Random ideas and obersvations from the Rapids’ 3-1 loss to D.C. United on Saturday at RFK Stadium:

PASSION AND DESIRE: Colorado coach Gary Smith often attributes his team’s victories and losses to the level of passion and desire the Rapids bring to the field. Saturday’s two-goal loss was a good example of this. Led by Christian Gomez, D.C. wanted this game more. Gomez inspired a fiery squad to a decisive victory. The Rapids led 1-0 at halftime, but the goal came on a Bryan Namoff own goal. I’m not sure I’d even describe the play as a scoring opportunity for the Rapids. Namoff misplayed a long goal kick by Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens. Other than that, Conor Casey had two chances, one in each half. That was about it for the Rapids. The game completely unraveled for Colorado in the first 16 minutes of the second half, when D.C. scored all three of its goals.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Gomez, who didn’t fit into the Rapids’ plans last season and was shipped back to D.C., was the architect of this victory. He took the corner kick that Namoff headed in. He outmuscled central defender Julien Baudet to set up the second goal; Gomez fought off Baudet, kept the ball from rolling across the end line then tapped back to Fred, who slotted the ball to the goal scorer, Luciano Emilio. And Gomez was the player who was fouled in the box that set up the PK. When D.C. visited Colorado, I was worried that Gomez would take over the match with something to prove against his former club. The Rapids won that game, but Gomez saved his payback performance for Saturday.

FROM THE ‘IT JUST AIN’T FAIR’ DEPT., PART I: At the 30-minute mark, Gomez smashed Pablo Mastroeni in the gonads so hard that the Rapids’ captain had to be stretchered off the field. End result? The Rapids played a man short until Pablo recovered. Then, right after halftime, Pablo’s shin unintentionally tapped Gomez’s calf in the penalty area, and Gomez dropped like an anchor. End result? A penalty kick and goal by Jaime Moreno.

FROM THE ‘IT JUST AIN’T FAIR’ DEPT., PART II: Early in the second half, Fred leaped recklessly toward Cory Gibbs as the Rapids central defender attempted to clear the ball. Fred’s studs clipped the inside of Gibbs’ left knee, and he had to be carried off. End result? Pablo got a yellow card for complaining about Fred’s dangerous play. Gibbs got hurt. And the Rapids were forced to use one of their substitutions for the injured player (Ty Harden for Gibbs).

FROM THE IT’S COMPLETELY FAIR DEPT.: Every player who is tagged with an own goal wants nothing more than to score, balancing the ledger. Namoff did just that. And it turned out to be the winning goal.

DISTORTED VIDEO: Why did Cory Lopez and Marcelo Balboa look like they were in a hyperbaric chamber during the Altitude telecast? Did they have the bends? Their images superimposed over the RFK Stadium background had the same quality that “Peanuts” does when it’s reproduced on a glob of Silly Putty and stretched slightly, top to bottom.

UNFORTUNATE CONFESSION: Did anyone else bristle when Lopez admitted, on the air, that he hadn’t seen many MLS games before last year — when he was working, on the air, on Altitude’s Rapids telecasts?

YELLOW-CARD ACCUMULATION: Conor Casey picked up a caution on Saturday and will miss Saturday’s game against the Red Bulls at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

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