The Rapids hit the field with a new look Saturday, using two strikers a the top of their attack after sticking with one striker and five midfielders through the first five games of the season.
The preliminary results were convincing, with Colorado dominating the field en route to a 2-0 victory against D.C. United, overwhelming their opponents with consistent possession and a sustained attack that kept the visitors on the defensive throughout most of the match.
Omar Cummings returned to the starting lineup, joining Tom McManus, in his second start at forward. After gaining the lead on a Jacob Peterson goal in the 53rd minute, head coach Fernando Clavijo brought in Herculez Gomez for Cummings, enabling the Rapids to stay fresh on the attack and to maintain a high-pressure offense, stifling D.C.
"This is the first time that we played with two strikers, and it's going to take time," said Clavijo. "Omar played very unselfish today. At times maybe people didn't expect those passes. I think we're growing. We need to learn how everybody plays with each other. Herculez Gomez is pushing hard.
Clavijo might have been one of the final converts on a team that felt liberated by moving to a 4-4-2 formation. The Rapids have been limited by injuries up until Sunday's match, but with defender Ugo Ihemelu making his season debut and with Peterson making his first start of the season, there was a different chemistry on the field.
"It's less work," Cummings said, happily sharing the striking duties with McManus and seeing increased opportunities for himself and his teammates as a result. "It allows me to get into runs, like when people make runs, I make runs off them. It's good. Next time hopefully I can convert those chances."
Peterson's goal turned out to be the game-winner, coming on a beautiful feed from Christian Gomez. The former United man assisted on both goals Sunday against his old team and was a much bigger factor than he had been in the last three games, when he had increased pressure to be a forward presence, as opposed to the playmaking role Clavijo feels he is best suited for.
"I think using two forwards helps us a lot to keep the ball," Peterson said. "Omar and Tommy did well, they worked hard together. It helps to free Christian up a little bit, because teams can kind of key on him. As he goes, our team goes. I thought he played well today."
Even from his perspective defending the Rapids net, goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul could see the advantage of the new formation in helping establish the pace of the game and creating a more versatile attack.
"If you look at today, everybody works hard," Coundoul said. "If you play 4-5-1, the striker cannot do everything. He cannot run, run, run. The next thing you know, he's going to stop working. But when you got two guys, one runs, one rests, and we have the midfield, like Christian, free to do passes and all those things. So this is a challenge for us."
The effect permeated the entire team, with the Rapids controlling the ball and the movement of the game, allowing the defense to feel less pressure to be aggressive and in turn giving Coundoul increased focus on his role in the goal, rather than acting as a fifth defender.
Perhaps most importantly, the Rapids were able to convert the change in formation to a swing in momentum, building a sense of forward motion from the first whistle that was virtually relentless through the 90 minutes to follow.
"I'm a firm believer that anything you can add defensively in the offense just helps your team," Herculez Gomez said. "With a second guy there you can close down those spots fairly quickly, and it just creates problems for opposing teams. Especially here with the altitude, if you can get teams breathing heavily from the first minutes, it's going to create so many more opportunities for us offensively.
"We're going to nick the right balls, we're going to counter, and we're going to counter with numbers, which is something we haven't been doing. We haven't been attacking with numbers. You do that with two forwards, and it's a lot easier."
Colorado proved to be a constant threat Sunday, more than tripling D.C. United with 17 shots to their five, keeping maximum pressure and finally finding a way to bring an explosive offensive identity to the field.
"Two forwards are much more dangerous than one forward," Herculez Gomez said. "It maximizes Christian's strengths. He'll be the first one to tell you he doesn't feel comfortable playing up front. With two forwards there was more movement. It made things easier on everybody, defenders and midfielders, created more space, more opportunities. Especially in our pitch, it got us pressuring in the right places. It really got us set in a rhythm, trying to shut them down early."
Saturday's early shutdown of D.C. had the Rapids looking as strong as they've looked all season, and if they can maintain that momentum as they hit the road to take on Houston next weekend, Sunday could well be the opening of a new identity for the Rapids.
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
