Zack Steffen, Jonathan Lewis push Rapids into Leagues Cup round of 16

The iron is still hot, Jonathan Lewis is still striking and the Colorado Rapids are dancing to the Leagues Cup round of 16.

Liga MX squad FC Juárez made it a game late, but a wild goal off of Calvin Harris’ head after the ball bounced around multiple times in the box was enough to pull out a 3-2 win on Friday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Juárez opened the scoring in the 18th minute after a Zack Steffen save dropped right to Juárez’s Ángel Zaldívar for an easy tap-in — an apt reward for his team’s dominance in possession up to that point.

Rapids forward Rafael Navarro picked Juárez’s pocket on a press at the goal line 10 minutes later and laid a ball off to Lewis, who calmly tucked it into the opposite corner on a one-time effort.

Right before halftime, Lewis cut the ball back inside the opposing box and a sliding Juárez player touched the ball with his trailing arm. After a very short VAR review, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic put the penalty away.

Harris’ goal put the game at 3-1, then Juárez’s Avilés Hurtado scored a penalty of his own in the 72nd minute. The Rapids held their ground for the remainder of the match, but may not have if it weren’t for another masterclass from Steffen.

A seven-save performance against León helped get the Rapids to the round of 32. Friday night, there wasn’t much he could do about his two goals allowed, but he racked up another eight saves against Juárez. Most important was a save on a breakaway which would have snuck in low at the near post.

The win sets up a rematch of the Rapids’ lone home match of last season’s edition of Leagues Cup against Deportivo Toluca. Toluca used a very late equalizer against Houston to send the match to penalties, then won 5-4.

Last season, Toluca beat the Rapids 4-1 after a lengthy rain delay. The match will be held Tuesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

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Originally Published: August 9, 2024 at 9:51 p.m.