COMMERCE CITY, Colo. ā For 82 minutes, it looked as though the Colorado Rapids would reclaim a spot atop the Western Conference and Supporterās Shield standings.
But a late equalizer by FC Dallas midfielder Victor Ulloa put those plans on hold as the top two teams in MLS each took a point from Saturdayās 1-1 draw.
āToday we had a lot of opportunities and feel hard done by not being able to get all three points here tonight,ā said Rapids midfielder Marlon Hairston, who gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute. āItās not going to be an easy rest of the season. Weāll have to continue to go tit for tat with [Dallas]. Weāve got a couple games in hand so weāll have to keep our heads up.ā
While disappointing, Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni saw the result as a bit karmic in a pairing of the top two teams in the table as his side extended their unbeaten streak to 15 games.
āOverall, I think it was a fantastic effort and a good display of football from both sides,ā Mastroeni said. āI think thatās how it goes. Youāre trying to get to the top of the table against the team that has the most points in the league, so thatās what you get.ā
After controlling the pace of the game and producing quality chances in the first half, including Hairstonās opening goal, Colorado found themselves weathering a more aggressive Dallas side in the second 45 minutes, despite controlling the gameās possession.
āI thought the first half we put the pressure on them and dictated where we wanted the game to be played,ā Mastroeni said. āIn the second half, they started taking some risks, leaving their players in advanced positions when we had the ball. Tonight, they did a good job of countering. We had a lot of the ball, but thatās as dangerous as not having the ball at all.ā
The high pressure from Dallas led to Ulloaās eventual equalizer in the 82nd minute. The visitors couldāve pushed for more, if not for an otherwise solid performance from Tim Howard in net, who ended the night with five saves, including three in the second half.
āI think he was world class,ā Mastroeni said. āIf he has to come up like that, weāre not doing a good job in front of him. Tonight wasnāt our best performance or our most organized performance.ā
All in all, the Rapids manager ultimately saw Saturday nightās clash of the league leaders as a teaching experience for the remainder of the season.
āIām pleased with the performance from an effort perspective,ā Mastroeni said. āThere are some things that we have to continue to get better at. Too often tonight, we labored possession, didnāt look forward enough and there wasnāt enough of a change of pace in the attack.ā