COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids dominated Sunday’s game against the Houston Dynamo. The statistics show that.
But the main statistic was that the home team failed to score and ended up only with a frustrating point after a 0-0 draw.
WATCH: Full Match Highlights
“The frustrations are in not scoring,” said head coach Gary Smith. “Clean sheet, good play, good pressure, nice stats. But none of them are going to give us three points.”
The Rapids had 14 shots to Houston’s three, with seven of those shots for the home team on goal. Houston’s Tally Hall had to make seven saves in a man of the match performance while Colorado’s Matt Pickens didn’t have to make any.
But, for all the pressure, the home team couldn’t find a way through.
And it’s not for lack of trying. They started with yet another different striking partnership, as Omar Cummings (above; photo courtesy of Garrett Ellwood/Colorado Rapids) and Caleb Folan played together in the absence of the suspended Conor Casey.
Cummings said after the game he was still short of match fitness and sharpness, having played little since suffering a sprained ankle against the Dynamo on May 4. Sunday was his first start since that game and he admitted his injury is still bothering him a little, describing it as a “work in progress.”
“It’s disappointment all around,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “The July 4 game is one we normally win.”
Cummings said some things had failed to click in the pairing with Folan. “I think we did some good stuff, but at times it felt a little bit too separated. But it’s a partnership we are working on.”
Folan, for his part, said it was a frustrating night but that the game was still a step in the right direction after the two bad defeats in Colorado’s last two outings. The big striker worked tirelessly to draw defenders away and try and release Cummings into space.
“At times it worked really well and, at times, it was just that final ball that wasn’t quite where we wanted it,” Folan said. “But we are going in the right direction. The chances will come. We have to stay positive and not let things affect us. It’s not coming at the minute but things will happen.”
The Rapids will hope the goals come sooner than later, as they face two games in the next six days.
They have a quick turnaround with a game on the road in Kansas City against Sporting KC this Wednesday, July 6. They then return to Colorado for a home tilt against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 9.
Goals are the order of the day.
“The hardest thing in the game is to create a goal and, at the moment, we don’t have the rhythm or cohesion between the players to do that,” midfielder Jeff Larentowicz told MLSsoccer.com.
Smith echoed his midfielder’s thoughts.
“There are no question marks for me [about the performance],” Smith said, “other than we didn’t score a goal.”
