One of the most beautiful aspects of any tournament is the breakout stars who produce a piece of brilliance in the biggest moment for their club and it is always a bit more special with a homegrown hero.
Mazatlán FC goalkeeper Ricardo Daniel Gutiérrez and Colorado Rapids striker Darren Yapi showed us why in the Leagues Cup Round of 16 as both academy products answered the bell for their teams in pressure-filled moments to knock off strong Liga MX opposition and secure advancement into the quarterfinals.
Since making his Liga MX debut in 2020, Gutiérrez had only made 27 prior appearances for Cañoneros in all competitions, including only seven this season, but the job of a backup goalkeeper is to remain ready regardless of playing time. That is exactly what Gutiérrez did.
Exhibiting his elite mentality following two late Cruz Azul goals to send their Round of 16 tie to a penalty shootout, Gutiérrez remained unfazed by the pressure. The 27-year-old went on to allow just one of Los Cementeros four penalties including two diving saves to send Mazatlán into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
Gutiérrez has made this tournament his own following the injury to starting goalkeeper Hugo González by recoding five wins in six Leagues Cup matches dating back to last season, including two by way of shootout. He will aim to keep that winning trend alive when he lines up across from three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake in Mazatlán’s quarterfinal clash against Philadelphia Union.
Yapi, the talented 19-year-old striker from Green Valley Ranch, Colorado, made his impact on the other end of the pitch to book his team’s ticket to the quarterfinals.
After making his Rapids debut at the ripe age of 17, Yapi was tipped to be the next young American star but the ball refused to hit the back of the net early in his MLS career. For his first two seasons, Yapi failed to score an MLS goal despite regularly finding his name on the scoresheet with the second team in MLS NEXT Pro.
Last month, that all changed when Yapi came off the bench to cap a 4-1 win over St. Louis CITY SC with the first league goal of his career as his teammates dogpiled on him in the corner.
Finally off the schneid, Yapi’s confidence returned to produce the most impactful moment of his young career in Leagues Cup on Tuesday night. Following Toluca’s 83rd-minute equalizer at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Rapids head coach Chris Armas introduced his homegrown striker for the final few minutes of the game in hopes of one of those clutch moments alluded to previously.
Of course, Yapi delivered.
Searching for space as he made a 90+6’ stoppage-time run into the box, the 19-year-old was in the right place at the right time to tap in the easiest (and biggest) goal of his career on the doorstep. Just like that, Yapi sent his boyhood club into the Leagues Cup quarterfinals as he adorably ran around looking for teammates to celebrate with.
