That had to feel satisfying for Colorado Rapids forward Kévin Cabral.
The French striker, who came over to the Rapids in the winter after enduring a brutal first two seasons in Major League Soccer with the L.A. Galaxy, scored an insurance goal against his old club as the Colorado, led by Connor Ronan’s three assists, won 3-1 Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
“I think Kévin has handled (his return to Los Angeles) extremely well,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said following the game. “This is a place where I felt like he had a tough time and seems like he had a tough time with the fans. So I’m really, really pleased for him to have a good, workman-like performance. And then cap it off with a goal was, for him I was really excited just given the way things went for him here.”
Colorado (2-3-6, 12 points), now undefeated in its last eight games across all competitions, looked bright on the counterattack early on after weathering an early Galaxy storm in the opening 10 minutes. The Rapids struck first in the 14th minute off a long-awaited set-piece goal. On a corner kick taken by Connor Ronan, Lalas Abubakar leaped highest to head home the go-ahead goal. Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann ran out and attempted to punch the corner away, which left the net open and the Ghanian took the opportunity.
Abubakar scored four goals in 2022, three of which came off set-piece opportunities, and to start 2023, he had a few chances off set pieces, as well.
“It’s really, really gratifying because we’ve created so many chances and we’ve been just a little bit off and a little bit unfortunate,” Fraser said. “But as I keep saying, (Chris) Sharpe’s so good at organizing set pieces. … They just know they’ve been knocking on the door and it’s really gratifying to score a set piece.”
In the second half, the Galaxy applied pressure early but Colorado was able to keep weathering the storm. Dejan Jovelic nearly got on the end of a pass as he tried to flick one into the net in the 60th minute, but he couldn’t generate enough power and William Yarbrough saved it.
In the 65th minute, Cabral made sure it was a night in Carson to remember. The Rapids were able to get out on a counterattack as Ronan found a cutting Rubio on the far side of the field. The Chilean had a two-on-one situation and found Cabral, who buried it to make it 2-0.
In the ensuing celebration, he made sure to let Galaxy fans know he’s still the same dangerous player in front of goal, turning his back and pointing to his last name. He then, however, did cup his hands into a heart shape, signifying respect to the home crowd.
In the 81st minute, Ronan found another passing lane, this time with a light touch over the top into the pathway of substitute Jonathan Lewis, who chipped Klinsmann to make it 3-0. It was Lewis’ third goal in the last three games, as he scored a pair in the U.S. Open Cup win over Northern Colorado.
“It’s nice that (the dam burst) and it’s finally happened,” Ronan said in his postgame remarks. “On the training pitch we’ve been working really hard and it felt like it was only a matter of time before we got that first big result. I think it’s fair to say that this is it. This is a new starting point for our season and hopefully we can keep the confidence.”
The Rapids weren’t able to hold onto a clean sheet. Galaxy’s Preston Judd, a University of Denver product, scored the final goal of the night in the 89th minute.
Colorado will stay in California for a Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup match against Sacramento Republic on Tuesday before heading home to face the Philadelphia Union next Saturday at DSGP.
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