The Rapids' third draw of the season had a different aftertaste than the previous two - all coming at home.
When Colorado tied Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake at home, the team felt it had given away points. Saturday's match with the Kansas City Wizards had a similar start - the Rapids took a 1-0 lead - and the same end - the Rapids lost the lead and finished in a tie - but head coach Fernando Clavijo saw nothing to be disappointed with.
"I thought we went into the half with an advantage of one goal, and we should have kept it a little better," Clavijo said after Saturday's game. "I told the guys, we have nothing to be ashamed of. You're playing against a very good team, you give them one chance to Eddie Johnson and they're going to make you pay. We created chances, we sent people forward. I think it was a good game for the fans. Attractive up and down the field. Nothing to be ashamed of. We played a very good team. It was two good teams out there."
Both teams were aggressive in fighting for possession, and each implemented a well-executed game plan, putting together sustained stretches of possession and spreading out the play.
"They're a fairly tactical team," said Rapids forward Herculez Gomez, who found himself in the middle of much of the action Saturday. "They like to move the ball around, and they move it around very well. Sometimes to disrupt that rhythm, you've got to get a little aggressive. Sometimes to disrupt a player with speed you're going to have to put him on the ground a couple times. They were doing the same thing. It was a hard-fought match, two teams that want to go for three points. It's a little disappointing we didn't get the fans three points today."
The Wizards are becoming accustomed to being put on the ground a lot, entering the game having been fouled 110 times, the most in the MLS. Their controlled passing game could be part of the reason, as they made the Rapids come after them Saturday, with Colorado outfouling Kansas City 15-9.
"They cry a lot, that might be it," joked Gomez. "They're a very good team, though, I'll tell you that. They definitely earned our respect today. They've definitely turned things around."
Colorado's lone goal came after a flurry of loose ball activity in the penalty area, with Gomez bringing down a loose ball and firing a shot at goal in the 46th minute.
"I tried to get some forespin on it, try to get it to dip a little," Gomez said. "It was unlucky. It went off Davy Arnaud. He put his hand in the air. I feel for him. But a handball in the box is always going to be called whether it's intentional or not. It's just one of those things. We got a PK and Jovan [Kirovski] stepped up and buried it."
Kirovski took the penalty kick well, aiming high and left of center, easily blasting it past 'keeper Kevin Hartman.
"I just picked a spot and hit it," said Kirovski. "We went up one-nil. Early on in the second half we had a couple chances, and then they caught us on the break. They're a good team, they've been playing well all season. We got a point. There's nothing to be disappointed about. We have to keep moving and keep playing."
The equalizer came from one of the few lapses on Colorado's part, when Eddie Johnson was left open on the right wing and was able to connect with Arnaud, who was alone in front of the goal, slipping it in the corner past Bouna Coundoul.
"For one minute in the game, we allowed Eddie to pretty much roam free on our left side," Clavijo said of the momentary lapse on defense. "They created a one-on-one, and that was what they needed. If you allow somebody like Eddie Johnson to be free, you pay the price for it."
Colorado was playing with three of its starting four defenders on the sidelines, with Ugo Ihemelu entering the game moments after Arnaud's goal and Brandon Prideaux and Greg Vanney both out with injuries.
Gomez also left the game with a groin injury in the 67th minute and is considered day-to-day. His aggressive play up top, along with Kyle Beckerman's omnipresence in the midfield, were the catalysts that gave the Rapids a new spark Saturday, and three times the sparks flew enough to bring yellow cards from the referee, including one to Gomez after an altercation with Arnaud.
"It was just two players in the heat of the moment," said Gomez. "We went in hard. He wasn't too pleased about a tackle, and I thought I saw otherwise on the tackle. Emotions were flying high, he says one thing, I say another, he gets in my face, I put my hand out to kind of distance myself, to keep my personal space, and the referee saw otherwise. He saw that I struck him in the face. It's a yellow card. I haven't gotten too many yellow cards this season, so I'm not too worried about it."
For better or worse - it's hard to tell in a tie - the Rapids' aggressive style is developing into a pattern. They are challenging teams for possession, they are unintimidated by physical play, and they are increasingly combative on the field, refusing to sit back on their leads or to turn conservative in the face of bookings, all key elements of their emerging identity at their new home.
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
