The Colorado Rapids showed some character on Saturday by twice bouncing back on the road after falling behind, and head coach Pablo Mastroeni commended his side for the performance that earned the club a big point on the road.
The Rapids were down a goal on two occasions against the Montreal Impact on Saturday afternoon, but managed to find a pair of equalizers en route to grabbing a 2-2 draw at Stade Saputo.
“The one thing about this group is they’re resilient, they believe in themselves, they believe in each other,” said Mastroeni. “There’s going to be adversity along the way, but it’s about how you respond. I’m extremely pleased at the commitment to come from behind and at our belief that we had a chance to win the game.”
Colorado (5-2-2) were down 1-0 early in the second half when Shkelzen Gashi got on the end of a Mekeil Williams cross from six yards out. Gashi made no mistake, beating goalkeeper Evan Bush with a shot to the bottom corner of the net for his second goal of the season.
After Montreal (4-3-2) regained the lead in the 50th minute, the Rapids tied things up again when Bobby Burling made the home side pay for poor coverage inside the 18-yard box on a set piece.
“Twice we were down, and our team showed big character,” said Gashi, who assisted on Burling’s 73rd-minute equalizer. “We know what we can do, and everyone wants to do what they can for the team. I believe in this team. We work hard, and we were rewarded.”
With the win, the Rapids leapfrogged FC Dallas and jumped into first place in the Western Conference. Colorado’s 17 points after nine games are currently the most in MLS.
That left the club feeling good on Saturday even though it conceded two goals for the first time this season and were denied a fourth consecutive win.
“The goals that we conceded today were world-class strikes,” said Mastroeni. “I don’t think anyone in the world would have been able to defend those, but those are the kinds of goals that we want to concede. The ones that are very preventable where you can stay on your feet and defend the right way, those are the ones we look at.
“Today’s goals were two world-class strikes and you just tip your hat off to them for that.”
