For 88 minutes, New England struggled to ward off the mounting
frustration.
A compact and resolute Rapids side stared them in the face, kicked, prodded, and defended
as if their playoff lives depended on it.
"They came here to frustrate us and they did," Revolution midfielder Khano Smith said.
And for 88 minutes, Colorado succeeded in keeping New England off the scoreboard and away
from the three points it desperately needed to keep pace with D.C. United in the race for
the Eastern Conference crown.
Steve Nicol's side hustled and bustled and struggled to maintain the possession it regular
enjoyed.
"I don't think we can be pleased with the performance," Smith said.
But two minutes from time, Smith ensured his club remained four points behind United after
he snuck past Ugo Ihemelu and slid an effort between Bouna Coundoul's legs to relieve the
pressure and quell the frustration.
"Shalrie just tried to feed it into space for me," Smith said. "I just slipped in front of
him and took it towards the goal and put it in."
The goal capped a performance the side will want to forget. Revolution midfielder Shalrie
Joseph recalled how good teams win ugly, even on nights like these.
"The performance wasn't there," Joseph said. "They didn't give us much space to play."
Smith credited Colorado with making things difficult for the home side.
"It's never easy to break a team down," Smith said. "The longer we went without scoring,
the harder it would be to break them down."
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol gave his team credit for persisting and piercing the
Colorado rear guard.
"I think we just wore them down, to be honest, with sheer physical effort and presence,"
Nicol said.
The result boosted New England after mustering a 2-2 draw in New York last weekend. For a
side attempting to close the gap with United, the Revolution could ill-afford to drop
points at home.
"This was much-needed," Smith said. "We slipped up last week."
Joseph admits his side wants to build upon this result through Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup
final against FC Dallas in Frisco, Tex. and continue onwards into the playoffs on a high.
"We want to keep the momentum," Joseph said.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
