COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Up until the 3-0 win over Houston at the end of August, Matt Pickens, Marvell Wynne and Drew Moor were the only Rapids players to have played in every minute of every MLS league game for Colorado this season.
With goalkeeper Pickens not available to face the Dynamo because of back worries and with center back Wynne limping off at the end of the first half with a hamstring injury that later made him unavailable for last weekend’s Chivas game, Moor is the only one left with a perfect record.
The Texan is still a relative newcomer to the team, having joined the Rapids from Dallas in a swap with Ugo Ihemelu this time last year, but his consistency makes him an automatic choice on the team sheet each match day.
His versatility also helps. Moor can either play at center back or at fullback on either flank. Most recently, before the injury to Wynne, he put in some incredibly solid performances at left back with Wynne and Julien Baudet in the center of defense.
Moor attributes part of the fact of playing so many minutes this season to such versatility.[inline_node:308220]
“It’s a combination of a bunch of things but, being able to play in a couple of different spots does help,” he said after Colorado beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday.
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Typically modest, Moor praised his defender teammates for helping him out all season and making his job easier.
He also was quick to point out the vital role Jeff Larentowicz and Pablo Mastroeni play in central midfield and their ability to snuff out dangerous situations before they arise.
“Jeff and Pablo have such engines for 90 minutes,” he said.
Injury and loss of form is always around the corner for any professional athlete. Moor has not had a flawless season – that would be foolish to expect – but he has been a rock in the back line. His form looks less likely to go out of the window than he would fall victim to an injury, so Colorado will be praying he remains healthy as the team hits the business end of the season.
With two straight 3-0 wins in the last two weeks, Moor said the squad is feeling confident it can march into the playoffs. Performances like the one against Chivas, especially in the second half, would go down nicely.
While the glory boys like Omar Cummings and Conor Casey score at the other end, it is Moor’s and the defense’s job to stay tight at the back. What he said about that after the Chivas game is a good lesson to take into the remaining regular-season games, especially the ones at home.
“We stayed concentrated,” he said. “They didn’t have a whole lot going forward and we really needed to stay focused for all 90 minutes.”
The Rapids have eight games left – four at home and four away. The next road trip comes this Saturday in New York, where Moor and company will have to keep the small matter of Thierry Henry and Juan Pablo Angel under wraps.
