the fifth-lowest rate in MLS, while they have completed just 60.06 percent of their passes in the final third, which is the sixth-lowest.
But these numbers are actually right in line with their numbers from last year.
So should we expect the Rapids to continue to be one of the best defensive teams in MLS this season? Definitely. Can they continue to set an all-time pace? Maybe, maybe not. We'll see if they can continue their incredible record against the current Supporters' Shield leaders, FC Dallas, on Saturday night (9 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
