The Rapids suffered three consecutive defeats in the Leagues Cup against good Liga MX teams, but somehow they managed to win all three games.

Teams like Club León, FC Juárez and Deportivo Toluca are good, but they’re child’s play compared to reigning Liga MX champions Club América. The Rapids needed some special moments to even make it to the knockout rounds and into the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup, but it will likely take a lot more to beat América on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

But as always, the Rapids love the challenge.

“We try to make sure we are physically and emotionally prepared and ready to throw everything at the opponent,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “We always step on the field knowing we have to play our best and that’s no different here. We look forward to the challenge. That attitude is always there; it’s a challenge for us. So, yes, it’s back to square one.”

Both teams have won victories that required late excellence. América trailed St. Louis City 2-1 at the end, equalized to 2-2 in the 79th minute, took the lead with a penalty in the 86th minute and added another in the 90th+8th minute.

The Rapids conceded a goal in the 83rd minute to tie the game at 1-1, but scored again in the very last minute of stoppage time to secure their place in the quarterfinals. Somehow, the Rapids only needed their two shots on goal to prevail, despite Toluca firing 21 shots (six on target) and dominating both possession and chance creation.

What Toluca did well against the Rapids is that América is just better at it. Against St. Louis, América had 10 shots on goal and four goals suggests they are better at taking advantage of those opportunities, something Toluca struggled to do against the Rapids.

For midfielder Cole Bassett, the feeling of these games is lost in the statistics and performance numbers. Both he and Armas have previously said that the numbers don’t carry as much weight in the schedule of knockout games against Liga MX teams in a tournament where games are played every few days.

In other words, you may think you know what your opponent is going to do, but you won’t know until you step on the court. With minimal rest and preparation time, the focus is on recovery and the will to endure the pain.

“We don’t want to focus exclusively on (América). We have quality here,” Bassett said. “We don’t want every game to be like Toluca, but it’s good for us to know that we can suffer like this and still win and take our chances.”