The Colorado Rapids again couldn’t hold onto a lead Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, letting a chance at three important points slip away as they drew 1-1 with the San Jose Earthquakes.

“I felt there was another gear to go to.” Rapids head coach Matt Wells said after the match. “Changed a few things tactically at halftime. For 10 minutes in the second half, it was how I wanted us to look. As has happened with us a few times, we don’t quite get the goal. The substitutions that I made didn’t necessarily help the team. We have to take massive positives from the way we’re getting in front of games.”

The Rapids scored first. In the 27th minute, Rapids midfielder Paxten Aaronson whipped a deep cross from a corner kick and a leaping Donavan Phillip headed it in. The Rapids forward beat everyone around him and sent a thundering header into the back of the net. Phillip now has three goals in his last three games, and four in his last five for club and his country, Saint Lucia. At 21 years and 279 days, Phillip became the youngest Rapids player ever to score three goals in three games, beating Jonathon Lewis by a handful of weeks. Aaronson has also been flying, with his assists making his tally six goal contributions in six games.

“I’ve come into a bit of good form recently … It’s just a mindset thing going into each game,” Aaronson said. “I have the confidence of the previous game, knowing that I’m just going to deliver a goal, an assist every game. Still, I leave that game wanting more.”

San Jose responded with a set piece in the 57th minute. San Jose forward Timo Werner hit a deep cross to the back post. San Jose midfielder Ronaldo Vieira headed it back toward goal, and defender Dave Romney smashed it home to level the score. The goal continues the Rapids’ poor set-piece defense. They have conceded four goals on set pieces in their last four games. They conceded only four set-piece goals in the first 24 games of the season.

Colorado was the team most likely to get the eventual winner, even though San Jose found the back of the net twice more, only to be denied by the offside flag. The first offside goal was in the 13th minute. San Jose forward Preston Judd looked to beat the offside trap perfectly. The assistant referee kept his flag down, and Judd finished to make it 1-0. It looked to be onside until the VAR recommended a review. Head referee Filip Dujic didn’t take long at the monitor, and he reversed the on-field decision to the roar of the crowd.

The second goal came in the 93rd minute. San Jose looked to secure a perfect smash-and-grab win when a ball across the Rapids’ 6-yard box found the foot of San Jose forward Ousseni Bouda. The ball hit the back of the net, but the flag came up immediately to cancel what looked to be the game-winner.

A peculiar moment occurred in the 83rd minute. Rapids newcomer Ibrahim Sadiq came on for his Rapids debut, but Georgi Minoungou made way for him. Minoungou himself had been a substitute in the 53rd minute. It is unusual to see a player subbed on and then off in the same game without an injury to explain it. Despite Minoungou coming off without injury, Wells assured the media it was just tactics and said nothing about the Burkina Faso international.

“Not a nice one for Georgi. I was just in a tough spot on the bench,” Wells said. “I wanted to get Ibrahim in. I didn’t want to take Georgi out. Leaving the other guys out would give us a better chance. Absolutely nothing to do with what he’s (Georgi) done.”

Minoungou has struggled in his first season in Colorado. He still hasn’t scored a goal in MLS. With the additions of Morgan Whittaker and now Ibrahim Sadiq, his role will likely be reduced to a super sub at best.

Another player who has struggled in their first season is Sayed Abu Farkhi, who has only played a handful of games for the Rapids. But in those games, he hasn’t looked nearly as good as the player he has replaced. It doesn’t help when the player he replaced, Rafael Navarro, has been on fire since joining St. Louis City. Abu Frakhi came closest to scoring in the 70th minute, but his lunging attempt couldn’t reach a good cross. He’s still looking for his first Rapids goal.

Next up for the Rapids is a home match against the Minnesota United on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

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