As the Colorado Rapids close a busy stretch of five league games and a U.S. Open Cup qualifier in the last three weeks, they'll be looking to build some separation between the two teams at the top of the standings and the rest of the pack.
The Burgundy-and-Blue sit in second place, four points behind FC Dallas and four points ahead of third-place Chivas USA.
"You want to be in first place always," said head coach Fernando Clavijo after tying the Wizards at home last week. "You want to be ahead of everybody by five or six points, but that's not the case. Everybody's going to lose, everybody's going to win. There's still a lot of games ahead. It's a long season. Points are going to be given. And we have to make sure we keep working. We need to find a way to play good teams and still get the results at home."
Saturday's match with the Los Angeles Galaxy is the fifth home game for the Rapids in the past three weeks and their last for a month. In that stretch, they lost to Houston, tied Real Salt Lake and Kansas City, and beat RSL in the Open Cup play-in match Wednesday, their first home victory since an Opening Day win against D.C. United.
The Rapids had Galaxy's number throughout the season last year, taking three of four regular season meetings by 1-0 scores and playing to a scoreless tie in the final meeting. The Galaxy had a measure of vengeance in knocking the Rapids out of the Open Cup in an overtime quarterfinal last year, but the Galaxy haven't won in Colorado in eight matches over the past four years.
"They're struggling," Clavijo said of the 1-2-2 Galaxy. "But it's such a long season, that three points, two points right now doesn't make a difference. They're adding players, good players, and you know they're going to be dangerous sooner or later, so we'll try to separate ourselves as much as we can.
"We have to make sure that we keep ourselves away from Salt Lake, from Chivas, from L.A., and Houston and fight with Dallas for the first position in our division," Clavijo added. "I think we're doing a pretty good job right now."
Among the key players added by Galaxy this season is longtime Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon. It's the first matchup between the two teams since a Dec. 1 trade sent Cannon to the Galaxy in exchange for Ugo Ihemelu and Herculez Gomez.
Both have been impact players for the Rapids, with Ihemelu solidifying the defense, despite missing two games and four starts to tendonitis in his knee, and Gomez sparking the attack with a pair of goals and a team-high 21 shots, 11 on goal.
Gomez left the Wizards match with a groin pull in the 69th minute, but he is considered 100 percent and should start against L.A. He has been thriving at the heart of the Rapids attack, and he has quickly embraced his new teammates.
"We've been leading the West more than once already, and we'll continue to do well," Gomez said of the Rapids strong start, despite a 1-1-3 record in their first five home matches. "This is a club that hasn't had that kind of momentum in a while. We've got to be pleased with that. We're picking up those points early in the season, and those are points that later in the season are going to be very crucial for us. You just roll with the punches and be happy that you're picking up those points."
One of the Rapids' strengths through their first eight games has been the ability of players to pick each other up when key players have come under increased pressure from being targeted by opposing defenses.
Striker Roberto Brown leads the Rapids with three goals, though he hasn't seen the back of the net since a home loss to Houston to open the month. But while he's been shut down in front of the goal, midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Nicolas Hernandez have taken advantage of opportunities to join in the scoring.
"Everybody's getting to know Roberto, and they're double-marking him," Clavijo pointed out after the tie with the Wizards. "But he creates chances. He has unbelievable opportunities. We need to get him on crosses. [Brown] and Herculez [Gomez] are starting to get to know each other better. We have to make sure that we allow them a little more room and free somebody else up. They're clicking, and as people start knowing Roberto they're going to mark him and somebody else needs to step up and do the job."
Colorado should benefit from Ihemelu's return to the back four, and Clavijo classified defender Greg Vanney as day-to-day but probable for Saturday's match, noting his ankle sprain has felt better in training this week.
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
