Rapids aim to maintain heavy press as they take on San Diego FC

Field Level Media|published: Tue 21st July, 21:47 2026

May 2, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington (22) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

First-time MLS All-Star Lucas Herrington and the Colorado Rapids open the second half of the season Wednesday against San Diego FC in Commerce City, Colo.

Herrington, 18, has started every match and played all 1,350 MLS minutes this season. He started two matches for Australia during the 2026 World Cup, logging 210 minutes.

Despite transfer speculation, Rapids coach Matt Wells said Colorado (5-9-1, 16 points) has no intention of selling Herrington while the transfer window is open.

"We went through a very stringent process to identify the best young center back out there," Wells said. "We happened to find one in Australia that we thought would be the perfect fit for the style of play I was bringing to the club."

Wells said the club spent the extended break making "hardcore revisions" to its tactical approach. One area of emphasis has been maintaining the team's aggressive press after falling behind.

"We are an elite team when we are ahead," Wells said. "In both conferences, when we are behind we are probably the worst."

San Diego (4-6-5, 17 points) enters the second half with a revamped roster.

In June, San Diego acquired defender Ian Murphy from Colorado for a natural second-round pick in the 2027 MLS SuperDraft and up to $100,000 in General Allocation Money based on performance metrics.

San Diego also added midfielder Gabriel Pirani in a trade with D.C. United for up to $1 million in GAM.

"(Murphy) is big, strong and fast," San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas said. "Even in a duel he has good passing technique. He's a guy who I think was in need of a change of environment."

In its last five matches, San Diego has gone 1-1-3. Varas would like to see his club force opponents into more turnovers.

"We worked on our press so we can win the ball more often instead of it always going long," Varas said. "We want to squeeze as much juice as possible out of it because once (the season) starts, that's it, we're going, competing game after game after game."

--Field Level Media

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