Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Peterson,drafted by Colorado with the ninth pick in the second round of the 2006 MLS draft, recorded eight goals and five assists in 92 games for the Rapids. The four-year veteran from Indiana University played in 23 games last season, scoring two goals and adding two assists before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Sept. 23 and missing the remainder of the season.

OK, that’s the official line from the team. The rest of this is me reading between the lines:

Peterson’s injury (when combined with injuries to Jamie Smith and Colin Clark) left the Rapids painfully thin at midfield, especially wide midfield, last season. The loss of these players directly contributed to the team’s late-season slump, which left the Rapids out of the Major League Soccer playoffs.

The Rapids reportedly attempted to acquire midfielders Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson from New England, but the deal fell through because of issues involving Cory Gibbs’ contract and medical exam.

So it would seem to me that the Rapids’ front office and coaching staff is out there looking to add depth in the middle of the field. Moving Peterson, mostly used in the midfield by the Rapids, does not add depth at midfield. Quite the opposite.

So my take on this is that they have some folks in mind and need the cash to make it happen. Stay tuned. We will see additions to the midfield before the season starts at the end of March.

This year the categories were limited to MVP, defender of the year, young player of the year, USSF humanitarian of the year and youth teams player of the year. Because I didn’t believe I’m qualified to vote on the latter two categories, that left only three for me: MVP, defender and young player.

Here are the winners:
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick LaBrocca.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Matt Pickens
MVP: Omar Cummings
U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION RAPIDS HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR: Colin Clark
RAPIDS ACADEMY PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brendan Roslund

To read more about Clark’s humanitarian efforts and the 2009 season of Roslund, a Denver Christian High School graduate, go here.

And here were my choices:

YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Because of the caveat that this award be reserved for players younger than 25, I had to break out my media guide and see who was eligible. Roughly, the field looked to consist of anyone born in 1985 or later. That would include Greg Dalby, Michael Holody, Nick LaBrocca, Ciaran O’Brien, Jacob Peterson, Ross Schunk, Steward Ceus and Rob Valentino. Did I miss somebody? If so, let me know. If not, this award boils down to Best Player Among These Eight Guys. Not the most inspiring category. Dalby played nearly a dozen games. Holody played less than half of that total. The only real choices here were Nick or Jake, and Jake missed the end of the year with a knee injury. But that injury showed just how important Peterson is to the Rapids. With Jamie Smith and Colin Clark out with injuries, the team was prepared to rely on Peterson out wide. Unfortunately, his knee had other ideas. LaBrocca is a mainstay in the starting lineup and seems soccer-wise for his years; the spirit of this award didn’t seem to fit. So I voted for Peterson because of the potential that is implied in this type of award. Hopefully we’ll see LaBrocca and Peterson on the field together for years to come. I would’ve liked to have been voting for newcomer of the year, where there’d be a real discussion between Scott Palguta or Julien Baudet. If we were choosing rookie of the year, Holody played a little but shows real promise. But that’s not what we had here.

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR: Had Ugo Ihemelu finished the season in Colorado, he probably would’ve been my choice. However, his baffling midseason trade makes that point moot. Is it just me or does anybody think there’s some connection to the Rapids going 1-3-4 after the Ihemelu trade? Anyway, let’s focus on who is still here. Jordan Harvey and Kosuke Kimura were tremendous in a season in which Harvey was a mainstay and Kimura moved in and out of the lineup and up to midfield and back to right back. The ability of these two players to move forward offensively was a godsend to a team that lost a lot of skill on the wings because of injuries. The goalkeepers? Burpo and Pickens split time throughout the season, and each played a valuable role. But those roles were limited. Then we have Baudet, who arrived midway through the year and made a big impact. He’s a leader. He’s smooth. He’s skilled. I look forward to watching him with the team for an entire season. But I voted for Scott Palguta. The big guy played with the Rochester Rhinos (under Rapids assistant Steve Guppy) from 2005 to 2008 and signed with Colorado in March. He committed 11 fouls in 23 games, including 19 starts, and only seven Rapids played more minutes than he did. He was a steady force in the middle in his first season in Major League Soccer. I had a real difficult time choosing between Harvey and Palguta.

MVP: Conor Casey. I laid out the reasons here, and some readers sounded off on why they would’ve chosen Cummings. Each player was deserving, and I have no problem with the choice of Cummings.

Pickens also was the Centennial Firm’s defensive player of the year, and Cummings was the Class VI player of the year.

I thought it was interesting that I was on the money for nearly all of my picks in the MLS Best XI balloting. But when it came to the Rapids, the team I saw play more than any other in 2009, none of my votes matched the eventual winners.

Clark suffered the injury in training Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the 2009 season.

Surgery to repair the injury is scheduled for next week.

Clark started in 16 games this season, playing 1,421 minutes. He scored three goals and had a new single-season career-high five assists. He was also a member of the U.S. national team’s CONCACAF Gold Cup roster, earning his first cap while playing 76 minutes in a 2-2 tie against Haiti on July 11.

When defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni scores, the Colorado Rapids need to make it count.

And did they ever against Chivas USA.

Mastroeni scored in the first minute of Saturday’s match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and Conor Casey followed with three more first-half goals as the Rapids blew out the Goats 4-0.

Pablo hadn’t scored since April 2005. His goal on Saturday came 26 seconds into the contest, the second-fastest in the history of the Rapids franchise and the sixth-fasted in Major League Soccer history.

Omar Cummings was advancing into the Chivas penalty box when he ran out of room. He checked the ball back to Mastroeni, who had plenty of room. He looked around to find an offensive option. But when he had none, the green light went off inside his head, and he teed up his shot.

His 30-yard missile was headed toward goalkeeper Lance Parker, but the ball tailed away from him as he dove to his left, both arms outstretched.

Pablo’s teammates swarmed around him in delight, and the goal lit a fire that Chivas could not put out.

About three minutes later, Casey used a subtle touch to chip Parker for the Rapids second goal.

Defender Kosuke Kimura threw in the ball to Cummings along the right sideline. Cummings, who was facing Kimura, flicked it backward to Casey, who took off toward Parker and the Chivas goal. With one touch that looked more like a Hacky Sack move than a strike from the leading scorer in MLS, Casey tapped his shot over Parker. His picturesque leap was not enough. The ball sailed just beyond his reach, kissed the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the goal.

Chivas USA coach Preki was more disappointed with his team’s inability to stop the Rapids than he was impressed with the quality of Mastroeni’s and Casey’s opening goals.

“We just gave them two goals in the first five minutes. We handed them two goals,” he said.

But if he didn’t like those goals, he probably wasn’t happy with the next two, either.

In the 23rd minute, Kimura again was looking for Cummings, and the Jamaican again was along the right side of the field. Kimura’s long pass gave Cummings room to move forward, and Cummings laced a pinpoint pass from right to left that found Casey. Boom. 3-0. Cummings’ pass was so precise that Chivas’ Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein, Gerson Mayen and Parker couldn’t touch it, but the ball found its way directly to Casey’s boot.

The dagger came in first-half extra time. On a long Matt Pickens goal kick, Thomas brought down Cummings in the Chivas penalty box. It looked like the initial contact came inches outside the the box, but by the time Cummings was on the ground, both players were a few yards inside.

Thomas got a red card, and the Rapids got a penalty kick.

Casey pretended to blast the PK at Parker but instead floated the ball softly into the net, just off center.

Thomas’ ejection meant the Goats would be without one more player in a midseason that has become a nightmare.

Chivas was missing forward Justin Braun (concussion), goalkeeper Dan Kennedy (knee surger), striker Ante Razov (ankle surgery); defender Claudio Suarez (calf strain), defender Lawson Vaughn (ankle surgery) midfielder Cesar Zamora (hamstring strain), defender Jim Curtin (hamstring strain), goalkeeeper Zach Thornton (quad strain), defensive midfielder Paulo Nagamura (caution accumulation) and Carey Talley (caution accumulation).

Chivas hadn’t played a game since July 19 and had hoped the time off would help. It didn’t.

The team hasn’t won a game since June 6. The Goats are 0-8-1 in all competitions during that stretch, and they have gone 291 minutes without scoring a goal.

“We’re not panicking, but we know we’re in somewhat of a slump,” Preki said. “Our destiny’s in our hand. Hopefully we’ll learn from this game. We’ll go home and talk about it … and we’ll go from there.”

MAN OF THE MATCH: I’ll go with Cummings. He had three assists in the match, and he set up Casey’s PK with his run onto the Pickens goal kick in extra time. That’s as good as four assists. Also, in the 49th minute, Omar hit the crossbar after a beautiful pass from Casey. The big bald guy had three goals, but the smaller bald guy had a full 90 of top-quality play. Cummings now leads the league with 10 assists. Cuauhtemoc Blanco is in second place with seven.

BACK ON TOP: With his three goals, Casey climbed back into the league lead in goal scoring. Guillermo Barros Schelotto is second, with 10. It was the third hat trick of Casey’s career.

THE HEIRARCHY OF CAPTAINS: After Mastroeni left the game in the 69th minute, Cory Gibbs wore the captain’s armband. But that lasted all of about eight minutes. Gibbs was replaced by Ty Harden in the 77th minute, then the armband went to Pickens.

RAPIDS MISSING: The Rapids were missing Julien Baudet, who broke his forearm, and Ugo Ihemelu, who was suspended because of two yellow cards he received Aug. 1.

HOMEGROWN GOAT: Monument, Colo.’s own Bobby Burling started the game on the bench for Chivas. Burling graduated in 2003 from Lewis-Palmer High School. He started the second half, after the result was out of reach. He played well, too. He more or less held Cummings in check, including two hard fouls that weren’t whistled. “He did OK,” Preki said. “A good 45 minutes. No goals. That’s important.”

CHIVAS STARTERS: Parker, Mayen, Bornstein, Thomas, Jazic, Kljestan, Marsch, Saragosa, Victorine, Galindo, Lillingston.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens, Kimura, Gibbs, Palguta, Harvey, Jamie Smith, LaBrocca, Mastroeni, Clark, Casey, Cummings.

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 George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

Call it yellow-and-black magic.

Or, if you’re Omar Cummings and the Colorado Rapids, maybe Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to the Columbus Crew had a slightly more pessimistic tint.

“Black magic.”

That’s the best explanation Cummings could find for losing a game in which the Rapids outshot Columbus 16-5, a match in which the visitors put only two shots on goal.

It might help clarify how the Crew could win without Guillermo Barros Schelotto or Frankie Hejduk in the lineup, without significant offensive contributions from midfielders Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers or strikers Jason Garey or Steven Lenhart.

Rogers’ primary contribution was tapping an indirect free kick to defender Chad Marshall in the 39th minute. Marshall buried his shot into the right of the Rapids’ goal, and the Crew did just enough to keep the Rapids off the scoreboard.

“It was very frustrating. They basically had the free kick, and that was it,” Cummings said. “Not converting our chances and seeing the game go further and further was just very frustrating. … You know the longer the game goes on with them being up a goal, they’re going to make it difficult for us, start dropping back, not giving us much space. They’re not going to open up as much. You know the game is going to be more difficult the longer it goes on.”

If the Crew did anything magical on Saturday, it was denying Cummings.

The Jamaican was a handful all night for Marshall, one of the league’s best central defenders. Cummings beat him to the outside in the first 10 minutes. Cummings gave him fits with speed and stepovers in the 18th minute. Cummings freed himself to put a header on goal during a 55th-minute corner kick, and he sliced a shot inches wide after a give-and-go with Pat Noonan later in the second half.

But Rapids coach Gary Smith agreed with Cummings that the striker’s best chance came in the 34th minute on a long ball from defender Jordan Harvey.

“It was a diagonal ball played by Jordan,” Smith said. “Chad Marshall stumbled, and Omar got in behind him and had just the goalkeeper to beat. If he gets a good connection, he can do a lot of things. Omar just rushed it a little bit. We can’t be too critical of that finish when you see the amount of problems he’s given.”

But Cummings was hard on himself after the game. Despite taking seven shots (more than all of the Crew’s players combined), Cummings said he didn’t think he had a strong game.

“I think we created chances, but we were just below par tonight with our finishing,” he said. “If we need to work on finishing, that’s something we need to work on. There’s no one guarantee. We put the effort in tonight, but unfortunately we didn’t get the win.”

Saturday’s match was eerily similar to the Crew’s previous visit to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. In 2008, Columbus beat the Rapids 2-0 in Commerce City despite being outshot 23-3. The Rapids took 17 corner kicks in that game, and the Crew had none.

“Hopefully we’ll have one of these games where we come out victorious,” he said.

And if they do, they’ll have to chalk it up to burgundy-and-blue magic.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marshall. In addition to the goal, he did what he needed to do to keep Cummings from scoring.

SAVE OF THE MATCH: On Cummings’ header in the 55th minute, Columbus goalkeeper William Hesmer lunged to his left to halt the progress of the shot. Then, falling to the turf, he stopped the ball directly on the goal line.

PLAYOFF HUNT: The Rapids began the evening with 27 points, tied for the eighth-best total in the league. The top two teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs, and the next four teams with the most points qualify, regardless of conference. So the Rapids held one of the playoff spots before and after Saturday’s loss. But, with a win, Colorado could’ve vaulted past Chivas USA, Los Angeles and Seattle and into second place in the Western Conference.

CELEBRITY LOOK-ALIKE OF THE MATCH: Steven “Behind Blue Eyes” Lenhart. I don’t actually know what color his eyes are, but that curly blond hair makes me think of The Who’s Roger Daltrey every time I look at him.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS: The official attendance was 10,851, a poor showing when the defending MLS champions were in town.

MLS DEBUT: Jamie Smith made his Major League Soccer debut, relieving Colin Clark in the 71st minute. “I was pleased to get on the pitch. It was good to get involved,” Jamie Smith said. “Obviously the result was really disappointing. Over the 90 minutes I think we deserved more of the game. The boys worked harder than them. But they’re a good side. They’re organized. They sat deep for most of the game. The didn’t really come out and attack us too often. Unluckily for us, they get the goal, which was unfortunate. It was disappointing because of the amount of effort the boys put in. And to come out with nothing at the end was less than we expected.”

MISSING IN ACTION: Ugo Ihemelu picked up his second yellow card of the game in the 84th minute and was ejected. He will miss Saturday’s match against Chivas USA at Commerce City.

MISSING, OUT OF ACTION: Rapids striker Conor Casey missed the game because of a sore groin. Julien Baudet was in street clothes and a cast; Gary Smith said Baudet broke two bones in his forearm when the central defender collided with New York’s Sinisa Ubiparipovic last week.

GALLERY OF HONOR: The Rapids announced Friday that ColoradoSoccerNow.com favorite John Spencer will be added to the club’s Gallery of Honor during halftime of the Aug. 30 match against Houston. Spenny is a Dynamo assisstant coach. He will join Marcelo Balboa, Paul Bravo and Chris Henderson in the gallery, along the north wall inside Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

COLUMBUS STARTERS: Hesmer, Brunner, Marshall, Padula, Gaven, Carroll, O’Rourke, Zayner, Rogers, Garey, Lenhart.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens, Ihemelu, Gibbs, Palguta, Harvey, LaBrocca, Ballouchy, Pablo, Clark, Omar, Noonan.

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 George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

It was a good first cap and a good first camp with the national team. You get to see what it’s like and experience it firsthand and get to know the coaching staff pretty well.

Was one game (in the 2-2 tie against Haiti) enough playing time for you?

No, it was a little frustrating for me to only play in one. But it was a good experience, and I got to see what the level is like and what I need to do to get back there.

How much would’ve been enough for you?

Ha, playing in every game, starting all of them. But you know the way things go, it’s up to the coaches. Anybody’s going to want to go in and play every game. Coach has his gameplan and sticks to it. Unfortunately I wasn’t a part of that and didn’t do enough to pressure him to play me more. … The games came quick, so training was limited. There wasn’t a lot of time for me to prove, to show what I can provide the team with. So that was a little frustrating. So I have the rest of the year to let (coach Bob Bradley) see what I can do and hopefully get a call-back.

What is that level like, training, the coaches … ? How is that different from being with the Rapids?

The pace is a little bit quicker. Instead of taking three touches you’ve got to take two, sometimes one. But really, that’s about it. Speed of play.

Would you have liked to have played in the final, the 5-0 loss to Mexico? Is that somewhere you want to be, or is that something a player doesn’t want any part of?

Of course. You want to play every game. We just had a difficult start to the second half. I felt we outplayed … the team played better the latter 30 minutes of the first half. And I think we just came out a little sluggish in the second half, and we were punished by a very good team. You know, it’s something that anyone involved in the national team, the players who were there, the players on the field, the players who were on the bench, I think that’s something they’re going to keep in the back of their mind the next time they play Mexico.

What was the locker room like after that loss.

It was a good tournament. The team played well. We got where we wanted to be. We wanted to qualify out of our group in first place, and we wanted to win the final. We were just one step short. We accomplished a lot. And for a lot of players it was their first time in a national-team camp, so I think we did very well for ourselves. Just another game. We came away with a lot, so no reason to hang your head. … To frown upon it would not be the way to go out.

What was it playing with Kyle Beckerman again?

He’s good. I’ve always been a fan of his. Good player. Great guy. It was good to see him again.

What would Bob Bracley’s scouting report on Colin Clark say today?

(pause) (big exhale) (pause) I guess, “Likes to run at players and likes to serve the ball. But needs to work on his speed of play.”

Where do you see yourself fitting in with the national team from this point forward?

I’ve got a lot to prove, a lot of work the rest of the year. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to get a call-back for the January camp, and I’ll have to perform there to get a seriously look from coach.

You wore No. 13. How’d that come about?

It’s what I was given.

When you were in high school in Fort Collins, did you ever dream you’d be representing the United States and playing Mexico in the final of a tournament?

No, to be fair. But as my career has gone on, I’ve gotten more and more eager to get that shot to play for the national team.

And now you’re back with the Rapids for the regular season.

I’m looking forward to being back, to getting home, to getting settled in, to getting accustomed to the team again. We’ve got a tough game on Saturday, and hopefully we can continue our run of form at home.

Does it feel odd not having Terry Cooke here?

I came home and he wasn’t here. He’s a good player, and I wish him all the best. But it’s a business, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Have you spoken to him?

No, I haven’t.

Will there be more pressure on you offensively without him in the lineup?

No. We have a very, very good roster, full of depth. We’ve great players up top, out wide. Anybody who comes into the game is capable of changing the game, scoring a goal. I need to focus on what I can provide the team with.

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.

Photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com. E-mail Jonathan here.

Four players scored as the Colorado Rapids poured water on a drowning team, dousing the New York Red Bulls 4-0 on Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Jacob Peterson, Pat Noonan, Nick LaBrocca and Mehdi Ballouchy registered goals in the Rapids’ biggest victory of the season, a washout of the last-place Red Bulls.

How bad is it for the Red Bulls this year?

Since winning the first conference championship in franchise history in 2008, they’ve fallen to 2-15-4 in 2009. They haven’t won in more than two months. They’ve lost 12 consecutive Major League Soccer matches. They’ve lost 24 straight on the road (an MLS record). They’ve allowed a league-worst 37 goals. They’ve given up 21 more goals than they’ve scored (the worst goal differential in the league). They are in danger of setting a new mark for fewest goals in a single campaign. And they have a chance to set the bar for the worst season in MLS history.

In 2001, the Tampa Bay Mutiny finished 4-21-4. With nine games remaining, the Red Bulls have charted a course for monumental ineptitude.

Things started to go bad two minutes into Saturday’s game for the Red Bulls. Rapids defender Ugo Ihemelu sent a ball over the top to striker Omar Cummings, who held off his mark then separated quickly. In a perfect position to shoot, Cummings opted to center the ball to Jacob Peterson. He banged the ball past former Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, putting New York in a hole from the get-go.

But, despite all the adversity, New York played a tough first half. Juan Pablo Angel shaved the top corner of the Rapids goal in the 10th minute. Macoumba Kandji forced Rapids keeper Matt Pickens into a big save in the 19th minute. The Red Bulls also hit the post in the first half and tested Pickens on other occasions, too.

“They might be struggling, but they’ve got a lot of fight on their team,” Rapids striker Pat Noonan said. “We got the early goal, which allowed us to open the game up and set the tone, but they kept battling.”

Sinisa Ubiparipovic’s ejection in first-half stoppage time, however, took a lot of fight out of the team. Referee Jasen Anno showed Ubiparipovic the red card for his tackle on Scott Palguta, who was making a clearance in the Rapids’ defensive third. Ubiparipovic came in from behind with studs up.

“It was unfortunate that that decision changed the whole game,” New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. “The idea was not to concede an early goal, but it’s very difficult to play with 10 on this big field.”

The red card meant the Red Bulls would have to chase the game with only 10 men. And, once again, it took only a couple of minutes at the beginning of the half for things to deteriorate.

Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni pierced the heart of the Red Bulls’ defense with a saucy vertical pass that drew Noonan behind the New York back line. There, Noonan slotted the ball past Coundoul.

“Once they got the red card, we got the early goal and we kind of put the game away,” striker Pat Noonan said. “You can’t expect that the game’s going to be given to you even if you’re up a goal or they’re down a man. They kept battling, but we put them away when we needed to.”

LaBrocca’s goal shortly after the hour mark erased any doubt of the outcome. Coundoul made a big save on a shot by Ballouchy, but the Senegalese international left a big, sloppy rebound, which LaBrocca cleaned up nicely.

Then a little more than five minutes later, Noonan drew a foul outside the New York penalty area. Ballouchy took the free kick on the left side of the field, hit it over the wall, past Coundoul’s outstretched arms and into the netting on the right side of the goal.

So Saturday’s loss leaves the SS NYRB listing badly and taking on water. If the team doesn’t right the ship soon, they may be in line for a Mutiny.

BAUDET INJURED: The Rapids lost Julien Baudet in the 33rd minute. He jumped high to play a bounding ball entering the penalty area and collided in midair with Ubiparipovic. When Baudet came down, he put out his left arm to land and appeared to break his forearm or wrist. It looked nasty on the scoreboard replay, like Redskins quarterback Joe Thiesmann’s broken leg in 1985.

MAN OF THE MATCH: It’s a difficult decision because of strong contributions from all quarters of the Rapids’ lineup. I’ll go with Noonan, who seemed to find his legs after joining the Rapids in mid-June. He admitted after his first game that he wasn’t ready for the altitude. But on Saturday he worked hard and looked good in 78 minutes of play. “Feeling better, lungs getting comfortable,” Noonan said.

SAVE OF THE MATCH: In the 41st minute, Coundoul mishandled a cross. The ball dropped for Ballouchy, who fired it in under Coundoul’s left arm. But former Rapids defender Mike Petke headed the ball away and saved a goal.

AZUL SHOE DIARIES: Juan Pablo Angel and Khano Smith got the “blue boots” memo.

WITH APOLOGIES TO DR. EVIL: There really is nothing like a shorn Kosuke Kimura. … It’s breathtaking – I highly suggest you try it. Yes, the Rapids defender went under the razor (as diid WeWantRapidman’s Nick, by the way).

NEW STRIKER DEBUTS: Argentine Facundo Diz replaced Pat Noonan in the 78th minute. Diz wears his shorts long and his socks high. What’s he hidin’?

WEATHER MATTERS: It rained on the way to the game. It rained on the way home. But despite a sky full of clouds when the match began, it rained only a few minutes in the first half.

THE BEST 25TH OF JULY FIREWORKS SHOW EVER: Now THAT was a fireworks show. A total of 16,816 folks inside the stadium gave the Rapids a mulligan after the July 4 fireworks sputtered because of technical problems. Saturday’s rescheduled display was beautiful against the backdrop of low, stormy clouds. And the Dick’s crowd weren’t the only ones to enjoy. Commerce City residents were out in force, all along Quebec Street. And that finale was impressive!

MISSING, NOT IN ACTION: Rapids striker Conor Casey missed the game because of yellow-card accumulation. That means he’ll be all rested up for Wednesday’s All-Star Game in Utah! The Rapids had lost Ugo Ihemelu and Cory Gibbs to caution suspension recently, but they were both in the lineup on Saturday. Midfielder Colin Clark was still with the U.S. national team at the Gold Cup.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens; Ihemelu, Baudet, Gibbs, Harvey; Peterson, Ballouchy, Mastroeni, LaBrocca; Cummings, Noonan

RED BULLS STARTERS: Coundoul, Pacheco, Petke, Krupnick, Hall, Sassano, Rojas, Ubiparipovic, Kandji, Richards, Angel

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 George at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.

How important was Saturday’s victory?

On some occasions we’ve come away from less than full points. We’re getting to the point in the season, in the second half, where points are the most important thing. I think on the back of two defeats there is some doubt, whatever you think, about what you’re doing. You lose a little bit of confidence. And to get back on track again is vital.

The defense was strong against Dallas. …

Listen, all the credit goes to the players. There’s no two ways about that. We were very disappointed last week with how we performed in the first period (in Colorado’s 2-1 loss to Chicago at home on July 4). And we lost the game against a good opponent because of a lack of drive and passion. On many an occasion here, we’ve showed at home that we’re difficult to beat. And last week we came in and we were all very, very disappointed at conceding two goals in 45 minutes. And the majority of (last) week, the majority of players were driven by that inept display in the first half. I thought in the first period (against Dallas) they turned the scales upside down. The amount of possession we won in their half … We forced them into errors. We kept a very high line. There was commitment. I thought the players really set this thought out: ‘Whatever else happens tonight, it’s not going to be easy.’ And it wasn’t easy. I think the stats show that Dallas didn’t have one shot on goal, albeit they had two or three opportunities to make a little bit more of the situation than they did. But so did we. We squandered a number of situations with a poor final pass or choice, bad touch, misplaced shot. … It was one of those situations where we had to find a goal, somehow, some way, to keep some pressure on the sides above us, who have started to pull away a little bit.

What about your decision to start Terry Cooke and Jacob Peterson? That was different from last week.

I felt we finished the game well last week. We finished strongly. It gives the group a little bit more clarity about their jobs when we play a 4-3-3. I was hoping for a little bit more service from the wide areas than we probably got in the first half. But what we did get was good pressure. The three midfield players (Nick LaBrocca, Mehdi Ballouchy and Pablo Mastroeni), I always felt, would be stronger and more aggressive than (Dallas’) three, although we were all mindful of their quality and creativity. And I think that energy, drive and aggression overpowered a very creative midfield for them. A big pat in the back to those three in midfield. There’s a lot of unsung work going on in there, Nicky and Mehdi. And I thought Pablo, for a majority of the game, showed a real edge, a real passion to lead the team on. He’s a terrific captain, and he set an example.”

What else went on to turn around the level of possession so much?

What has happened over a little period of time is, with a lot of home games coming up, is you tend to change your focus slightly from what might be a more secure and difficult group to beat to the creativity and possession and movement. And I think some of the players just lost sight of what has gotten them in the position they’re in. Their energy and determination has got them where they are. We are not the most creative and talented team in the league; there is no two ways about that. I will never, ever say that we are. But … what I do think we are is one of the more disciplined and hard-working groups within this league. And we may fall short in front of goal on the odd occasion through lack of creativity, but we should never fall short through lack of effort. And we did (against Chicago). And it’s one of very, very occasion I could ever level that criticism against the group. Second half last week we turned it around. But the main focus (against Dallas) was that the main qualities that we all feel we’re capable of come to the fore. And (laughing) the thing that let us down was our creativity when we won the ball back. We’re a side that are lacking a couple of players (midfielder Colin Clark and striker Omar Cummings were at the Gold Cup, representing the United States and Jamaica, respectively) that make a big difference to us. There are teams within this league that can cope with players missing. At the moment, we can’t. In the future, I hope we can. We’re working toward that. And what I do know that the players we bring in will not only make us stronger but will give us a little more of an edge and certainly more depth. And the players at the moment who are on the pitch, the 11 that start and the subs that come in, we should almost be able to rubber-stamp that they are going to give us every single vein of energy that they have in their body. We’re two players short, two creative players, two very explosive players. That may be, at the moment, what we’re missing, that little bit of an edge. We have to, along with a lot of other groups, grind out some results when it would be easy to sulk and, maybe, curl up in a corner and say we haven’t got the players we need.

Was Saturday’s victory more vital considering that you have to travel to D.C. this week?

We were on a two-game loss, so we have to snap that somehow. The players are not fools. They know what has gone on in the past. It’s indicative of the group that they’ve gone through a long period of ineptitude. To get a win when probably a draw was very likely is huge. It’s massive at this stage of the season.

Did you feel that Conor Casey was still getting acclimated after playing for the U.S. in the Confederations Cup?

The point is this: He’s playing up there on his own. When he’s got Omar with him, who’s stretching defenses and opening people up, he can flourish a little bit more. He’s playing against two players. Those players read the game and know they can commit themselves. I thought he was terrific. He held up better. There was a yard sharper within his game, his quality on the ball. He got into aggressive areas. And hopefully as time moves on, we can get that shape back again. … That 4-3-3 offered us the best opportunity to get a result. It’s not necessarily how I want to play, but the reality is that we need to stay in that playoff hunt and we need to get back on a winning trail. And, like you said, going away (to D.C.), it was vital that we got something out of the game.

For the Rapids franchise, having players on national teams is a proud achievement. But what’s it like for you as a coach?

It’s very difficult. It’s something that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world, I believe, not in major competition leagues, as the MLS is and is striving toward. In Europe, it happens in the summer (off-season) because of the way the season runs. And I know other clubs have to deal with it as well. But it does two things. It takes away your best players, so you lose some continuity. The second thing it does is it actually takes away your best players for the fans. So now those people who are coming to watch certain individuals, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings and Colin Clark, are out of luck. They are our most productive players. They’re not playing. Kenny Cooper’s not playing. He’s scored a truckload of goals for Dallas, but he’s not here. So why are the fans going to turn up. The likelihood is that the game’s going to be 1-nil or nil-nil because of the players who are missing. I know it’s difficult. It’s something I have to deal with. It’s new to me. The more-experienced managers in the league have seen this time and time again. Their squads have had more time to build and to deal with it. At the moment, we’re struggling to cope with that because I want the right players in for the long term. We could’ve brought in players that we turn over inside six months, but I’m not sure that gives us stability or structure. It is difficult. But for them, for the country, for the franchise, it’s great. There’s some mixed emotions, that’s for sure.

What kind of team are we going to see Wednesday night against Club America?

We’ve got some players within the group who need games. We’ll have a bit of a mixed group out there. We’ve got certain areas where we’re obviously stronger than others, namely along the back four. So don’t be some surprised if you see a lot of changes within that back four. Julien Baudet, who’s our latest signing, is available to play. So, all things being equal, we’ll see him for the first time. Then we start to move into an area where we don’t have a lot of room to maneuver. So we’ll assess the bodies. … What I do think is that we’ll still be very competitive. We’ll see some faces that are going to get some minutes.

Do you scout Club America?

I don’t know anything about them. I don’t know how they’re going to play. I don’t know what the players are like. … (laughing) I only found out the other day they’re from Mexico. … It’s a very good opportunity for some of our squad players to show what they’re about, to play against good opposition. Of course we want to be competitive, and we want to show what we’re about. But our focus surely has to be league football and getting the best we can out of that with a very small group. The squads have been reduced. And we need to make sure that all of those squad players, who’ve had limited opportunities with no reserve league, get some football against a very competitive group.

Is that your responsibility? To attack from the right side of the defense?

Nowadays, you’ve got to attack as a defender, especially right, left back. That’s a strength, you know? No defenders defends all the time. If you go to the European countries, better teams over there in the European countries, you see right back and left back, they attack all the time. That gives the team strength, constant attacking, more depth. And it makes confusion for them. That’s why I’ve been watching some of the good players from the European countries and learning all the time to be aggressive all the time. If you attack all the time, say like (against Dallas), they have to go back and defend me all the time, their left wing. They lose their energy when they go up against me. That’s my mentality, and Gary (Smith, Rapids coach) knows that. And especially at home, we’ve got to get going. This is our game, and the altitude helps us, too. We’ve got to use that.

There was a highlight play in the first half where you came up through the midfield and juked Dax McCarty …

Yeah, I was going to take a shot, but I saw Nick making a run, and i just … I don’t know. I lost control and just passed it.

But the crowd liked that. I see Colin Clark working on moves like that all the time in training. Are you doing that?

Me and Jake (Peterson) … most of the young guys … Omar (Cummings) and me, Mehdi (Ballouchy), Nick (LaBrocca), Jake, Colin, we do that all the time to get confident on the ball. Attack and attack. That’s where the goal comes from. You have to be aggressive. You cannot stay and be passive and move the ball side to side. You’ve got to break the defender beyond that. That’s how you attack. Otherwise, the goal never comes.

The defense is getting a little bit crowded with the signing of Julien Baudet. Will you find yourself with less playing time soon?

I don’t know. That’s a good question. We have really, really high competition. We have some good defenders, and we’ve got a new guy from France who’s a great player, too. No matter who plays, I have faith in everybody on this team. And coach has faith in everybody. All I’ve got to do is keep working hard.

Have they spoken to you about playing more in midfield?

Maybe when the time comes. When I score, I play right wing. Coach may switch it up. “Hey, Kosuke, go play right wing.” I’ll just keep working hard and take the chance when it comes.

When your play brings such cheering from the fans, how does that affect you as a player?

Oh, it feels great. I get pumped up easy. I get so excited so quick, so that’s great. I like that. It’s what you play for, right?

Kosuke Kimura celebrates his winning goal with striker Conor Casey on Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

When Colorado Rapids defender Kosuke Kimura arrived at his locker after Saturday night’s game, nearly every member of the media at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was there waiting — microphone, camera or pen in hand.

And Kimura was beaming.

Who could blame him? Only a few minutes had gone by since his goal late in the second half lifted the Rapids to a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas. The win was the team’s first since June 20, and many of the Rapids still had thoughts of two consecutive losses in the past two weeks on their minds.

Then there were the memories of playing Dallas in Commerce City less than three weeks ago, when Colorado searched for more than an hour to find a tying goal in a frustrating 1-1 draw.

But Kimura’s winning goal on Saturday lifted spirits throughout the training room.

“If somebody had given odds on Kosuke scoring, not only a goal but a winning goal, I’m not sure too many people in the stands will have taken it,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “If he didn’t get man of the match, I will be absolutely flabbergasted. He was absolutely fantastic: the energy, the determination that he showed and the goal. … It was a terrific goal. He could’ve been forgiven for being a fullback, and a young fullback at that, for panicking a little bit. But he hit the target and with some serious power in a very, very important game.”

Kimura brought the ball up the right wing in the 79th minute and saw Mehdi Ballouchy near the edge of Dallas’ penalty box. He sent a crisp pass forward to the midfielder’s feet.

During a scoreless game, many players in Ballouchy’s position would turn and shoot, but Ballouchy is not wired like that. Instead, he saw Kimura continuing to rush forward. Ballouchy flicked a pass through the legs of one defender and drew Kimura in behind the Dallas defense, in a perfect position to strike.

Kimura hit the ball high and hard over Hoops goalkeeper Ray Burse.

“I just kept my head down and smashed it,” Kimura said. “I knew that (Ballouchy) was going to pass it. He’s a great player on the ball. I trust him. I just kept running. The ball came, and I took a touch.”

Kimura said the insightful one-two between him and Ballouchy was not a play that the team rehearses. He said the key was eye contact.

“He looked at me,” he said. “Right after he got the ball, I looked up. He saw me running, and I saw him, too.”

The goal was the second of Kimura’s career in Major League Soccer. The native of Japan scored May 2 in a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, also at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. But that night, Kimura’s parents were at the game and he made a quick exit from the locker room to be with them afterward, leaving all the journalists empty-handed.

So the media was very interested in catching up with Kimura on Saturday. And he did not disappoint.

“Against an opponent that has proved over the last six weeks that their form has turned ’round, it was never going to be a runaway victory,” Smith said. “But, somehow, we just had to find a goal from somewhere, and fortunately we did.”

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kimura, obviously. But before he scored, he had done enough to earn the honor. He helped create the best scoring chance of the first half: He squirted through two defenders on the right wing and sent a pass toward the middle of the field. Conor Casey ran to the ball and tapped to Jacob Peterson, who shot over two sliding defenders but right at Burse. In the 89th minute, Kimura made a strong tackle on Blake Wagner in the Rapids’ penalty area, and he aggressively muscled Wagner off the ball in extra time, again inside the Rapids’ box. But one thing that makes Kimura special is his work rate. At one point in the second half, he was pushing forward, fighting for possession near the Dallas end line. The ball crossed the line for a Burse goal kick, and Kimura sprinted back to his position. Most players trot or even walk back to their station, but Kimura sprints. He’s the Charlie Hustle of Major League Soccer, without the greenies, the gambling and the haircut.

THE FANS’ MAN OF THE MATCH: The Rapids conduct a poll for man of the match via text messaging. In the 75th minute, before Kimura scored, he was one of three choices on the scoreboard whom fans could vote for. Even then, Kimura was the clear choice.

MAN OF THE MATCH, HONORABLE MENTION: The Rapids ran a 4-3-3, and the midfield triangle of captain Pablo Mastroeni, Nick LaBrocca and Ballouchy was sharp. Crisp passing. Strong challenges. Dogged pursuit. The three did everything they could to keep Dallas off balance.

THE HOOPS’ BEST CHANCE TO SCORE: In the 70th minute, the ball skipped over mass of defenders and attackers at the top of the Rapids’ penalty box and sailed through to Eric Avila, who had been in a wide position. He corralled the ball and fired it toward the far post, where striker Jeff Cunningham slid and just missed making contact.

BEST INDIVIDUAL MOVES: This was a tie, and both came in the first half. Kimura did a quick one-two around Dax McCarty that left the normally sure-footed holding midfielder stabbing helplessly at a ball that wasn’t there anymore. Later, Casey produced a sexy little stepover that ended in a nutmeg of defender George John. Both moves brought gasps from the crowd.

GOLD CUP IN MIAMI: Rapids striker Omar Cummings scored the winning goal for Jamaica in the 70th minute against El Salvador on Friday in the pool stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The 1-0 Jamaica victory clinched a berth in the final eight for Costa Rica and left Jamaica third in the group with the possibility of advancing. Jamaica will have to wait for the rest of this weekend’s results. Read the whole story here.

MORE GOLD CUP: And former Rapids striker Fabrice Noel scored for Haiti in a midweek 2-0 victory over Grenada. Check out this story about Fabrice in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

GOLD CUP’S EFFECT: Dallas’ Kenny Cooper and the Rapids’ Colin Clark missed Saturday’s MLS fixture because they were with the U.S. national team. The Nats tied Haiti 2-2 in Foxborough, Mass. Cummings’ participation at the Gold Cup meant Omar missed the Rapids’ Jamaican Heritage Night celebration because he was representing the Reggae Boyz in international play. Ironic, ain’t it?

ALSO MISSING: Rapids central defender Cory Gibbs was suspended for Saturday’s match because of yellow-card accumulation. Ugo Ihemelu will miss the next MLS match (Saturday at D.C.) because of a caution he picked up early against Dallas.

ATTENDANCE ISSUES: The official attendance was 8,128, but that looked like a generous estimate. There were no weather issues to blame it on, but some other factors dimmed the enthusiam: The Gold Cup removed some of the talent. It was the second time in three weeks that the Rapids have hosted Dallas. And the game after the Fourth of July is typically a poor seller. However, this year’s July 4 debacle may have had the biggest impact on crowd size. It will be interesting to see how many people turn out for the rescheduled fireworks show on July 25.

UGO IHEMELU, TRACK STAR?: I’ve never seen Ugo beaten in a foot race. Last week, he and Patrick Nyarko were in two sprints to long passes that were played forward by Nyarko’s Chicago teammates. Both times Nyarko wound up with the ball, but both times Ihemelu had more ground to cover. Ihemelu was faster. On Saturday, Ugo and Jeff Cunningham raced to a ball played deep into the corner of the field, and both arrived at the same time. But in the 74th, Cunningham looked to be in a position for an unobstructed break-in on goalkeeper Matt Pickens. This time, in an impressive show of speed, Ugo chased him down from behind and broke up the play. After the game, new teammate Julien Baudet was joking with Ihemelu about all the running he had to do.

ALL-STAR TEAM ANNOUNCED MONDAY: Expect Casey to be in the starting 11. Something’s seriously wrong if he’s not.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens, Kimura, Ihemelu, Palguta, Harvey, Cooke, Mastroeni, Peterson, Ballouchy, Casey, LaBrocca.

HOOPS STARTERS: Burse, Moor, Davies, Ricchetti, John, Shea, McCarty, Rocha, van den Bergh, Cunningham, Ferreira.

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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