The Rapids work to “check both boxes,” against Austin FC

Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas takes the field for the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Colorado Rapids attacked their bye week by not attacking anything.

Winger Omir Fernández went home to New York to see his family. Coach Chris Armas, when he wasn’t watching football, spent time with his dog.

Returning to training this week after a week away, both their tanks are full. With renewed energy, the week of training leading up to Saturday’s home game against Austin FC will be devoted to righting the wrongs that led to a four-match winless streak going into the international break.

Main focus: Strengthening the play in the penalty box at both ends of the pitch. Those moments led to some disappointing results in late May and June, but Armas says it’s just part of the process of improving as a team.

“We are becoming the team we want to become. We make young mistakes, but we are a young team,” said Armas. “When I look at it, taking care of both boxes (is important). We think we’re very stingy in a lot of ways defensively. Can we be a little more urgent around our box, getting into games and putting out little fires? And then (forwards), can we be a bit more ruthless, make an extra pass to score more goals?

“We will get there. We have a good group.”

These types of issues have become a killer for the Rapids, whether it’s an execution issue or just plain bad luck. Take the most recent game against Vancouver, when the difference between victory and defeat was a curling shot by Fernández that hit the post and tied the game in the 85th minute.

Six minutes later, Vancouver won the game when Keegan Rosenberry and Sam Vines were a second late to push the line offside, keeping Damir Kreilach in for the game-winner.

For Fernández, some of the difficulties can be traced back to the earlier moments of possession that can make or break an attack: the first touch, whether on a long ball or a key pass. Either way, he said, it’s just another one of the little things the Rapids need to perfect in order to swing the momentum in their favor moving forward.

“As much as it doesn’t look like a game, it’s our first touch that can kill or create attacks and that’s one of the little things we’re trying to do,” Fernández said. The little details, at the end of the day, cost us or give us goals and if we get better every game, we’ll concede less and score more.”

There’s no better opportunity than a home game after a two-week layoff, which could mean a little more considering Austin will likely feature two former Rapids in Gyasi Zardes and Diego Rubio.

Austin sits two points and one point ahead of the Rapids in the Western Conference at the halfway point. A home win against another team playing for a middle position in the playoff race would be huge, especially for a struggling Rapids team.