Colorado Soccer Now » Cummings scores two in shutout of D.C. | News and commentary about soccer in Colorado

Cummings scores two in shutout of D.C.

June 20, 2009 | 11:54 pm 2

By George Tanner

Omar Cummings slips an attempted tackle by D.C. United defender Greg Janicki en route to his first goal of the game Saturday night in Commerce City. (photo by Tom Auclair/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Rapids made an opponent pay.

Omar Cummings collected two goals and an assist, and goalkeeper Matt Pickens and the Colorado defense played a nearly flawless game in a 3-0 victory over D.C. United on Saturday evening at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

No United comeback. No lingering taste of scoring chances missed. No defensive lapse that came back to haunt the Rapids.

“The guys in front of me made it easy tonight,” said Pickens, who finished with five saves. “It’s nice to get the shutout.”

Colorado avoided costly errors on defense, and the attack, fueled by Cummings’ opportunistic play, helped the Rapids gain ground on all three teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings.

Cummings put the Rapids on the board in the 11th minute. Running shoulder to shoulder with central defender Greg Janicki, the Jamaican forward hopped over Janicki’s attempt at a tackle and broke in unopposed against goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Cummings drove his shot around the outside of Wicks and inside the far post.

And just seconds before the halftime whistle, Cummings pounced on an awful pass from the D.C. midfield back to the defense. He took a touch forward and a touch to his right to maneuver around Wicks then threaded the needle between defender Dejan Jakovic and the near post for his second goal of the evening.

The Rapids put the game out of reach in the 49th as Cummings slotted a square pass from left to right in front of D.C.’s goal. He found Colin Clark, whose left-footed blast went off Wicks and into the net.

With the victory, the Rapids improved to 5-2-5. Houston and Seattle managed only ties on Saturday, and Chivas USA was idle. First-place Houston has played 14 games, and the other two have completed 15 matches each.

For a team in fourth place in the Western Conference, the Rapids collected a big result against the leader in the East.

“I think we’re quietly surprising some people, going about our business and collecting points,” central defender Scott Palguta said. “Actually the goal is to be that consistent all season, never getting too high or too low. And if you do, you’ll find yourself in the playoffs at the end of the season.”

Palguta had a sterling game in central defense, routinely breaking up passes in the middle. He also nearly scored on a corner kick in the 60th minute.

“Yeah, I’d like to see that replay; I probably should’ve put that away,” he said. “If it’d been 0-0, I’d probably be a little more upset about missing that.”

Cummings also had some close calls, nearly completing the treble on a hard, low shot in the 76th and on a 30-yard blast in the 30th. That first-half attempt led to a corner kick in which Ugo Ihemelu hit the post and Pablo Mastroeni hit the crossbar with the rebound.

“The difference was Omar,” coach Gary Smith said. “His finishing was excellent.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cummings, obviously.

UNITED’S PLAYER OF THE GAME: Second-half substitute Thabiso Khumalo maintained a fierce pace for D.C. and was one of the few bright spots for the team. Santino Quaranta also showed some flashes of skill in the second half, but the visitors were flat through most of the match.

SAVE OF THE GAME: Was it when Pickens denied Chris Pontius in the 54th minute? Pontius headed a Quaranta cross right on target, and Pickens dove to make a one-handed stab at the ball. Or was it on the corner kick in the 70th minute? Pickens changed direction at the last second to block a deflected shot by former Rapids midfielder Christian Gomez.

HARD-KNOCK JAKE: Twice in the game Jacob Peterson drew yellow cards from D.C. players when he was tackled just after releasing a pass. Both times he was knocked to the turf after clumsy challenges, first by Avery John in the 22nd minute then by Rodney Wallace in the second half.

STATS WATCH: Entering this game, D.C. was in first place in the Eastern Conference and had allowed 21 goals. Only two teams in the West had allowed more than 21 goals before Saturday (Dallas and San Jose).

WEATHER WATCH: Quite a bit of rain along the Front Range before the game, but it was partly sunny and pleasant at game time. The field was slick, and the ball was moving fast as the game began.

DO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO, NOT WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO: That appeared to be Pablo Mastroeni speaking to the ball in the 40th minute. Although he had a solid first half, he had two particularly poor touches. On the second, he recovered defensively and earned a goal kick for the Rapids. But instead of tapping the ball to Pickens, he picked up game ball and appeared to admonish it.

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION: The Rapids are working to bring Mexican side Club American to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in July. Read more about it here.

HEAD TO HEAD: For as much success as D.C. United has had in Major League Soccer (including beating the Rapids in Colorado’s only appearance in an MLS Cup final), the team has won only twice in 15 tries in the Centennial State.

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.

To advertise on Colorado Soccer Now, e-mail Cole McGinnis at ColoradoSoccerNow1@gmail.com.