COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids will host the LA Galaxy desperate for at least one goal to reverse their Western Conference Semifinal series deficit.
But they’re not lacking the confidence needed to do it.
“If you’re looking at it from an objective perspective, losing it 1-0 at LA was a good result for us, given what we’ve done over the course of 34 games in the regular season,” Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni told reporters this week. “Obviously we want to impose ourselves on the game, but coming out guns blazing holds its risks as well.
“It’s 90-plus minutes of full concentration. We want history to repeat itself. We’ll have our chances to score goals.”
Mastroeni emphasized that, in spite of last weekend’s 1-0 road loss at StubHub Center in the first leg of the series, his team continues to hold onto a belief that has been built up over time.
“The belief that we’ve built over the course of the season and the lack of belief that people had in us when we started, those are all the intangibles that make a team,” he said. “Everyone in that locker room believes we have a chance to win this game. Not because I’ve said it, but because everyone else continues to say know when we say yes. This week, less is more.
"It’s about big heart, clear mind, big stones. Let’s go for it.”
In order to score that much-needed goal and beyond, a lot of responsibility will fall on Colorado’s attacking players, particularly forwards Shkëlzen Gashi and Kevin Doyle, who scored 15 of the Rapids' 39 regular-season goals.
“I think the first game was very hard because you didn’t know if you were going to win or lose in LA,” said Gashi. “Now we know the result and we know what to do. We need to score the first goal.”
Even though the goals haven’t come in bunches this year – the Rapids were tied for second-worst in the league in goals scored – Colorado still hold confidence from an unblemished home record.
“If you can’t have confidence being unbeaten at home all season, you’re never going to have it. We need to keep a clean sheet and stay organized at home, which will be massive with the away goal rule,” Doyle said. “Even if we’re at 60 minutes, 0-0, we won’t be panicking, because some of our best stuff comes in that last half hour.”
With his side nearly at full health for the playoffs, Mastroeni will have a plethora of options to choose from in selecting a lineup. Of late, the Rapids boss has slotted in Doyle in a No. 10 role behind Dominique Badji to find an offensive spark.
“If I play at the 10 and Badji plays at the No. 9, it’s a slightly more attacking lineup for us,” Doyle explained. “I’ll be looking to be in the box and get numbers in there. Everyone talks about tactics, but a lot of times, it’s simple math. You have a lot more chances of scoring when you get three guys in there than one.”
Yet with away goals being potentially vital to the balance of the series, the Rapids will rely on their calling card this year, stout defense at home, as well.
“That’s the conundrum,” Doyle explained. “If they score, it’s curtains. It’s going to be slightly cagey, attacking without giving up chances.”
As a result, Colorado will need to find a soft spot in which they can find a goal without exposing themselves to a potent Galaxy attack.
“We need to be a lot better on the ball,” Mastroeni said. “We did a good job [at LA] of minimizing [Emmanuel] Boateng and [Landon] Donovan, but the flipside of that is we’ve got to be much more aggressive when we have the ball.”
Added Gashi, “We need to score, but we need to be smart because the game is 90 minutes. This is a good challenge for everyone here. Every guy is ready in this moment.”
