Ugo Ihemelu, sidelined with left knee tendonitis, and Brandon Prideaux, out with a torn meniscus -- their back line was depleted to begin with. To give a team like Houston as many chances in the final third of the field was like riding a game of Russian Roulette all the way to the sixth bullet. The odds weren't getting any better for the Rapids, and Dynamo finally pulled the trigger.
"Our first goal was an extra half yard of getting a toe on it," Kinnear said of Ching's sliding score. "Then Dwayne De Rosario's goal was a bit special and the third goal was just guys' determination to get there. I thought we played well both halves, but in the second half we took advantage of our opportunities."
It was a mindset and a game plan that Colorado was not able to replicate on their side of the field.
"Colorado got a half chance and buried it," said De Rosario, whose two goals following Ching's shut the door on the Rapids. "We didn't put our heads down for a moment. We worked hard, and that determination would eventually pay off. Brian Ching got the first goal through hard work, and the rest of the goals started to come. Hopefully the floodgates are opening and we start to get rolling."
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
