COMMERCE CITY, Colo. āThe Colorado Rapids vowed to "focus on their part" heading into their match with the Houston Dynamo, but fell just short of lifting the Supporters' Shield on Decision Day, in a 1-1 home draw, coupled with a scoreless draw between league-leading FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy.
āI think itās been a fantastic season for the guys,ā Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni reflected postgame. āUnfortunately we came up a little bit short as far as the Supporters' Shield. But we didnāt [lose] it because of today. There were games along the way that we couldāve done better with. But overall, I couldnāt be prouder of the work.ā
Colorado found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline early, conceding a goal in the 20th minute when Tim Howardās parry landed at the feet of Dynamo midfielder Andrew Wenger, who struck true to give the Dynamo an early lead, a lead Houston would take into the break.
Just as they have done all season, the Rapids would "keep fighting" and continued to threaten Houstonās defense in the second half. The effort finally paid off in the 67th minute when ShkĆ«lzen Gashiās low shot slid past Joe Willis to even the score at 1-1.
āAnytime youāre chasing the game, itās always difficult,ā Mastroeni said. āI think the attitude in the second half to really get after itā¦Any other day we come away with three points.ā
The goal marked the first at home for Gashi since joining Colorado.
āGashi has a nose for goal and it was a great finish,ā Mastroeni continued. āI think the important thing to take away from this game is the mentality piece. That has been our driving force all year and whether weāre up and need to see our way through the game, or weāre down and need to find our way back into the game, weāve been able to find that this year.ā
Shortly after the goal, Jermaine Jones substituted into the game for Colorado, marking the first minutes of action for the US International since sustaining a knee injury on July 4.
āI felt pretty good,ā Jones said of his return. āItās been a long time since Iāve been out there. Everyone is a bit down because we had some chances to finish that game up. But for me personally, Iām happy after 14 weeks to come out and play.ā
Jones emphasized that he still not 100 percent fit and continues to feel lingering pain in his knee, but is ready to contribute to Colorado as they now head into the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs.
āAt the end of the day I need games to get to 100 percent,ā Jones said. āItās always special for me to bring my impact to the team and I have to start.ā
Despite the instant boost Jones seemed to give to the crowd and his teammates on the field, the Rapids were unable to find an eventual game winner. Nevertheless, the draw secured Coloradoās first undefeated season at home in franchise history.
Mastroeni acknowledged the achievement, but reiterated there is work yet to be done.
āMy grandson will think itās a pretty cool feat but itās part of the process,ā he said. āBut now, itās a new season. Itās a whole new mentality that is necessary. Itās why we coach, itās why we play, itās why fans support teams. Itās the playoffs.ā