February 28, 2026; Commerce City, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rapids midfielder Hamzat Ozediran (8) shoots the ball during the first half of a game against the Portland Timbers at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images Hamzat Ojediran and Lucas Herrington each scored a goal and Zack Steffen kept a clean sheet for the Colorado Rapids in a 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers on Saturday in Commerce City, Colorado.
Jackson Travis and Dante Sealy had assists for the Rapids (1-1-0, 3 points). Steffen added three saves for Colorado. Colorado started the game with an aggressive attack after losing 2-0 at Seattle last week.
Colorado took the lead when Travis collected the rebound of a corner kick and found Ojediran outside the box. His right-footed shot was deflected past the back line and Portland goalie James Pantemis was unable to pivot in time and the ball slotted into the right corner to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead after seven minutes.
Colorado pressed forward and forced numerous set pieces deep in the offensive third. In the fifth minute Paxten Aaronson’s driven ball found Rob Holding. His diving header was on frame and denied by Pantemis.
Colorado, which was ahead 1-0, continued to pressure Portland’s defense. The Rapids had 25 shots, 10 of which were on goal. Portland (1-1-0, 3 points) took 12 shots, 3 of which were on target.
In the 51st minute of the first half, Rafael Navarro attempted a steal from midfield, but his heavy shot missed to the right. Moments later Alex Harris broke the Timbers’ backline again, but Pantemis chipped his shot away.
As the Rapids’ attacking attack built, a swinging corner off Sealy’s left foot saw Herrington’s header inside the back post in the 53rd minute.
It was Steffen who secured the shutout in the 69th minute, stopping a dangerous opportunity off the right foot of Gage Guerra. From another set piece on the restart, Rob Holding’s header hit the crossbar and went out of bounds. Colorado held a 12-6 edge on corner kicks.
A dangerous challenge from behind earned Jimer Fory a red card in the 77th minute and the Timbers had a man down for the rest of the game.
–Field level media
