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Rapids thrash Timbers, 3-1
The Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers played a full 90 minutes on Saturday night, but the game was over after the first 30.
It only took the defending MLS champions half an hour to upend the expansion visitors from the Pacific Northwest. Three separate Rapids scored, with two goals coming in bang-bang two minutes as the two teams opened the season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
In the first meaningful game in four months, the MLS Cup holders took advantage of the newcomers in hammering home three goals and then defending en route to a 3-1 win in Commerce City.
The Rapids took the lead on the strength of Omar Cummings’s speed and savvy and Jeff Larentowicz timely arrival.
Cummings, who was shepherding a mishit ball toward the endline for either a favorable throw-in or a corner kick, was the first to react when the ball hit the corner flag and stopped on the touchline. With only inches to work with, Cummings split the two defenders shadowing him and raced toward goal. Conor Casey rushed forward and pulled two defenders with him into the 6-yard box. This left a hole about 8 yards out that Larentowicz rushed to fill, and he caught Cummings’s cross before driving it into the back of the net in the 8th minute.
Cummings, the man of the match, doubled the lead in the 29th minute. He took the ball on a run into the box, beat the central defense and banged a shot off of a rushing Adin Brown in goal. Cummings then coolly collected the rebound and threaded the ball past a flailing defense.
Already in control of the game, the Rapids put it out of reach in less time than it takes to get up from a stadium seat and go for a beer. Jamie Smith launched a screamer from about 25 yards out that beat Brown, nicked the inside of the crossbar and salted a 3-0 lead.
The lone bright spot for the Timbers came from a man who has traditionally struggled at altitude. Kenny Cooper, formerly of FC Dallas, delivered the first MLS goal for Portland with a free kick goal in the 80th minute. His shot from 30 yards beat the wall and left ‘keeper Matt Pickens helpless.
Man of the Match: Cummings seems to have picked up where he left off. The Timbers simply had no answer for him. He repeatedly exposed centerback Kevin Goldthwaite in the first half, leading to his replacement by David Horst to start the second half. By then, it was too late. Cummings already had done the damage.
No Foul Zone: Casey could not get a call. A smaller defender ran over him, used him as a fulcrum and flopped to get a foul called on Casey in the first half. The big forward then got knocked to the ground on a 50-50 ball in the box. No call. Finally, Casey was whistled for a foul on a collision in the 40th minute. Casey protested and drew a yellow card from referee Ricardo Salazar. Casey left in the 61st minute with an assist and a night’s worth of frustration.
His reputation for committing fouls seemed to make it difficult to call someone for fouling him. This, in turn, led him to more frustration and more fouls. Ultimately, it was good to see him take the bench with the game in hand. It was not his night.
Room to Improve: There’s little to complain about after a 3-1 win. The team did what it was supposed to do, and did it with some style. The two troublesome spots, however, were at leftback and on corner kicks.
Anthony Wallace did not have a good game. He was consistently out of position, and he never looked comfortable. Since joining the team in July, the youngster has been rock solid. On Saturday, he looked out of place and uncomfortable. His reading of the game seems to have gone backward in the past four months, which is a troubling start.
Also, Smith’s corner kicks consistently failed to find a Rapid. From one game, it’s difficult to tell whether his delivery was just off, or if the attackers were still working on timing their runs. Regardless, the Rapids only looked dangerous on one corner kick all evening, and it came after the game was in hand.
Timber!: Coach John Spencer said before the season that the “expansion” tag would not be used as an excuse. Well, maybe he should reconsider. The majority of players on the field had never spent more than 10 games together and it showed. Portland lacked cohesion, and lack of pace and position was exposed several times in the first half. It may be a long season for the Timbers.
Next Up: The Rapids travel to Los Angeles to take on Chivas USA on March 26. Winning there in the season opener launched the 2010 season. A repeat would be nice. The next home game is against a rejuvenated D.C. United on April 3.
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