COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids have been riding a wave of momentum for the past few weeks, comfortably winning their last five games at home.
On Saturday night, that momentum radically shifted as D.C. United visited the Rocky Mountains and surprisingly head back East with a 1-0 victory, their first win at Colorado in over a decade.
A goal from Danny Allsopp in first half injury time was all the visitors needed.
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The fact that the Rapids were unable to get off to their almost customary great home start came back to bite them. It may not have helped that head coach Gary Smith was forced to rest Omar Cummings – who had scored six goals in his last five games before Saturday – as he continues to suffer from a sore ankle.
Smith did not criticize his players’ effort, but did say that some of their performances were well below what was needed at this crucial stage in the season.
“The quality on the ball wasn’t as crisp, not as sharp,” Smith said after the game. “When we needed a goal, we still weren’t able to mount enough pressure. We looked somewhat gun-shy and efforts on goal were disappointingly executed or taken at the wrong time. The result is disappointing and gut-wrenching for us.”
For Colorado captain Pablo Mastroeni, the weariness from playing three games in one week is no excuse. The result was simply a consequence of falling behind coupled with a few intangibles in the game that didn’t go the Rapids’ way, he said.[inline_node:319929]
“Our game has been predicated lately on a lot of passion, a lot of heart and a great start, a lot of athleticism,” he said. “You’re not going to always have that all at once.
"If we score early, we don’t talk about any of this. They scored before we did and, in this league, that’s a huge advantage.”
If Drew Moor’s shot eighth-minute shot had gone in rather than being cleared off the line by DC’s Kurt Morsink, the momentum would have been completely different, Mastroeni said.
The Rapids also had a few chances to get on the scoresheet in the second half. Fresh off the break, Mastroeni's header was stopped by DC 'keeper Troy Perkins. In the 84th minute, Cummings, a second half sub, missed a header from close range. His effort was followed by a shot from Moor shortly after that went just wide.
After Saturday night’s result, the only thing the Rapids can do is roll up their sleeves, dig deep and come out guns blazing for a couple of tough away games at Dallas (on Oct. 9) and Los Angeles (on Oct. 16).
Those games, Mastroeni said, are the crucial ones from the three that remain for the Rapids.
“We just have to look forward to a great challenge in Dallas and LA, one game at a time,” said the captain. “It is what it is. We just have to come together and find ourselves for the postseason.”
The Rapids now sit in the seventh spot in the hunt for the playoffs. They can clinch a postseason berth with a win in Dallas next week.
