Saturday's match between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas was every bit as a good as advertised, as the two clubs who met in last fall's MLS Western Conference Semifinal Series went toe-to-toe like two prizefighters at Pizza Hut Park. But when the final whistle sounded, it was the hosts who came away with a 1-0 victory.
"It was a tough game," said Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo. "Every time we play Dallas, it's tough. There's a reason why they're in first place. I'm not satisfied with the result, but I am with the way we played."
FCD got the lone score of the evening in the 32nd minute when forward Kenny Cooper, who had not scored since the Hoops' 2-1 win on May 24 in New York, beat Colorado 'keeper Joe Cannon far post.
Cooper's sixth tally of the year came after he beat Rapids defender Hunter Freeman to the ball after a great pass from FCD's leading scorer and assist man Carlos Ruiz.
Beyond his helper, Ruiz was relatively quiet on the evening, finishing with no shots and seeing his MLS record-tying streak of seven consecutive games with a goal come to an end. Clavijo was pleased with how well his team made Ruiz largely a non-factor.
"I think we did a very good job with Ruiz, but sometimes, somebody else gets free and that happened today," Clavijo said. "They have a lot of tools and a lot of good players."
The Hoops outshot Colorado 9-6 in the first half as midfielders Ramon Nunez and Ronnie O'Brien had three attempts apiece. But the Rapids did have a couple of opportunities in the first 45 minutes.
Rapids forward Nicolas Hernandez nearly put his side on the board first in the 20th minute when he streaked into the FCD penalty area unmarked and received a great ball from fellow striker Jovan Kirovski about eight yards from the Dallas net, but his effort deflected off an FC Dallas defender.
Then, just before halftime, Dedi Ben Dayan almost leveled the game after a carom off several FCD players landed at his feet. But his attempt to beat Hoops goalkeeper Dario Sala to the near post was saved by the Argentinean goalkeeper.
"We had chances to score but we didn't convert them," Ben Dayan said. "I am disappointed but I give Dallas credit. They created a lot more chances than we did. I hope that in the next game that we can finish more opportunities."
Colorado nearly grabbed a late equalizer twice down the stretch. In the 86th minute Thiago Martins worked his way into the Hoops' box, and a deflection off an FCD player went right to midfielder Kyle Beckerman, but his bid for the leveler sailed over the opposing net.
Then, in the 93rd minute, the Rapids' Fabrice Noel dribbled into the FCD box and had a great shot at tying the game but Sala got a hand on his shot and sent it wide right. However, before the teams could line up for what would have been the ensuing corner kick, the final whistle blew and the game was over.
Clavijo couldn't remember a game ending that way but did give the officials credit for calling a solid game the entire night.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
