Kosi Thompson and Rafael Navarro Braces Power Rapids Past Houston 6-2, Tying Club Record for Goals in a Game

The Colorado Rapids came home to Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night for the first time in more than a month, and they played like a team that had been counting down the days. Five minutes in, a debutant scored. By the final whistle, the scoreboard looked like a misprint.

The Rapids hammered the Houston Dynamo 6-2 in front of 15,102, with braces from Kosi Thompson and Rafael Navarro, a first Colorado goal for Josh Atencio and a late own goal for good measure. According to MLS, the six goals tied the club record for most in a regular-season MLS game, previously set in a 6-3 win over CF Montréal in August 2019. Houston scored twice and still lost by four. Welcome to Commerce City.

A Debut to Remember

Thompson did not waste time introducing himself. In the fifth minute, Wayne Frederick sprung Dante Sealy, who sent a low cross across the box, and Thompson met it first time from the right side of the area to make it 1-0. Per the Rapids, it was his club debut and his first goal for Colorado.

Twelve minutes later the lead doubled. Thompson forced a Houston turnover, the ball found Navarro, and Navarro teed up Atencio, who drove a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. The Rapids said it was the defensive midfielder's first goal for the club.

"It was incredible. What a night here," Atencio said afterward, per MLS.

Houston had chances to answer. Guilherme forced Zack Steffen into a save in the 19th minute, Duane Holmes tested him in the 36th, and Holmes rattled the right post in the 44th before Steffen denied Guilherme again moments later. At the other end, Sealy smacked the crossbar in the 39th. It was 2-0 at the break, with the woodwork having denied both teams.

The Turning Point: Thompson's Second

Whatever Houston said at halftime, Colorado answered it eight minutes into the second half. After the Rapids piled bodies into the box and had two shots blocked, the ball fell to Thompson outside the area, and his right-footed strike took a deflection, per the club, and found the bottom right corner. 3-0.

That goal made history. According to the Rapids, Thompson became just the third player in club history to score twice in his Colorado debut and the first since Raul Diaz Arce in 2001. He also joined Marcelo Balboa, from 1996, as the only defenders in club history to do it. The Rapids added that these were his first MLS goals since 2023.

Houston did not fold entirely. Lawrence Ennali cut inside from the left in the 69th minute and ripped a right-footed shot into the top right corner, with Guilherme credited for the assist. The Dynamo said it was Ennali's second goal of the season and Guilherme's fourth assist.

The Avalanche

The response took four minutes. Substitute Georgi Minoungou, also making his club debut according to the Rapids, took on and beat his defender before finding Navarro in the middle of the box, and the Brazilian finished low into the bottom right corner in the 73rd minute for a 4-1 lead.

The stoppage-time chaos was pure Mile High. In the first minute of added time, substitute Noah Cobb's cross deflected off Felipe Andrade and into Houston's net for 5-1, after Alexis Manyoma set up the play, per the Rapids. Two minutes later, Guilherme pulled one back with a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner. The Dynamo said it was the 100th goal of his career and his fifth of the season. Then Paxten Aaronson drew a foul from Héctor Herrera in the box, and Navarro buried the penalty in the 95th minute for six.

Star Watch

Navarro finished with two goals and an assist, earning MLS Player of the Matchday. Per the league, that gave him nine goal contributions on the season, five goals and four assists. The Rapids said his two goals were his 32nd and 33rd for the club, moving him into sole possession of sixth place in club history.

Thompson's night was absurdly efficient: two shots, two goals, all from right back. Atencio scored with his only shot. Steffen made six saves, several of them in the first half when Houston was still in the game.

For Houston, Guilherme was the lone bright spot, with a goal, an assist and four of his six shots on target. Jonathan Bond made three saves and still conceded six.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: 8 apiece, which makes the scoreline even wilder.
• Total shots: Houston 20, Colorado 16.
• Saves: Steffen 6, Bond 3.
• Interceptions: Colorado 11, Houston 5.
• Tackles: Colorado 21, Houston 14.

What It Means

Colorado improves to 4-0-3 with 12 points and has now won all three home games, outscoring visitors 12-3. According to the Rapids, those 12 goals broke the club record for its first three home matches of a season, set in 1996 with eight, and the club's 19 goals through seven games broke the 1998 mark of 15. MLS noted the Rapids are tied with Vancouver for the most goals in the league. Matt Wells' side hosts Union Omaha in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, then welcomes Inter Miami to Empower Field at Mile High for the club's 30th Anniversary Match.

Houston drops to 2-0-4 with 6 points and has now lost three straight league matches. The Dynamo open their U.S. Open Cup run at home against El Paso Locomotive FC on Wednesday.

Closing Take

Atencio said it best: "It was a special win." That might be underselling it. Colorado scored in every way imaginable on Saturday: a first-time finish, a long-range drive, a deflection, a slick combination, an own goal and a penalty. It was the soccer equivalent of a greatest hits album, and the Dynamo had front-row seats for every track.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLS (mlssoccer.com); additional match details from the Colorado Rapids (coloradorapids.com) and Houston Dynamo FC (houstondynamofc.com).