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Cummings’ blast earns road draw
Omar Cummings scored in the 88th minute to rescue the Rapids in a 1-1 tie Saturday night in Sandy, Utah, in a match in which Colorado was severely outplayed in the first half.
Crossing the midfield stripe, Mehdi Ballouchy saw Cummings straight ahead with his back to goal. He put the ball right on Cummings’ feet just shy of the RSL penalty area.
Cummings split defenders Tony Beltran and Nat Borchers like a soft banana. He took two touches and fired the ball over goalkeeper Nick Rimando’s outstretched arms and under the crossbar.
“It’s a wonderful strike, and it’s an important goal for a number of reasons,” Rapids coach Gary Smith told Fox Soccer Channel. “We keep the Cup alive. We get ourselves a point. And of course we don’t lose sight of what we want to achieve, which is a playoff spot.”
Cummings’ lightning strike came when the Rapids needed it most.
Less than 10 minutes earlier, Yura Movsisyan had given RSL a 1-0 lead, an advantage that looked to hold up against the short-handed Rapids.
The Rapids played without leading scorer Conor Casey and captain Pablo Mastroeni, both of whom started for the U.S. national team in a World Cup qualifier in Chicago.
The Rapids also lost the passing skills of midfielder Terry Cooke, who twisted his left knee in the 28th minute and left in favor of defender Kosuke Kimura.
RSL had controlled much of the game. The joystick was in Real’s hands throughout the first half, and the hosts outshot the Rapids 12-2 in the first 45 minutes. Salt Lake dictated strategy and backed the Rapids into their own end in the opening half.
Colorado came out after the intermission with more energy and more possession, but Movsisyan’s goal appeared to let the air out of the Rapids attack.
Then RSL’s Robbie Russell picked up yellow cards in the 73rd and 82nd minutes, leaving Salt Lake to play with only 10 men for the final eight-plus minutes.
And, unfortunately for Utah fans, Russell should not have been assessed the first yellow card. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but Russell received the caution for a foul on Colin Clark that actually was committed by Clint Mathis.
When Russell received the second yellow less than 10 minutes later, the cost of referee Jeff Gontarek’s error began to take shape.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Cummings. No doubt. Without scoring partner Casey, Cummings provided the crucial piece of offense that earned the point on the road for the Rapids. Honorable mention to Matt Pickens, defenders Ugo Ihemelu and Scott Palguta and converted midfielder Kimura. Grizzly Pickens was busier than any Rapids goalkeeper has been this season. Palguta was a force in the middle, and Ihemelu covered an impressive amount of turf. Kimura, called on to replace playmaker Cooke, showed an eye-opening level of versatility and looked good on the attack.
THE VALUE OF PABLO: After Wednesday’s U.S. loss at Costa Rica, Mastroeni was savaged by American soccer fans on the Internet. But watching how directionless the Rapids were in the first half showed how much Colorado relies on him for leadership and a sense of purpose. Holding and distribution were in short supply without the team’s traffic cop.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP: The game was the second leg of the three-game Cup series. The Rapids won the first leg at home 2-0 on May 2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
SELLOUT IN SANDY, UTAH: Attendance was 19,546 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
FOX SOCCER IDOL: Unusual decision by Fox Soccer Channel to televise the entire national anthem by “American Idol” wannabe David Archuleta. Nice closeup of Nat Borchers, though.
MISSING STARS: While the Rapids were missing Casey and Mastroeni, RSL played without Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman because of yellow-card accumulation.
WORST SHOT EVER: Yura Movsisyan in the 42nd minute was standing about 10 yards from goal with the ball at his feet. He wound up, teed off and the ball went out to touch about five yards from the end line at the far side of the field. Ouch.
TWO BAD ANSWERS Props for honesty, but c’mon, Mehdi. In its “6 in 60″ segment, Fox Soccer Channel asked Borchers and Ballouchy a series of short questions. When asked which team has the best fans in Major League Soccer, Borchers quickly replied, “RSL.” Thanks, Nat. Colorado loves you, too. But Ballouchy thought about his response carefully and said, “D.C. United.” D.C. United?!?!? C’mon, man! That hurts! And then more honesty: “Who’s the first MLS team to qualify for the playoffs?” Borchers: Us. Ballouchy: (Long pause) Houston, I hate to say it. Then don’t say it! Say it will be the Rapids!
AND ONE BAD QUESTION: FSC asked Ballouchy and Borchers if the Rocky Mountain Cup will be won at home or on the road. Bad question. When the question was asked, only two fixtures remained between the clubs, both in Utah. So it was good to see Borchers knew the answer was “home” and Ballouchy knew the answer was “road.”
FSC FOLLIES, CONT.: Christopher Sullivan got the name of one of the Rapids’ supporters groups wrong. Everybody knows its the Centennial Firm!
GOOD EFFORT, UGO: After a corner kick bounced around inside the box in the 76th minute, RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando leaped high to pull in a high header. Defender Ugo Ihemelu pushed forward to make Rimando’s task slightly more difficult, but Rimando pulled the ball down to about stomach level and began to move forward … right into Ihemelu. The ball wound up in the net … somehow. Did Ugo punch the ball out of Rimando’s grasp with his hand? It wasn’t clear, and Ihemelu played innocent. But the “goal” was disallowed.
PICK THE WINNERS: How are TJ and I doing in our battle to pick the winners in MLS week 12? Well, I predicted this match would end in a draw. I predicted Chivas would beat Seattle, and it did. I used my no-brainer by choosing D.C. over New York, and United did me a favor by winning 2-0. Outside of that, not so much. But stay tuned. I think I have a leg up on the competition. Check out all of our picks here.
George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an associate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.
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