COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — There were a lot of disappointed and blank faces in the Colorado Rapids’ locker room on Saturday night as players struggled to find a reason for the surprising 1-0 defeat to the league’s bottom-ranked DC United.
Questions swirled in the silence: Were they tired after three lung-busting games in eight days? Did complacency set in after five straight wins at home with a 14-1 goals for/goals against record? Did a slightly makeshift line-up with key players like Omar Cummings and Marvell Wynne out injured disjoint them?
A few days later, there are no easy answers.
Yes, the players may have been tired after an intense period of games, but many teams in MLS have ridiculous schedules this time of year. Rivals Real Salt Lake, already playoff bound, are just coming to the end of a stretch that saw them play 14 games in just 56 days.
Complacency? Head coach Gary Smith was disappointed in the immediate aftermath of the game, saying that some of his players may have been a little complacent. But they didn’t feel the game was won before the whistle was blown, and Smith has never once criticized the efforts of his players all season long.
And, as for the injuries, well, any team would miss the likes of the in-form Cummings, but the team still had Conor Casey and the impressive Macoumba Kandji up front, a pairing that proved vital in the recent 1-1 draw in Salt Lake.
Pablo Mastroeni, club captain, said after the game that the unpredictability of it all is one of the reasons you play soccer. Nothing can ever be predictable. He describes the unexpected twists and turns of any given game as “intangibles.” For example, the 8th-minute clearance off the line from Drew Moor’s shot. If that one had gone in, the game would’ve been totally different.
“If we score early, we’re not going to be talking about any of this,” Mastroeni said. “They then have to expose themselves to pressure, having to chase the game at altitude.”
In short, there is no simple reason for the loss to D.C. It’s just the unpredictability of soccer, and MLS soccer, in particular.
One comforting thing about that fact is that there is nothing predictable about the Rapids’ upcoming two road games against FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy. Good thing, because anyone willing to predict those games would not choose in Colorado’s favor. Dallas, who host the Rapids this Saturday, have lost only twice all season, and LA, showing signs of revitalization with the comeback of David Beckham, are still chasing the Supporters’ Shield. On the flip side, the Rapids have not won on the road either since a 1-0 win over D.C. United May 15.
