Heading into their third consecutive home match, after picking up critical wins against then conference leaders Houston and New England, the Colorado Rapids are ready to extend their newfound dominance in their new home.
Sitting two points out of the playoff picture entering the weekend, a Colorado win against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, paired with a Columbus loss to Houston the night before, would give the Rapids the eighth spot in the playoff race, a scenario that was difficult to imagine in the midst of their 10-match winless streak that finally ended August 11.
"It never crossed anybody's mind on this team that we were not going to make the playoffs," head coach Fernando Clavijo said after defeating the Revolution 3-0 on Aug. 16. "It's going to be difficult. But it's going to be difficult for the rest of the league too."
You don't have to be an optimist to think the Rapids have improved their fortunes in August, but the team continues to take a pragmatic view, feeling no more complacent after two wins then they were feeling counted out after two months without a win.
"I'm going to know we've turned the corner when we're playing our first round playoff game," defender Mike Petke said. "Until that, all the stuff that we've been through this year, anything could happen."
Clavijo told his players to hold on to that long absent victorious feeling after putting together the pair of positive results at home. But his team was quick to understand that the celebration was to be short-lived as they turned their focus toward extending the streak.
"We need to win the next game," said Jovan Kirovski, keeping himself grounded for the challenge in front of the Rapids. "We're still out of the hunt a little bit. We need to beat LA when they come in here Sunday. It's still important to get three points at home."
The Rapids roster has been in a constant state of flux, with a flurry of moves made during their summer slump. The newest acquisition, Tony Sanneh, was put to work early in the most recent match, substituting for the injured Dan Gargan in the 22nd minute and quickly proving he belonged beside his teammates.
"Somebody else is stepping up, and that's been the history of the whole season," Clavijo said. "We haven't been able to put out the same lineup two games in a row."
The Rapids are not alone in suffering continuous roster changes as a result of injuries, national team call-ups, and suspensions. But they have finally arrived at a point that they can depend on the depth of their roster, relying on the likes of midfielder Colin Clark, who excelled in the back-to-back wins against Dynamo and the Revolution, making a vital contribution in sparking the offense with Herculez Gomez and Ugo Ihemelu unavailable against Revolution.
"I think we have one of the best rosters in the league on a limited budget," Clavijo said, praising the way his team is beginning to gel. "Things are coming together [over the last] two games. We know where we are. We have to keep fighting. We haven't achieved anything, just getting out of the hole. Now some other teams are going to get in the hole. That's the history of the league. This is going to give us the right momentum going forward at a crucial time of the season."
If nothing else, the Rapids have legitimate reasons to look forward to games at their new Dick's Sporting Goods Park, where they have improved to 4-3-4 and have finally started to carve out a home-field advantage for themselves.
"It's kind of why we have the biggest field in the league at altitude," Clark said, noting that the club has learned how to match the size of the field with the pace of their game. "It's tough, but it's worth it. You work your butt off for 90 minutes and the other team is just as tired if not more tired. We have a great group of guys that are mentally strong enough, mentally stronger than most teams in the league to be able to run 90 minutes at altitude.
"Sunday we have L.A. coming in," Clark added. "It's another game at home for us. Another chance to run a team into the ground and get a good result."
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
