Clarence Goodson clearing a quick shot by Herculez Gomez from a corner out of the goalmouth with Burse seemingly beaten.
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made two changes to the team that came back to claim a 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Wizards two weeks previous. Mehdi Ballouchy was suspended and Herculez Gomez returned to the substitutes' bench as Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson both came back into the team, as Clavijo reconfigured his lines.
• Here's Clavijo's team (3-1-4-2): Bouna Coundoul - Brandon Prideaux, Ugo Ihemelu, Facundo Erpen - Pablo Mastroeni - Terry Cooke (Daniel Osorno 59), Jose Cancela, Jovan Kirovski (Herculez Gomez 59), Colin Clark - Nicolas Hernandez, Jacob Peterson. Substitutes Not Used: Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Dan Gargan, Stephen Keel, Zach Thornton
• "I thought in the second half, we created enough chances to score but we couldn't," said Clavijo. "But it's been our history of the games so far this year, we can't score. We had good chances, had good possession in the second half, I thought you could see there was really one team trying to push hard. But you can't win games without scoring goals."
TEAM NEWS
• In the Rapids last league game, Clavijo ran out a strike pair of Jovan Kirovski and Herculez Gomez. Against FC Dallas, he brought Jacob Peterson back into the team, while Nicolas Hernandez, who had started the year as an out-and-out striker, had been playing more recently as a wide midfielder.
• "I think he did well," Clavijo said of Peterson's performance. "We had a lot of young guys in today. The guys that we are trying up front tonight, they haven't been able to find the net. So, we have to keep working and try to find the right combination."
• It was the sixth time in the last eight league games the Rapids were shut out. But this was different from the ones that had come before.
• "I'm an offensive player and it's very frustrating when you're in a system where you don't get those looks. But I felt those looks were there tonight," Rapids forward Herculez Gomez said. "I want to be mad, but I can't. I would be mad if we weren't creating opportunities because this is the first time that I can say that we're creating opportunities. I would be more disappointed if we weren't creating them but they're coming. That's a positive, a move in the right direction."
• Said Pablo Mastroeni: "We're missing the goal by inches. It's one of those games that just didn't go your way. But it's positive because we're doing everything we can. It's easy to give up and play defense for 90 minutes the rest of the season and lose 1-0. But I think the effort today was worthy of some sort of result."
• Another positive from the loss is that Colorado looks to be getting better acclimated to the three-man back line that Clavijo recently elected to employ. The Rapids have allowed just four goals in their last five MLS games. But, they've lost two games by 1-0 scorelines, and they've played to a pair of scoreless draws.
• "I think it's good. So far, up to this point in the season, we haven't put a lot of numbers on the board and haven't created a lot of chances going forward. With three in the back, that offers another guy in the midfield and has opened up a lot of space," said Mastroeni. "It allows us to be more attack-oriented and I think we're doing a pretty good job of that. We're heading in the right direction and it's tough to adjust to a new system so late. We've done a good job in the last few games but we just need a little luck in turning this thing around."
• Clavijo admitted that if his side is to make a push at qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs, that run will have to commence very soon.
• "Time is running out," Clavijo said. "We have 11 games to go and have 36 points. We need to start winning games. The good part of it is that we have three home games this month and hopefully, we can get three victories and things will change." Added Mastroeni: "Our backs are against the wall as far as the season is concerned. We feel like we have to put a run together here and get some points. We gave up a goal on the bad end of a restart and they did well to capitalize on it."
• The Rapids saw their Open Cup run come to a stunning conclusion on Tuesday when they were defeated 5-0 by the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field. Taylor Graham and Zach Scott scored on set pieces two minutes apart midway through the first half, then Ugo Ihemelu saw a rebound hit off him into his own goal two minutes before halftime to make it 3-0. Four minutes after the break, matters got worse for the Rapids when Facundo Erpen was sent off with a second yellow card, and Josh Gardner (56) and Sebastian Le Toux (68) finished off the rout.
• Here's Clavijo's team: Zach Thornton, Brandon Prideaux, Ugo Ihemelu, Facundo Erpen, Colin Clark (Niko Hernandez 45), Jacob Peterson, Pablo Mastroeni (Jovan Kirovski 60), Jose Cancela (Dan Gargan 51), Mehdi Ballouchy, Conor Casey, Herculez Gomez (Daniel Osorno 64). Substitutes Not Used: Bouna Coundoul, Terry Cooke, Nick LaBrocca
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Houston Dynamo saw their 11-game league unbeaten streak finally come to an end, the game's lone goal coming in the 85th minute as Real Salt Lake claimed victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium last Saturday night. Dynamo still lead the Western Conference with 34 points from 20 matches, now just a point ahead of FC Dallas (who have played one fewer game), while also still holding the most points in the league.
LAST MATCH
• Dynamo came into the game not having lost in league play since May 26, and with just one defeat in their last 15 games in all competitions after an unbeaten run through group play in SuperLiga. Real's only win on the season had come five games earlier -- with the four games in between all losses.
• A scrappy affair finally saw a goal scored in the 85th minute -- after a rare Houston defensive misplay. Chris Lancos sent the ball forward, and as Wade Barrett tried to play it, a poor touch allowed Findley to latch onto it and race in at goal. With a shot from the right side of the area, Findley found the inside of the left netting past Onstad's dive and gave Real the eventual game-winner.
• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made two changes to the team that battled the New England Revolution to a 3-3 draw in their previous league match. Ricardo Clark and Brian Mullan both came back into the team, as Nate Jaqua went to the substitutes' bench and Dwayne De Rosario was given the night off.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-4-2): Pat Onstad - Craig Waibel (Corey Ashe 70), Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan (Patrick Ianni 90), Ricardo Clark, Richard Mulrooney, Stuart Holden (Nate Jaqua 46) - Joseph Ngwenya, Brian Ching. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Paul Dalglish, Zach Wells, Chris Wondolowski
• "They took advantage of as at a very vulnerable time. I thought we defended OK; they had a couple of looks. They were sensing that they could get forward. I thought we did OK keeping them away. I didn't think they were all over us; they had possession at times and so did we," said Kinnear.
TEAM NEWS
• Dynamo's last league reverse came on May 26 against D.C. United, and since that point they have gone on a tear, winning 10 games and drawing four in all competitions, the club's single defeat coming in a U.S. Open Cup match, 0-1 to the USL First Division Charleston Battery.
• "That's impressive, no matter what league you're in," said Kinnear. "It's been on the road, it's been at home. And Houston is not exactly an easy place to play with the heat and the humidity. I could not do anything but applaud these guys because every single day -- including today -- they've brought their best effort."
• But the streak finally came to an end as Houston completed a stretch of five games in 13 days, including going through group play in SuperLiga unbeaten, with a win and a draw against Mexican sides America and Morelia respectively, followed by a win against D.C. United.
• "Yeah, I think just think that our guys are dead. The guys tried, but there wasn't much energy out there. We're not complaining [about the schedule] because it comes from being successful the year before. But, in reality it's very hard on the players," said Kinnear. "We ran out of gas probably 20 minutes in, just kind of broke forward every once in a while and tried to defend. A little mix-up in the back lets them through and that's the game."
• Since the start of July, Dynamo have played 11 games (seven in league play, three in SuperLiga, one in the U.S. Open Cup). This is just the second time in seven weeks Houston has had a midweek off.
• "It is a lot of games, a lot of legs. I'm sure people are a little leggy right now, but we don't really want to make excuses because there are other teams in that situation also," said Ricardo Clark. "I think the next couple games are a week apart, so we should get some rest and get our legs back. All we can do is look forward from now."
• While the Orange could also face two games in week in two of the next three weeks, with success in SuperLiga, they have no more midweek league games over the remainder of the MLS campaign.
• "I think we're going to relax, and try to rest up a little bit," said Ching. "It's been a crazy month - crazy two months, actually. Right now our focus is to get regenerated and get back to where we were in the past two months. It's just a hiccup in the road. I think we have the guys to go and repeat, and I think you've seen that over the past two months."
