Conor Casey, who has missed two games with a head injury suffered on July 25, returned to training this week. Coach Gary Smith did not say if Casey, the team’s leading scorer, would start, but said he would play a significant role.

Simultaneously, the midfield will have to shuffle again as the team confirmed Friday that Colin Clark is lost for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Clark was untouched when he went down in the second half of the Aug. 7 game against San Jose.

While there is no silver lining to the loss of Clark, the one area the Rapids have an abundance of quality players is midfield. The team returned to the 4-4-2 in last week’s 1-0 home win against the ‘Quakes. Clark’s absence sould be absorbed by giving more minutes to veteran Claudio Lopez or returning Mehdi Ballouchy to the starting ranks.

The Series: The Rapids, 7-5-6 (27 points), meet the Union, 4-10-4 (16 points), for the first time. Philadelphia will travel to Colorado in the return match on Sept. 29.

Lately: Philadelphia earned a point on Wednesday in a 1-1 tie with Colorado nemesis Real Salt Lake. The Rapids win on Aug. 7 snapped a seven-game winless streak.

On TV: Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Time at PPL Park, and the match will be broadcast live on KWGN Channel 2.

The Colorado Rapids announced Friday that Clark has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament his left knee, the club announced today.

Clark suffered the injury on Aug. 7 in the second half of the Rapids’ 1-0 win against San Jose and will miss the remainder of the 2010 season.
 
Surgery to repair the injury is scheduled to take place next week.
 
This marks the second straight season in which Clark has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. In 2009, he missed the team’s final 10 regular season games after the injury occurred in a training session on Aug. 11. 
 
Clark appeared in 16 games this season, with nine starts, playing 866 minutes.

Rapids man of the match Omar Cummings attacks the goal. His would-be cross produced the game's only goal. (Photo by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Jon Busch has had some fine games in goal, but Saturday night was not one of them.

The San Jose Earthquakes ‘keeper mishandled a cross/shot from Omar Cummings and dumped the ball into his own goal. That 26th minute gaffe proved to be the difference maker as the Colorado Rapids snapped a nasty winless streak and snuck past the ‘Quakes 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

It was disappointing that the scoreline didn’t better reflect the Rapids effort. The team controlled play for long stretches and looked dangerous from the opening whistle to the end. Cummings, Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark and sub Claudio Lopez each came close to adding to the margin.

Still, against an opponent that was just a point behind the Rapids, Colorado got the win and improved to 7-5-6 (27 points) with the team’s first win since June 5. San Jose dropped to 6-6-5 (23 points).

Blame the Ball: ‘Quakes coach Frank Yallop was quick after the game to blame the dreaded “Jubulani” ball for the goal. This rang hollow. First, Busch has been facing the ball all season. Second, his coach was simply looking to cover a mistake.

On the goal, Busch was cheating from the near post to his left when Cummings fired across from goal from that side. Busch went down on his left knee and had both hands in position to snare the ball. However, he glanced to his right and seemed to break his concentration an instant before the ball rolled into his hands.

It could have had eight panels, 18, 32, 64, but once he glanced, that was the end. Blaming the ball is just looking for an excuse.

Lineup Change: With forward Conor Casey out for a second game recovering from the effects of a collision at Seattle on July 25, coach Gary Smith junked the 4-5-1 in favor of the 4-4-2. Former ‘Quake Quincy Amarikwa got his first start of the season up top with Cummings. Neither scored, but their pace was frightening. A little time working together and these two may be deadly.

Clark’s Fall: The one dark moment on the evening was Clark hobbling off the field with his shirt covering his face. Clark made a cut and planted the left leg that he injured last season in the 56th minute. He went down without a touch.

Watching the action from behind, it looked like he hyperextended the knee. Knowing this was the same knee that suffered an ACL tear last July was doubly troubling. Ballouchy came on as Clark was carted to the lockerroom.

Rapids 11: Matt Pickens, Marvell Wynne, Julien Baudet, Drew Moor, Kosuke Kimura, Wells Thompson, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Clark (Ballouchy 58), Amarikwa (Lopez 66), Cummings.

San Jose 11: Busch, Jason Hernandez, Brandon McDonald, Bobby Burling (Tim Ward 41), Ramiro Corrales (Scott Sealy 80), Arturo Alvarez, Joey Gjertsen (Cornell Glen 64), Sam Cronin, Bobby Convey, Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski.

Bravo Baudet: Baudet, who looked out of place and off pace against Dallas, was a rock in the middle of defense. He effectively eliminated attacks all night. His headers were off on offense, but you can’t have everything.

Casey, the leading scorer for an otherwise anemic attack, is expected to miss his second game since going out with a head injury late in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders on July 25. Casey was out of action during last Saturday’s 1-1 tie at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park against F.C. Dallas.

Now the Rapids, 6-5-6 (24 points), face the ‘Quakes, 6-5-5 (23 points), with each team scrambling for a playoff spot.

Earlier: This is the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. In the tight confines of San Jose, the Rapids fell 1-0 on May 1 to a 33rd minute laser from Chris Wondolowski.

Swoon: The Rapids went 0-2-3 during the month of July. The team has not won since beating Columbus Crew 1-0 on June 5. The game featured a great headed goal from defender Drew Moor off a free kick from midfielder Jamie Smith.

Likely Look: The Rapids started last week in a 4-5-1 with Omar Cummings as the lone striker. As the game wore on, the insertion of substitutes led to a change in shape in the final minutes as Quincy Amarikwa came on as a second forward and Carlos Lopez made a late appearance in midfield. Neither provided the winning score, but the team looked more dangerous in a 4-4-2.

Coach Gary Smith is unlikely to change shape to start, but it will be interesting to see if he calls on the 4-4-2 for a late burst.

Probable Starters: Expect to see Cummings soloing up top with Jeff Larentowicz, Pablo Mastroeni, Mehdi Ballouchy, Jamie Smith and Colin Clark in the middle. Matt Pickens will be in the goal, with Kosuke Kimura, Julien Buadet, Moor and Marvell Wynne across the back.

Pablo Mastroeni delivers one of the few bright spots for the Rapids against Kansas City with a first-half shot that goes just wide left. (Photo by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

There are ugly wins and ugly losses, but there is rarely an ugly tie.

On Saturday night, the fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park got to see an ugly tie as the Colorado Rapids salvaged a point against the visiting Kansas City Wizards, 1-1.

For the unfamiliar, an ugly tie is when the home team lets a mediocre visitor control play for long periods, fans see their own players tripping over the ball and falling on home turf, and the team’s best player get a chance to deliver a win and instead clanks the ball off the post.

All of these things came to fruition as the Rapids dawdled and frittered on a gorgeous July night.

For the record, Kansas City scored first when Craig Rocastle sent a through pass from his half of midfield that found a streaking Davy Arnaud. Arnaud zipped past a lumbering backline and waited for Matt Pickens to commit to a side. When Pickens went to the near post, Arnaud fired to the far post to put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute.

It looked like KC might double or treble its lead as Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury and Arnaud continued to pester the goalmouth. Pickens made back-to-back saves on shots from Kamara and Arnaud in the 39th minute to keep the Rapids in the game. Bunbury had the best chance in the 41st when he beat the ‘keeper, but the ball ricocheted off both posts before Pablo Mastroeni cleared it.

Looking for a change, coach Gary Smith took off Mehdi Ballouchy and inserted Jamie Smith at half. This followed the mericful replacement of Scott Palguta with Danny Earls in the 44th minute. Palguta, playing at left back, was outmatched by Kamara’s speed and reduced to the role of Greco-Roman wrestling with the forward. Palguta’s efforts earned him a yellow card in the 36th minute and little else.

Adding Smith and bringing on Claudio Lopez for Colin Clark in the 62nd minuted changed the shape of the team and the fate of the game. Colorado continued pressing for the equalizer and found it when Conor Casey took a Smith pass, turned in the box and bulled his way past defenders before beating ‘keeper Jimmy Nielsen in the 74th minute.

In the 89th, Casey got the chance for a win on a perfect diagonal pass from Lopez. Nielsen went down as Casey moved in the box. With an open net, the forward attempted to chip a left-footed shot. It clanked the left post and bounced out for a goal kick, leaving an ugly tie in place.

Records: The Rapids slipped into fourth place in the Western Conference at 6-4-5 (23 points). Kansas City remained fifth in the Eastern Conference at 4-8-4 (16 points).

Rapids 11: Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Palguta (Earls 44), Omar Cummings, Ballouchy (Smith 46), Jeff Larentowicz, Mastroeni, Clark ( Lopez 62), Casey.

Wizards 11: Nielsen, Michael Harrington, Jimmy Conrad, Shavar Thomas, Roger Espinoza, Arnaud (Graham Zusi 86), Stephane Auvray, Rocastle (Jack Jewsbury 63), Ryan Smith (Josh Wolff 75), Kamara, Bunbury.

Next Up: The Rapids next game is a road game at Seattle on July 25, which will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel (9 p.m. Mountain). The Rapids return home to face FC Dallas at 2 p.m. on July 31.

Relocated: The originally scheduled game at Philadelphia on July 14 was rescheduled for September 29.

Conor Casey takes a try at the goal as rain pounded the players during the Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls 4th of July game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The game ended in a tie 1-1. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/coloradosoccernow.com)

On a sodden Fourth of July night, the fireworks were in short supply as the Colorado Rapids tied the visiting New York Red Bulls 1-1.

The Rapids took the lead on a perfect pass from Conor Casey to a hard charging Omar Cummings at the far post in the 15th minute. Marvell Wynne had started the break with a tight pass up the right sideline to Casey, who was just onside. Cummings met Casey’s pass at the edge of the six-yard box and snapped it in the goal past former teammate Bouna Coundoul.

The lead lasted only as long as Juan Pablo Angel was unmarked. In the 34th minute, marking failed on a corner kick, and Angel blistered the net with his ninth goal of the season off a ball from Sinisa Ubiparipovic.

As the rain worsened in the second half, going from annoying splatters to torrential flooding, the Rapids got the better of play.

Mehdi Ballouchy, who had a goal disallowed in the first half, blasted a shot against the bar from outside the penalty area in the 68th minute. In the 76th minute, Colin Clark cut inside from the left and fired a shot from the edge of the penalty box that veered past the far post. Casey nearly flicked a header in two minutes later.

None of the efforts were enough as the teams split the points. The Rapids moved to 6-3-4 (22 points) and remained in third place in the Western Conference. New York sits at 8-5-1 (25 points), which is enough to remain two points behind the Columbus Crew for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dubious Mark: With the tie, the Rapids continued a six game unbeaten streak. While that sounds fantastic, the team is also winless in three straight with a series of draws, two since the MLS returned from a two-week break for the World Cup.

Kosuke Returns: The July 4 game marked the return to action for Kosuke Kimura. The defender entered the game in the 54th minute in his first action since May 4. Kimura suffered a stress fracture in his ankle while warming up before the LA Galaxy match.

Rapids 11: Matt Pickens, Wynne, Drew Moor, Scott Palguta (Kimura 54th), Danny Earls, Pablo Mastroeni, Ballouchy (Wells Thompson 77th), Jeff Larentowicz, Jamie Smith (Clark 65th), Cummings, Casey.

New York 11: Coundoul, Chris Albright, Carlos Mendes, Tim Ream, Danleigh Borman, Dane Richards, Seth Stammler, Tony Tchani (Salou Imbrahim 68th), Ubiparipovic (Mike Petke, 89th), Angel (Roy Miller, 84th), Joel Lindpere.

Colorado Rapids Omar Cummings (center), New York Red Bulls Seth Stammler (left), and Tim Ream (right) have their eye on the ball as the rain pounded the players during the 2010, 4th of July game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The game ended in a tie 1-1. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/coloradosoccernow.com)

Colorado Rapids Drew Moor is interviewed after the game against the Columbus Crew June 5 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Moor scored the winning and only goal. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Jamie Smith and Drew Moor connected in the 85th minute to turn a night of unattractive soccer headed for a nothing-nothing draw into a Colorado Rapids win.

Smith, a 74th minute substitute, delivered the perfect free kick to the far post and Moor out leapt a defender to give the shorthanded Rapids a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in front of 14,318.

Smith got his first assist of the season on Moor’s first goal of 2010 as the header beat ‘keeper Will Hesmer to his right. The goal proved to be enough for the Rapids to improve to 6-3-1 (19 points) and drop the Crew to 6-2-3 (21 points) heading into a summer break.

It was the sublime moment in an otherwise balky game where neither side showed much urgency. Perhaps everyone got up too early to watch the US beat Australia 3-1 in the final World Cup tuneup. Or maybe players on both sides were thinking about the coming two week hiatus for the World Cup. Whatever the case, neither side seemed capable of grabbing control of the game, leaving the heroics to an unexpected duo.

Defenders Moor and Danny Earls had been sparks for the Rapids throughout the night. Darting runs from Earls and stalwart defense from Moor had been among the few highlights. Their efforts were atypical on a night where players missed passes, sent crosses sailing out of bounds and gave balls away too easily. It was an evening where one bad pass was greeted by another.

Each team’s stars seemed off the page or off the pitch. The Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto consistently missed on free kicks aimed for the box and badly handled a shot on a three-on-two break in the 74th minute. Conor Casey showed his greatest passion in confronting referee Kevin Stott about a no-call after Omar Cummings was sandwiched between two players in the box, earning the Rapids’ forward a 42nd minute yellow card. Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni was sent off in the 77th minute for lunging in retaliation after being taken down near midfield.

However, the Rapids now get 21 days to ponder the foibles and enjoy a shutout victory. Plus, with the unlikely pair of Smith and Moor connecting, Colorado enjoys sole possession of third place, a point behind Salt Lake, and the taste of winning for the next three weeks.

(Update: I’m a fool, and I forgot that the Chicago game was moved to June 9. The break doesn’t start until then. My bad.)

Clark Starts: Showing a rounding into form after return from injury, Clark started on the left side of midfield and played the full 90. His inclusion in the starting 11 moved Thompson to the bench. Thompson came on for an ineffective Casey, a move that sent Cummings up as the lone striker.

Coming Next: The Rapids, like the rest of the world, can turn on World Cup games starting Friday. The team is off until traveling to Houston for a June 26 game in that Texas sweatbox. The next home game is the July 4 fireworks extravaganza against the New York Red Bulls.

Until Then: Colorado’s next home game will also be Mastroeni’s next game. The midfielder will be serving a mandatory one-game suspension for his Saturday night expulsion.

With Real Salt Lake leading 1-0, Saborío added to the score in the 24^th minute. Defender Robbie Russell brought the ball up the right side of the field and played the ball just inside the penalty box to Javier Morales, who was unable to control the ball. Saborío picked up the loose ball at the top of the area and unleashed a shot that landed just inside the post past an outstretched Pat Onstad.  

In the 60^th minute, Saborío added his second goal of the game. Morales delivered a free kick from 30 yards out on the left side. Saborío made a spectacular run to lose his defender and from six yards out, nodded home his fourth goal of the season. 

Saborío has contributed a total of four goals and two assists for Real Salt Lake in 2010, who holds a 4-3-1 record, and sits tied for second place in the Western Conference. 

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. 

CSN Voting: Yes, I do get a creepy Crosby-Stills-Nash feeling whenever I type “CSN.” Still, I can’t come up with a better abbreviation. For this week, I cast my vote for player of the week to Preston Burpo, with Guillermo Barros Scheletto second on the list. Burpo essentially stole a point for the Revs over the weekend, and Schelotto did exactly what the team star is supposed to do in delivering a critical penalty Kick for a Columbus victory. 

For me, Saborío did what forwards are supposed to do, score goals. While two are impressive, I was more impressed by Burpo’s stops and management of the defense, and Schelotto’s cool.

Big Break: Colorado doesn’t have another MLS game until May 29. While that seems like an eternity, the team does have a critical match coming in the interim.

Colorado faces New York Red Bull on May 26 in the final play-in match for a U.S. Open Cup spot. Since the game comes after a long layoff, and immediately before facing the Seattle Sounders at Dick’s Sporting Good Park, it might be a chance to give some midfielders a rest. I’m betting Carlos Lopez and Colin Clark get significant minutes in the Open Cup game to be played at the Red Bull Arena.

I’m also continuing my hope that the Rapids will advance in this tournament, something that hasn’t happened since 2007. There is silver to be had for the trophy case.

Bunched Together: The weekend win left Colorado at 4-3-1 (13 points) and tied for second in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, that’s a crowded group of teams, that also means the Rapids are only one point ahead of sixth place and three points clear of last in the conference. Only the Los Angeles Galaxy, 7-0-2 (23 points) has managed any clearance on the rest of the conference.

The Plus: Three of Colorado’s four wins have come on the road. The team is 3-2-0 on the road in 2010, after winning only two road matches in 2009. After facing Seattle on May 29, the Rapids get Columbus at home on June 5. Home points would be nice.

Stifling: Only Los Angeles and Columbus have allowed fewer goals than the Rapids (7) so far this season. Colorado is only scoring a little more than one goal a game (9 goals in 8 games), but the revamped defense is proving sound.

Forward Omar Cummings provided the game’s only goal in the 56th minute on an assist from Colin Clark. It was Cummings’ 17th goal of his career, and a well-deserved strike for a player who seemed to be involved in every attacking threat for Colorado.

The win represented just about everything the Rapids could have hoped for to start the campaign. The team picked up three points, on the road, and held on for a nervy shutout of a conference opponent. As satisfying as the win was, it was also improbable. Prior to Friday, the Rapids were 2-10-2 in season openers, with both wins coming at home. With the win, the Rapids have now won half as many road games — one — as they did all last season — two, and the season is only a game old.

After a scoreless first half, Cummings goal was one of the instinctual shots that strikers make. Cummings received Clark’s pass with his back to the goal, spun and fired, just nicking the right post on its way in. It was all the Rapids would need.

However, it looked for several moments that they would need more. The Rapids goal seemed to open up both sides as Chivas sought the equalizer and the Rapids looked for a counterattack. Matt Perkins and a new look backline, including Thursday’s acquisition Marvell Wynne as a centerback, met the challenges.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Danny Earls, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Colin Clark, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings.

CHIVAS USA STARTERS: Dan Kennedy, Mariano Trujillo, Jonathan Bornstein, Michael Umana, Ante Jazic, Sacha Kljestan (c), Marcelo Saragosa, Michael Lahoud, Jorge Flores, Maykel Galindo, Osael Romero.

PICKENS PUNCH: Did Matt Pickens stay in shape with a cardio boxing program in the off season? No one keeps a stat on goalkeeper punches in a game, but that seemed to be his prefered action on balls floating in the box. It’s hard to argue with the tactic, but as a former defender, punches always made me nervous.

NO THORNTON: Zach Thornton, an MLS all-star and the owner of 12 shutout victories for the Goats in 2009, was on the bench for the season opener. Thornton, 36, is still recovering from a hip injury.

CLARK’S RETURN: Colin Clark started and played 78 minutes in his first meaningful game action since tearing his ACL in July. Playing on the left side, Clark had a quiet first half, with one 20-yard shot that rattled the advertising behind the goal, before feeding the ball to Cummings for the first goal of the season. Later, in the 74th minute, Clark and Cummings nearly connected again.

DEBUT ON THE DEUCE: Friday night’s season opener at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., was also the first broadcast on KWGN/Channel 2. “The Deuce,” as it is marketed, will broadcast 25 of the Rapids 30 regular season games.

NEXT UP: The Rapids face the Chicago Fire at 2 p.m. Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the home opener.

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.