When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Radio: Altitude TV/950 AM
Spotlight on Marlon Hairston
With the departure of midfielders Marco Pappa and Sebastien Le Toux, Colorado’s 22-year-old midfielder Marlon Hairston is in line to get increased playing time on the wing. Hairston, who is entering his fourth season with the Rapids, has the ability to break a game open with his blazing speed down the flank. He led the Rapids in assists in 2016 with six, notching one in each of his final three regular season appearances. He appears primed for a breakout season.
NOTEBOOK
Rapids: Colorado was unbeaten at home during the regular season last year (11-0-6) and allowed just seven goals in 17 regular season home matches. The Rapids have 19 players returning from last year … Shkelzen Gashi, who led the team with nine goals last year, has dealt with a sore Achilles during the preseason. … Striker Alan Gordon, who signed as a free agent, said he’s available to play. He was held out of preseason games while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. … Midfielder Dillon Serna, coming off an ACL injury last year, participated in training this week and is listed as “questionable.” … Zac MacMath is expected to start in goal while Tim Howard recovers from a season-ending groin injury. With third-string keeper John Berner out with a wrist injury, Colorado acquired keeper Cody Mizell on loan from its USL affiliate Charlotte Independence.
Revolution: New England narrowly missed the playoffs last season, losing out on the goal-differential tiebreaker. “We set out to add some key pieces to the back line,” Revs coach Jay Heaps said. New England brought in a ball-winning center back in Benjamin Angoua along with Antonio Delamea, who Heaps said can read the game well and organize in the back. … New England defeated Colorado 2-0 in their last regular season meeting on Sept. 3, but lost 3-1 in preseason match against the Rapids on Feb. 18. “The reality is the preseason is very different than the regular season,” Heaps said. “And the preparation has to be applied to learning something from Colorado, but also knowing that the mindset going into the game (Saturday) is going to be different.” … Midfielder Zachary Herivaux is out with a sprained ankle.
Footnotes: Saturday is the season opener for both teams. Colorado won its home opener last season 1-0 on a 95th minute goal against LA Galaxy. … This is the 44th regular season meeting between these sides. Colorado is 19-15-9 all-time against the Revs.
