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Rapids face Crew on Thursday
Colorado’s journey into the 2011 playoff starts at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 8 Thursday night against the same foe the team edged on a successful run to the 2010 MLS Cup.
The Columbus Crew meet the Rapids in a one-shot wild card match the night after FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls tangle in the other wild card match. The winners will then face either Sporting KC or the Los Angeles Galaxy.
This Season: The Rapids managed to get by Columbus on penalty kicks in the first round of the 2010 playoffs after the two sides were tied 2-2 on aggregate goals.
This season, the Rapids suffered a humbling 4-1 loss at Columbus and then delivered the most compelling 2-0 win at home on Aug. 5. Which team shows up on Thursday will determine how much longer the crown wearers get to play for another one.
Even Stevens: Playoffs are the great equalizer, and that’s never more true than a one-game showdown.
Colorado, whose 49 points would have been good enough for second in the Eastern Conference, but only good enough for fifth in the Western, faces a fourth-place squad from the East.
Columbus, which finished with 47 points, faces woes in the midfield, the one area where the Rapids have been sound in recent weeks.
In fact, the midfield did an excellent job in the 0-0 match with Real Salt Lake in the final home regular season match, and followed that up by boasting the only goal scorers in the 2-1 season finale win over the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The win secured the homefield for Thursday’s playoff meeting.
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