A rising star in Major League Soccer just etched his name into the history books of the Colorado Rapids, even as his side was forced to share points in a tightly contested home fixture over the weekend. Saint Lucian international striker Donavan “Gusto” Phillip notched his fourth goal across five appearances for both club and country, and in doing so, became the youngest player to ever find the back of the net in three consecutive matches for the Colorado Rapids.
At 21 years and 279 days old, the young forward broke the first deadlock of the game for the Rapids at their Commerce City home ground in the 27th minute. After two near-misses from open play, the physically imposing Phillip, who hails from the Saint Lucian neighborhood of Marchand, rose above the San Jose Earthquakes defensive line to meet a perfectly placed corner kick from Paxten Aaronson. Timing his run and jump perfectly, he powered a decisive header past the San Jose goalkeeper at the back post to put the home side up 1-0.
The lead would not hold, however. In the 57th minute, a whipped free kick from San Jose bounced through the Colorado penalty area and landed at the feet of an unmarked Dave Romney. The San Jose defender made no mistake, driving a volley through a crowd of Colorado players that deflected off Rapids center-back Rob Holding before beating goalkeeper Nico Hansen to level the score. The 1-1 scoreline held through the final 33 minutes of play, even after Phillip was substituted off shortly following San Jose’s equalizer, and the match ended in a stalemate.
While the Rapids were disappointed to drop two points at home, head coach Matt Wells made clear that the performance of the young striker was a bright spot worth celebrating. For the first time in his young professional career, Phillip was named the HCA HealthONE Children’s Hospital Man of the Match, an honor that came with glowing praise from his coach.
Wells told reporters after the match that Phillip has all the tools to develop into a foundational, top-tier player for the Colorado Rapids long-term, noting that the young forward still has untapped potential he has yet to reach. “He still underestimates how good he can be. I think massively of him as a player and a person as well,” Wells added.