No matter the circumstances or the year, Colorado always seems to have the number of FC Dallas in the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Rapids proved that yet again with their win on penalty kicks in the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night.
Colorado prevailed 3-2 on the night, getting goals from Nicolas Hernandez in the 57th and 83rd minutes and another from Clint Mathis in the 114th. But the sides finished deadlocked at four goals apiece on aggregate after 120 minutes and the match then headed to penalty kicks.
From the spot, the Rapids converted five of six opportunities with the clincher coming off the foot of Pablo Mastroeni, who beat FCD 'keeper Dario Sala to his right to clinch the victory for the visitors. Sala had just been denied on the previous attempt by Colorado goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
"We deserved to win (last week) in Colorado," said Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo. "We outplayed a team (tonight) with very good players. The result of the first game wasn't justified. We were determined to come out tonight and make a game of it.
"We weren't going to go out without a fight. We showed from the beginning and felt that if it went all the way to penalty kicks that we had a good shot to win it," he added. "We always felt that we were going to win it. That is the sign of a good team to be able to come back and win."
FCD struck first, getting a goal from Carlos Ruiz in the 48th minute to give the Hoops a 1-0 edge. But the Rapids answered less than 10 minutes later when Hernandez scored his first of two goals after Kyle Beckerman sent a lob toward the near post, where Hernandez leaped among a pack of FCD defenders and somehow knocked the ball home.
Then, in the 83rd minute, Beckerman swung in a corner kick that Jovan Kirovski went up to challenge for. The ball fell right to Hernandez, and he fired on the turn past Sala to make the score 2-1 in favor of Colorado, and level the aggregate at 3-3.
FCD's Clarence Goodson brought the match level once again with a goal in the 92nd minute after a great free kick from Greg Vanney, who got his second assist of the evening. But once again, the Rapids answered when Clint Mathis blasted home past Sala from about 25 yards out in the 114th minute to give Colorado a 3-2 lead and tie the series again on aggregate, and set the stage for the penalty shootout.
The Rapids players attributed Saturday's win to one thing -- character.
"It was definitely a rollercoaster," Mastroeni said. "That's kind of almost the way our season has been. We have had lots of highs and a lot of lows.
"But I think with those highs and lows, we've found a way to overcome a lot of adversity throughout the year both on and off the field. I think we pulled together as a team and did what we had to do. This is a testament to the characters on the team and our belief in one another."
For Beckerman, the match represented another chance for he and his teammates to make things right from last week's 2-1 loss to FCD in Denver.
"The way we looked at it was to give it everything we got and leave it all on the field," he said. "All week, we didn't talk about (last week's game). We just did it. Last week, after what happened on Saturday, we were gutted and were searching for answers. All week, we looked at it and realized that we were only down one goal. We knew we would get our chances. We just had to make the most of them and play tough."
Mastroeni added that eliminating the Hoops from the playoffs for the second consecutive season and fourth time overall is even sweeter considering that the Rapids never got much respect throughout the regular season.
"I just think that we have quality players on this team," he said. "We have experienced players mixed with a lot of young players who are up-and-coming.
"We were the only guys who didn't sell ourselves short this year. The media and soccer publications never gave us a chance. We had nothing to lose and that was our mindset," he added. "We have World Cup veterans on this team, have people that have played in Real Madrid, Champions League and other big games. We also have up-and-coming young guys who are proving they can make a difference on this team."
Colorado will hit the road yet again to face either Chivas USA or Houston depending on the result of Sunday's second leg of their West Semifinal Series in the Bayou City.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
