Following Saturday’s tough-luck loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, in which Colorado struck the post twice in the game’s final 10 minutes, the Rapids are trying to stay positive.
Staying upbeat might seem difficult following a 1-0 defeat in which they controlled possession by a 57-43 margin and totaled six shots on net. But for head coach Oscar Pareja, it’s all about looking at the bright side.
HIGHLIGHTS: VAN 1, COL 0
“I saw a lot of good things, but there is a lot of disappointment at the moment,” Pareja told MLSsoccer.com via phone from Vancouver following the defeat. “But there’s a lot of good things that the boys did [Saturday]. So we keep building on that. So we keep going. We have to find a way to get some points.”
They won’t have to wait long for that chance. They take the field again on Wednesday at home against the San Jose Earthquakes (9:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online) coming off what the Rapids believe are two of their best league showings of the season.
In Saturday’s game, Colorado controlled the wide majority of the proceedings, only for a late defensive miscue to keep them from collecting at least a share of the points. And on May 26, a late Jaime Castrillón header handed the burgundy a 3-2 victory over Montreal.
“We’re all pretty proud of the performance we put in,” midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said following Saturday’s defeat. “If you look at the last two games for us – Montreal and tonight – they’re almost carbon copies of each other. We came out on top of one but not the other. It happens.”
The Rapids ultimately couldn’t finish the chances they created in Saturday’s loss, but during a season in which they have struggled on the road – particularly in the first half – Saturday’s performance was still uplifting.
“Sometimes the game can be cruel,” Pareja said. “We did all we could to put the ball in the back of the net, but we hit the post a few times today and things didn’t bounce our way. I’m proud of our boys, and I thought we deserved better, but sometimes things don’t bounce our way. … It’s disappointing to come away with no points.”
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
