PORTLAND, Ore—The Colorado Rapids came to Portland with a chance to further clench their closing grip on the Supporters' Shield, but the opportunity ended with a loss of control.
After Sunday afternoon's 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers, the Rapids find themselves trailing FC Dallas in the table they led entering the day.
Now, with only one match to go in the regular season, it is up to the Rapids to keep the pressure on Dallas by closing out 2016 with a home win over the Houston Dynamo on Decision Day next Sunday (4 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
To do that, the Rapids will need to harness the verve with which they played the second half against the Timbers, taking the game to their opposition and hitting the post twice as they tried to fight back from a first-half deficit.
"What we need to do to get the three points from Houston is to keep doing what we have done all year and start the game the right way," said Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni. "I think that in the first half we need to get our way a little bit. We have earned our right to get our way. We can play some fantastic stuff as you saw today in the second half."
The Rapids, a side that have never finished above third in their conference -- despite status dating back to the league's founding in 1996 -- are in rarefied air this year. They have already clinched a top-three overall finish in the Shield table.
"We are in uncharted waters as a club," Mastroeni said. "There are moments where you go on the road and think, 'Why aren't you guys winning? You are chasing the Supporters' Shield.' But the reality is that we have got three games in eight days.
"We are a group that is on the rise and really pushing the boundaries of the group with guys coming in and coming out and playing a ton of minutes. Guys on this roster are having the best seasons of their careers."
Still, the top spot in the league remains within reach for the Rapids. Though even if Dallas stumble, Colorado will need a win to capitalize.
"The mentality has to be right," said Mastroeni. "We are at home in front of a home crowd after a week of rest and we are just looking forward to a really spirited, really positive, really electric performance to put us in position to win the Shield."
