The will face in their 2018 regular season opener on March 3 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the club announced Tuesday. The club’s first-ever league match under new head coach Anthony Hudson will kick off at 7 p.m.
The club also announced it will face at Foxborough, Mass., in their second game of the season on March 10.
The home opener, however, will not be Hudson’s first game as Rapids coach. The Rapids will face reigning MLS Cup champion Toronto FC in a home-and-away Round of 16 matchup in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. Colorado qualified for the regional tournament by finishing second in the Supporters’ Shield standings in 2016, with the Shield winners FC Dallas having already qualified via their U.S. Open Cup win. Club teams from Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador are also in the tournament.
The Rapids’ first leg against the Canadian champions will be played sometime between February 20-22 and the second leg will take place between Feb. 27-March 1. The dates and times will be finalized later.
Cooke’s gig. Rapids sporting director and interim general manager last month said Steve Cooke would return to the club as a first team assistant. Cooke had other ideas.
The Rapids’ former interim head coach was announced Tuesday as the head coach and technical director of Oklahoma City Energy FC of the second-division United Soccer League.
“Although we are sad to see Steve go, we could not be more excited for him as he begins this new journey in his coaching career,” Smith said in a news release. “Steve’s involvement with our academy and our first-team has been a true asset and we’re thankful for his dedication and devotion to our club.”
Cooke spent eight seasons with the Rapids.
Footnotes. The Rapids recently acquired 22-year-old striker Jack McBean from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. The 6-foot, 175-pound attacker has four goals and three assists in 37 league games (17 starts). Colorado selected midfielder Mike Grella in the MLS re-entry draft and promptly traded him to Columbus Crew SC for a second round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
