Shkelzen Gashi could not have picked a much better time to open his MLS goal-scoring account.
An 82nd-minute goal from Gashi helped the Colorado Rapids defeat Sporting Kansas City, 2-1, at Children's Mercy Park on Wednesday night. Gashi found the back of the net in MLS for the first time minutes after Dom Dwyer scored an equalizer for Sporting Kansas City, and the Albanian's strong finish on the rebound combined with Luis Solignac's first-half strike to give the Rapids the victory.
Sporting KC nearly salvaged a result despite sitting several starters at the beginning of the match, but substitute midfielder Brad Davis hit the crossbar in the waning moments.
Colorado improved to 3-2-1 on the season while Kansas City dropped to 4-2-0. Both teams face quick turnarounds as they play again this weekend.
Box Score
- 42' -- COL -- Luis Solignac (Marco Pappa)
- 77' -- SKC -- Dom Dwyer (Connor Hallisey, Saad Abdul-Salaam)
- 82' -- COL -- Shkelzen Gashi
- Full box score
- Stats
- Watch highlights
Three Things
- IMPACT ON BOTH SIDES: Apart from scoring the late winner via an authoritative finish on the rebound, Gashi also had a timely defensive intervention in the second half by heading an Ike Opara effort off the goal line when the score was still 1-0 in favor of Colorado.
- POSSESSION ISN'T EVERYTHING: The Rapids lost the possession battle 65.3 to 34.7 on Wednesday night, but still finished with more shots on target (6) than Sporting KC (3).
- DEFENSIVELY STRONG: Pablo Mastroeni's men have yet to concede more than one goal in a game this season.
Next Up
- SKC: Sunday at FC Dallas (7 pm ET, FS1)
- COL: Saturday vs. New York Red Bulls (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE)
