COLUMBUS ā Call it mojo, magic or just plain momentum. Every winning team in every sport has that certain special aura.
The Colorado Rapids believe itās their turn for the stars to align and that perhaps theyāre the ones with that mystical sense of destiny this year.
āIt isnāt necessarily talent,ā Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni told MLSsoccer.com. āI think itās some of the intangibles. The mesh of personalities and characters and different guys stepping up on different days. Thatās what you need to be a championship team and hopefully thatās what we have this year.ā
Added forward Omar Cummings, āThereās something else about this team, and we expect to go farther.ā
[inline_node:322010]Whatever it is, that feeling has fueled a quiet confidence. The Rapids carry a 1-0 aggregate-goal series lead into Saturdayās match at Columbus Crew Stadium (4 p.m. ET, TeleFutura) knowing that a win or draw on the road will allow them to host San Jose in a winner-take-all contest with a ticket to MLS Cup 2010 at stake.
And while Coloradoās 4-6-5 record away from Dickās Sporting Goods Park may not look promising ahead of their playoff second leg, the Rapidsā 17 points are only two fewer than those compiled by defending champs Real Salt Lake during the 2010 regular season.
And four of Coloradoās six road defeats were close affairs, with a single goal separating the sides.
āThat advantage [1-0 in the first leg] Iām sure will be quite instrumental in a game that I would think is going to very, very tight,ā Rapids coach Gary Smith said.
In order to keep the game close, Colorado know they will have to focus on defending set pieces, on which Columbus have thrived all season. Smith wouldnāt say on Thursday whether he will insert 6-foot-3 center back Julien Baudet or his 6-2 counterpart Scott Palguta, who both started at Crew Stadium in the teamās last regular season visit on Aug. 21.
Another possible newcomer to the lineup that faced the Crew last week is winger Jamie Smith, who has recovered from a tight hamstring.
Although Smith revealed that goalkeeper Matt Pickens has been battling through a tight groin for some time, Pickens will remain in goal. After all, you canāt let a minor injury get in the way of disrupting destiny, right?
āEveryone looks sharp and confident,ā Smith said. āTheyāve shown their true caliber. Itās a talented and competitive group. We deserve to be in this postseason and weāll do everything we possibly can to make sure it continues.ā
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