The latest evidence came on Saturday night as the Rapids fell to the Chicago Fire, one of the worst teams in MLS, 2-0 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.

While it was the most disastrous result in the latest string of games, it was also further proof of the mounting fatigue for a squad battling in two competitions. Surrendering late goals are normally the key sign of a tiring team. Colorado (10-7-11, 41 points) gave up a tying goal to Real Espana on Tuesday in the 85th minute and to Chivas USA on Aug. 20 in the 86th minute.

Coach Gary Smith attempted to make the most of his flagging roster by putting sometime starter Caleb Folan up top, and resting Omar Cummings.

The move produced few chances, and Cummings ultimately came on in the 61st minute as the team sought its way out of 2-0 hole. Inserting Cummings and later bringing on Macoumba Kandji for Folan produced little.

Perhaps Chicago ‘keeper Sean Johnson deserves much of the credit for earning his sixth shutout. However, the Rapids dug their own hole by letting Dominic Orduro loose in the 16th minute, and failing to close down his shot. The second goal was even more egregious as Kosuke Kimura, who possesses the work rate of a draft horse, simply couldn’t continue the run to the end line for the cross that Cory Gibbs turned into the second goal.

The bottom line is that this team, which relies on outworking opponents and then unleashing the speed of Sanna Nyassi and Cummings, is showing signs of the grind. Not having another game until Sept. 9, when the Rapids travel to face the LA Galaxy, may be the best thing that can happen for this squad. The season is at a critical juncture, and this side is running on fumes.

The Rapids, who upended Toronto 3-1 on Sunday, headed East with a record of 2-1-1 on 7 points, good for a tie for third place in the Western Conference. The Rapids trail the Seattle Sounders (2-1-2, 8 points) and the runaway Los Angeles Galaxy (4-0-0, 12 points).

The Revolution hold a record of 2-2-0 on 6 points, and currently sit in third place in the East.

Larentowicz, 26, was drafted by the Revolution in the fourth round (45th overall) in the 2005 Major League Soccer supplemental draft and earned a starting role midway through the 2006 season. After registering four goals (all from outside the penalty area) in 2008 and three goals in 2007, he finished the 2009 season with one goal and two assists for New England. He started 28 games for the Revs last year. He helped Brown to two Ivy League championships. He trained with Sweden’s Malmo FF during the summer between his junior and senior years at Brown and with England’s Ipswich Town after the 2005 MLS season. Following the acquisition of Larentowicz’s rights, the Rapids agreed to terms on a new contract with him.

Thompson, 26, a wide midfielder who can use his left or right foot, was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 MLS draft. He scored the winning goal in the final of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, helping the Revs earn their first trophy. In 25 games last season (17 of them start) he registered one goal and two assists. While at Wake Forest in 2006, the Demon Deacons advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in school history. He is the highest-drafted soccer player in Wake Forest history, and he is the fourth-highest-drafted student-athlete in school history, behind basketball’s Tim Duncan (No. 1 in the 1997 NBA draft) and Chris Paul (No. 4 in the 2005 NBA draft) and baseball’s Kyle Sleeth (No. 3 in the 2003 MLB draft).

Gibbs, pictured at right, joined Colorado in mid-August 2008 and was chosen as the team’s defender of the year that season. He appeared in 20 games (19 starts) in 2009. He scored his first career MLS goal, which was also an MLS goal of the week nominee, against Los Angeles in October 2008. He has 19 caps for the U.S. men’s national team. He was on the roster for Nats’ match against Guatemala in November 2008 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park but did not enter the game. Gibbs, who turned 30 this month, has played for St. Pauli, Charlton, Den Haag, Feyenoord and Dallas.

The Rapids acquired Burpo in a trade with the Earthquakes for Jovan Kirovski and Kelly Gray. Bupro spent nine years with the Seattle Sounders as one of the top goalkeepers in the USL First Division. In 2009, he started 11 games in goal and had a record of 1-4-6 with 23 saves and a 1.45 goals against average. He posted a shutout at Kansas City in September. He got his first significant time in goal for the Rapids in 2008 when Bouna Coundoul was away with the Senegalese National team, and finished the season with a 5-6-2 record and a 1.85 GAA. He’s also played for Chivas USA, the Boston Storm and New Hampshire Phantoms of the USISL, Harbor View of Jamaica’s first division and New Hampshire College (now Southern University of New Hampshire).

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.

OregonLive.com reports that Spencer met with owner Merritt Paulson and others on the Timbers’ staff within the past few days in Portland.

Timbers head coach Gavin Wilkinson, who was the 2009 FieldTurf Coach of the Year for the USL First Division, is being considered as the club’s technical director.

Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle reports that Spencer declined to interview for the D.C. United head coaching job because he is mulling an opportunity elsewhere, with all signs pointing to expansion Portland as the likely destination. Portland will start play in Major League Soccer in 2011.

“The reason I turned down an offer to go interview (with D.C.) was I already had an interview set up with another club,” Spencer said told the Chronicle. “And just out of professional courtesy to the team that had contacted me first, I felt it was professional not to accept another offer (to interview).”

Good luck, Spenny! We’re rootin’ for ya (until Portland plays the Rapids).

TRADE GONE BAD: Steven Goff of The Washington Post reports that the Rapids were preparing to trade goalkeeper Preston Burpo and defender Cory Gibbs for midfielders Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson but the deal fell through because of issues involving Gibbs’ contract and a delay for his medical exam to be performed by the Revs.

RSL DRAFTS A RAPIDS FAN: The Deseret News reports that when Real Salt Lake drafted Collen Warner with the 15th pick in the MLS draft, the team picked a native Coloradoan who followed the Colorado Rapids “as much as any young soccer player” growing up. He told the newspaper that he attended Rapids matches frequently and watched others on television. Mark him down as another Colorado product who headed west on I-80 to Utah.

GUPPY SPEAKS: Tribal Football has a blurb about Rapids assistant coach Steve Guppy being happy in Colorado.

KARANKA INTERVIEW: Goal.com has an interview with former Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Colorado Rapids defender Aitor Karanka!

MCMANUS ON THE MOVE: Former Rapids striker (and ColoradoSoccerNow.com favorite) Tom McManus is getting a trial with English club Grimsby Town. The Grimsby Telegraph reports that Tom (or Tam, if you prefer) is looking for a new club during the transfer window. He left Derry City because of the club’s financial problems and returned to Scotland as a free agent recently and has had a trial with Ayr United.

ANOTHER FORMER RAPIDS STRIKER: Chris Carrieri will be playing for the Richmond Kickers of the USL Second Division. Carrieri retired from professional soccer before the 2008 season but came out of retirement to play with the Kickers. He scored one goal during seven appearances in 2009 and has committed to the club for 2010.

AND A CURRENT RAPIDS STRIKER: The Jamaica Observer takes a look at the Jamaican national team camp, which includes Rapids striker Omar Cummings.

KITS ON DISPLAY: Fanhouse.com has a look at all the Major League soccer jerseys for 2010. Not much change for the Rapids, which is a good thing.

And although they don’t work every Rapids game, the offered keen insight into the team and its playoff fortunes throughout Saturday night’s telecast from Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

When Real Salt Lake owned a 2-0 lead in the first half, Max was already calling it a win. Sullivan also called the result a done deal in the first half, as did Mark Rogondino at halftime. It’s painful to say, but at no point after Robbie Findley scored his second goal of the match did it seem as if the Rapids had the goods to make it a contest. Fighting for their playoff lives, they had no punch.

And the FSC crew could see that.

Sullivan also pointed out that someone in the Colorado midfield needed to pick up his game when the team faced a two-goal deficit in this, the season finale. He was absolutely right. The problem for the Rapids, however, was … who?

Since Colin Clark injured his knee on Aug. 11, the Rapids are 4-6-4 and have scored 19 goals in 14 games. Jacob Peterson and Jamie Smith also have suffered knee injuries and have missed time on the midfield flanks for Colorado.

Those losses forced Kosuke Kimura and Jordan Harvey to move forward into the midfield from the defense, the only area of the pitch where the Rapids have real depth. But that leaves Pat Noonan as the sole offensive midfield option on the bench. So if a Rapids midfielder was being counted on for a burst of offensive inspiration, who would it be?

In the second half, Sullivan said that, going into the playoffs, you want to be a team that shows it can play convincing soccer. The Rapids have not done that in weeks. Since the last time the team was on FSC (Sept. 5) the team is 0-3-4 and has scored six goals in those seven matches. Three of those were penalty kicks.

Next, Bretos noted near the end of the match that Colorado, based on this result, does not have the look of a playoff team. Maybe that was an easy one. What was your first clue, Max? Findley’s two first-half goals? Yura Movsisyan’s dagger in the 85th? The frustration on the faces of the players, helpless to shape their own fate? The observation was a soft one, but Bretos hit it out of the park.

Finally, Sullivan pointed out that RSL owns the mountain region of Major League Soccer. Again, painfully, they do.

Even though the Rapids beat them convincingly in May and Omar Cummings conjured a goal from nowhere for a road tie in June, Saturday’s 3-0 RSL victory came when it counted the most. It was the second straight season that RSL has beaten the Rapids in the regular-season finale with the playoffs on the line. Salt Lake gets to keep the Rocky Mountain Cup and shows once again that it holds the upper hand in this rivalry.

All that wisdom in a few short observations about the Rapids. FSC is a joy to watch.

This game, however, was not.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Findley.

ARE THE RAPIDS ELIMINATED? For Colorado to advance to the postseason the team needs New England to lose today against Columbus.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CUP The trophy stays in Utah for another season, but it was nice to see C10 member Tina Nuechterlein in her Rapids gear on the telly.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS: Officially, the attendance was 18,675, but I saw a lot of red seats at Rio Tinto Stadium. Could the Rapids have drawn a better crowd? No.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Preston Burpo, Jordan Harvey, Cory Gibbs, Julien Baudet, Drew Moor, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Kosuke Kimura, Nick LaBrocca, Omar Cummings, Conor Casey.

REAL STARTERS: Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Tony Beltran, Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Will Johnson, Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola.

RSL knocked the Rapids out of the playoffs (and put itself in) in the final minute of the final game of 2008. And the league set up a similar showdown by pairing the two in the 2009 finale.

It makes sense: Nurture this rivalry by making the teams go head to head at the most crucial juncture. More than likely, some important playoff scenario would come down to the last game for at least one of the two. Why not let them bang heads to decide it?

And get their hate on in the process.

After Saturday’s loss 2-1 loss to FC Dallas, the Rapids have played right into the schedule makers’ hands. Saturday’s match in Texas could’ve ended up anywhere from a 2-2 tie (if Kosuke Kimura puts away his golden opportunity in the second half) to a 6-1 win for Dallas (if the Hoops put away any number of golden opportunities in either half of play).

The Rapids had so many breaks in this game that Altitude color commentator Marcelo Balboa predicted Colorado would come back and tie it 2-2. And you can’t blame him.

Jeff Cunningham was called offside on a play in which he wasn’t.

Referee Edvin Jurisevic was too busy passing out yellow cards to notice Pat Noonan play the ball with his arm in the Rapids’ penalty area.

Cunningham missed a sure goal wide right.

Cunningham missed a sure goal wide left.

Dax McCarty drove a hard shot just over the crossbar.

Cunningham served to David Ferreira, who missed a completely empty net wide after Cunningham drew Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo out of the penalty area.

And on and on. The Hoops had so many opportunities to put this one out of reach that it got comical. And it seemed as if the stars were aligning to allow the Rapids their fifth consecutive tie.

Nope. The second Rapids goal didn’t come, and Dallas’ two goals held up.

Dallas got on the board first in the fourth minute. Van den Bergh served a wicked free kick in front of the Rapids’ goal, and the towering George John slipped in front of Jordan Harvey and headed it in.

Balboa was right on the money in pointing out that John was aggressive on the play, attacking the ball, and Harvey was passive, waiting for the ball to come to him. That was the difference in the goal, and it was a rare mistake from Harvey this season. He has played consistently at a high level for Colorado all year, and this is a rare blemish on his 2009 record.

The Hoops made it a 2-0 lead when Ugo Ihemelu put the ball in the net in the second half after another Dallas free kick. Ihemelu swiped at the ball with his leg, sending it toward goal. Burpo made the initial save, but the rebound bounced into the net after hitting Burpo’s leg or foot. Whatever body part happened to be the culprit, it was a goal for Dallas.

Pat Noonan gave the Rapids some hope in the 71st minute. For some reason the goal was unassisted, but Nick LaBrocca set it up with some nice footwork along left edge of Dallas’ penalty area. Noonan showed some fancy moves of his own to keep the ball in front of him and away from former Rapids defender Ihemelu, then he fooled Dallas keeper Dario Sala with a shot to the near post. Sala was looking far post, and Noonan almost twisted him into the ground like a tent stake.

But that was it from the Rapids. Colorado beat Toronto 1-0 in Commerce City on Sept. 5 and hasn’t won a game since. The team has logged a 0-2-4 record in that stretch and has scored only six goals, three from the penalty spot.

Six matches. Four points.

It’s a bad time of the season to be hitting a wall. And the last chance to get over that wall is Saturday.

In Sandy, Utah.

RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT: In a highly anticipated meeting between the top contenders for the MLS Golden Boot, Cunningham and Rapids striker Conor Casey came up empty. Cunningham couldn’t finish any of his numerous chances, and Casey’s teammates couldn’t put him in a position to score. So, instead, we got John’s first goal in MLS, Ihemelu’s first goal of the season and Noonan’s second goal with the Rapids.

ALTITUDE HIGH JINKS 1: The Kroenke entertainment and sports programming network missed the first four minutes of the match, opting to show the Colorado Avalanche on Altitude and Altitude 2 simultaneously. The first we saw was Cory Gibbs objecting to a foul outside of the box (which is what led to van den Bergh’s fateful free kick). I’m not sure everybody had that problem in the metro area, but that’s what we got in Greeley on Comcast.

ALTITUDE HIGH JINKS 2: When will they stop superimposing images of the announcing team in front of the road stadium? It’s bush league. Just show them in the studio. It’s obvious Cory Lopez and Balboa aren’t at the stadium (Balboa even talked about driving to the game on Saturday), and trying to give the impression that they are on location is deceitful. Fox Soccer Channel often has its announcers in the studio (and not at the match site), and it never feels the need to lie to its viewers. They don’t make a point of hiding the fact that they’re not at the stadium; they just don’t try to show viewers that they are.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Dave van den Bergh’s service on the first Dallas goal was sublime, a low, curling rope of a kick. The Dallas offense was firing bullets that the Rapids couldn’t stop, only dodge, and van den Bergh was pulling the trigger. In the first 20 minutes of the second half, Dallas attacked in waves, with van den Bergh leading the charge. I thought Ihemelu matched up well with Omar Cummings and was making a case to be man of the match. And when Ugo scored his goal, the case got stronger. But there was a fire in Dallas’ bellies on Saturday, and van den Bergh threw fuel on the fire with his offense.

MISSING: The Rapids were without defender Julien Baudet and midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy because of disciplinary suspensions.

YOUNG AT THE BACK: When Rapids coach Gary Smith took Cory Gibbs out of the game in the 63rd minute, I thought it was a strong vote of confidence in defender Scott Palguta. Then, when Smith took out Palguta for striker Ross Schunk in the 87th, I thought it was a strong vote of confidence in rookie defender Michael Holody.

MAN WITH TWO FIRST NAMES: George John has a name that’s odd because it’s difficult not to think of either name as a first name. George. John. John. George.Then that got me thinking. George, er, John wasn’t the only player on the pitch with two first names, too. What about Jordan Harvey? And Conor Casey? But is Conor a first name or a last name more often. And, to be fair, if you consider how many folks have named their precious little boy Tanner in the past 20 years, I’m rocking two first names as well.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Preston Burpo, Drew Moor, Cory Gibbs, Scott Palguta, Kosuke Kimura, Nick LaBrocca, Pablo Mastroeni, Pat Noonan, Jordan Harvey, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings.

DALLAS STARTERS: Dario Sala, Heath Pearce, Ugo Ihemelu, George John, Jair Benitez, Atiba Harris, Daniel Hernandez, Dax McCarty, Dave van den Bergh, Jeff Cunningham, David 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 affiliate 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.

Nelson, a senior forward from Laramie, scored four goals and tallied two assists to help Mines to a pair of victories last weekend. In Mines’ 4-3 win at CSU-Pueblo on Friday, Nelson scored a pair of goals, including the winner, and added an assist. He scored the winner and added two more goals and an assist in the Orediggers’ 7-0 win at home against Colorado Christian on Sunday.

This season, Nelson has scored a team-leading eight goals and has tallied three assists. He tied for first in the RMAC in game-winning goals (three), ranks second in points (19), is tied for second in goals and ranks fourth in points per game (1.36) and goals per game (0.57).

The 14th-ranked Orediggers (10-1-3, 6-1-1 RMAC) will host No. 6 Fort Lewis College at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and Mesa State College at noon Sunday. Both games will be played at the Colorado School of Mines Soccer Stadium.

MORE AWARDS FOR MINES: Orediggers striker Kayla Mitchell was named the RMAC offensive player of the week for the second consecutive week, the third time this season and the sixth time in her career. Mitchell, a senior forward from Ontario, Ore., scored in Mines’ 1-0 win at Colorado Christian on Friday then recorded her third hat trick in four games and her fourth hat trick of the season in a 4-0 win Sunday at Nebraska-Kearney. Mitchell has seven career hat tricks. She leads the RMAC in goals (20), points (45) and winning goals (10), is tied for first in goals per game (1.33) and points per game (3.00) and is tied for fifth in assists (5). In Division II, Mitchell is tied for fourth in goals per game and ranks seventh in points per game. She has scored a goal in 11 of 15 games this season and has multiple goals in five games.

MPSF HONORS AIR FORCE SENIOR: Josh Rhynard has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Week after registering two goals and one assist in the Falcons’ 6-3 win over Missouri-Kansas City on Monday. Rhynard shared the award with UNLV junior forward Stephen Sifuentes, who scored two unassisted goals in a 4-2 home win over Houston Baptist on Sunday. Rhynard’s goals came in the 29th and 48th minutes, the third and fifth goals for Air Force. His assist came on Kyle Moses’ winning goal in the ninth minute. Rhynard took over the team’s scoring lead with his performance. He now has three goals and three assists.

SCAC HONORS: Colorado College’s Jordan Reese was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for his career-best eight-point effort in Saturday’s 4-0 homecoming victory over Austin College. Reese scored the Tigers’ first two goals, including what proved to be the sixth winning goal of his career, 12:58 into the first half. he sent a direct kick into the top left corner from 20 yards out. He completed the first multi-goal game of his career a little more than 15 minutes later, when he converted off a pass from senior midfielder Ben Hancock. Reese went on to record the fourth two-assist game of his career, setting up goals by Brendan Douglas and Matt Fechter as CC tied its season high for goals in a game. Reese, who took over the team scoring lead with 15 points, ranks second in the SCAC with seven assists.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY CONTRAST: The Colorado College women are 6-1 on Fridays this season but only 2-4-1 on Sunday. This week, the Tigers host East Carolina on Friday and Marshall on Sunday. Both Conference USA matches start at 2 p.m.

MILESTONE FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS: The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs notched a historic first this week: Three athletes in different sports were honored as players of the week by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. UCCS has had players from two sports named receive the honors in the same week several times, but never three. That’s now happened as volleyball player Cindy Bathelt and soccer players Adam Liszewski and Kayla Millar were recognized by the league. Liszewsk, a junior from Mesa, Ariz., has compiled 186 consecutive scoreless minutes in goal for UCCS. His back-to-back shutouts against Colorado Christian and CSU-Pueblo led UCCS to its first two-game winning streak of the season. For the season, Liszewski has three shutouts, a 1.93 goals-against average and a 69.2 save percentage. He is the first UCCS men’s soccer player to be named player of the week since Bryan Stoeber in 2007. The last Mountain Lion to be named defensive player of the week was Isaac Kostro on Oct. 3, 2006. Millar, playing in relief of goalkeeper Ashley Armstrong, recorded her second shutout of the season after notching seven saves against New Mexico Highlands in a 1-0 win.

KROENKE TAKING OVER AT ARSENAL: ESPN is reporting that Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in Arsenal again, edging closer to a full takeover of the club. The Gunners announced on Thursday that Kroenke has spent $1.2 million buying 90 shares to increase his holding from 28.7 percent to 28.9 percent, just short of the threshold of 29.9 percent that would trigger a mandatory offer for the remaining shares. Read the full story here.

GIBBS TO RETURN: Former Rocky Mountain News writer Pat Rooney reports on MLSnet.com that Rapids defender Cory Gibbs is scheduled to return to the lineup on Saturday at Dallas. Gibbs suffered a torn quadriceps muscle on Aug. 30, but he received a measure of relief when an exam revealed the injury was a second-degree tear, rather than a more serious third-degree tear. Read Rooney’s full story here.

PICKENS TO RETURN? Rooney also writes that goalkeeper Matt Pickens has recovered from his strained knee and could return Saturday, putting Rapids coach Gary Smith in the position of having to choose between Pickens and Preston Burpo. Read Rooney’s goalkeeping story here.

CUE THE AUDIO: Here is the American Soccer Minute’s 60-second look at week 31 in Major League Soccer. Click on this link to listen to the audio file.

DYNAMITE PRESEASON SCHEDULE: The Denver Dynamite announced its 2009 preseason schedule, which features three games at the Westridge Recreation Center in Highlands Ranch, the official training center of the team. Denver’s first preseason game at 7 p.m. Saturday, the second annual Dynamite Yellow & Blue intersquad match. On Oct. 24, the match against Edwards Freedom FC will be marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the new turf at the Westridge Recreagtion Center. The third game, on Nov. 1, will see will see the beginning of an I-25 rivalry with PASL-Pro provisional team the Fort Collins Fury. Admission to all games will be free, thanks to the Westridge Recreation Center and Highlands Ranch Community Association. The Westridge Recreation Center is at 9650 S. Foothills Canyon Blvd. in Highlands Ranch.

DYNAMITE SIGNINGS: The Dynamite announced the signing of five players as it continues to fill out its 25-man roster for the 2009-10 Professional Arena Soccer League season, which kicks off Nov. 14, when the San Diego Sockers visit Denver. Forward Aaron King joins Denver after a spending a season with the United Soccer League First Division Miami FC. King has also played for the Charleston Battery, Carolina Railhawks and the Colorado Rapids (MLS). The Dynamite also signed former Colorado Lightning midfielder Roby Monroe; Travis Carey, who trained with the Dynamite last year; midfielder Justin Stones; and goalkeeper Brett O’Connor.

DIVISION II REGIONAL WOMEN’S RANKINGS: Here are the Central Region rankings, according to the NCAA:
1. Metro State
2. Minnesota State-Mankato
3. Colorado School of Mines
4. Fort Lewis
5. Regis
6. Winona State
7. Minnesota Duluth
8. Mesa State
9. Colorado Christian
10. St. Cloud State

DIVISION II REGIONAL MEN’S RANKINGS: Here are the Central Region rankings, according to the NCAA:
Central Region Rankings
1. Fort Lewis
2. Colorado School of Mines
3. Metro State
4. Regis

Colorado striker Conor Casey wasn’t supposed to be at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night. He wasn’t supposed to score the winning goal for the Rapids in a crucial 1-0 victory against Toronto FC.

He was supposed to be one state away, playing for the U.S. men’s national team in its World Cup qualifier against El Salvador in Sandy, Utah.

But Casey had surgery to remove his wisdom teeth on Monday. The Rapids said his surgeon advised him not to travel for a few days, and by Wednesday he still hadn’t joined the Nats in Utah.

So U.S. coach Bob Bradley and Casey came to an agreement. Call it a bit of wisdom. They reasoned that without the training with the rest of the team, Casey was unlikely to play against El Salvador. So they decided he would stay in Colorado.

Good thing he did.

Casey’s goal in the 52nd minute was the difference, as the Rapids gained the upper hand against Toronto in the fight for a playoff spot. Before the game, the Rapids had only a two-point edge over TFC. Afterward, the Canadian team was still sitting at 31 points in the standings while the Rapids shot up to 36. The teams meet again Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.

The strike came of Casey’s fabulous forehead on a cross from Jacob Peterson. Omar Cummings was making a run up the right wing, but he ran out of room. He tapped back to Peterson, who had plenty of time to pick out Casey in front of the Toronto goal. Peterson’s cross was true, and Casey’s header was unstoppable.

“Omar has been attracting so many defenders, he’s been so dangerous this season every game,” Peterson said. “And when you’ve got a player like that who attracts attention, he attracted two guys down to him, leaving me wide open. It’s my job to put that ball in in a good spot for Conor. And if I don’t then I let the team down. Conor had a great finish.”

The Rapids held the lead for about 25 minutes before Toronto’s Amadou Sanyang earned his second yellow of the night and was ejected, leaving the visitors with 10 players on the field. And less than 10 minutes after that, Adrian Serioux, who entered the game at halftime, left in the 84th for a serious foul on Cummings.

After a long punt by Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens, Serioux and Cummings were rushing to get control of the ball. Serioux threw an elbow and followed through with his shoulder, knocking Cummings down about three yards outside the Toronto penalty area.

The Rapids couldn’t convert the ensuing free kick, but they had so much possession in the waning minutes that the crowd at times began to count the number of consecutive passes the team strung together.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Casey was announced as man of the match at the stadium, but this was a close call. Sure he scored the goal, but he also missed a penatly kick in the first half that gave life to Toronto, which came out of the locker room fired up at the intermission. Cummings had another tremendous game, adding his league-leading 11th assist. Julien Baudet showed great skill and heart at center back, playing through injury and using the misdirection of a wily veteran to move a couple balls up the field that a defender with less experience might just boot out of touch. Pickens had another shutout, his seventh, as the Rapids maintained their dominance at home (the team has allowed only eight goals in 13 games at Commerce City, losing only twice). Jordan Harvey, Mehdi Ballouchy, Nick LaBrocca, Peterson, Kosuke Kimura … the list goes on. But I’ll have to agree and take Casey. On target or off, he was the story on Saturday night, scoring his league-leading 12th goal of 2009.

MLS DEBUT: Defender Michael Holody made his Major League Soccer debut, replacing Pat Noonan in the 74th minute. Noonan left the game, Kimura pushed up into the right midfield spot, and Holody stepped in at right back, providing a larger, stay-at-home presence on D. And Holody also got his first yellow card of his MLS career. On a throw-in at the 84-minute mark, Holody kept creeping up the line looking for someone to throw to. Referee Terry Vaughn interpreted his actions as stalling and cautioned the rookie.

THE SEEN: A big thanks to Nick Thomas of WeWantRapidman for pointing out to me that the Toronto FC director of media and public relations is Michelle Lissel, formerly of the “Fox Sports World Report.” Take a look at the pictures, and maybe you’ll see why I didn’t recognize her. On the left is how she appeared on “FSWR,” and the picture on the right is how she looks today.

WAS THAT NEW? A sideline advertising board at the north end of the stadium was promoting gousabid.com.

GONE: Jamie Smith (knee strain), Cory Gibbs (thigh strain) and Scott Palguta (calf strain) were unavailable for the Rapids. Captain Pablo Mastroeni was serving the first game of a three-game suspension for dangerous play in last week’s game against Houston. Toronto was missing Amado Guevara, who scored for Honduras in a 4-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

TORONTO STARTERS: Frei, Attakora, Brennan, Garcia, Gomez, Wynne, Sanyang, Vitti, Cronin, Barrett and D-Ro! (Sorry, ColoradoSoccerNow.com loves D-Ro.)

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens, Kimura, Baudet, Moor, Harvey, Noonan, Ballouchy, LaBrocca, Peterson, 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 affiliate 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.

A little more than a month ago, Rapids defender Julien Baudet was lying on the field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, his wrist and hand pointing one way, his forearm pointing another.

A few days after breaking two bones in his left forearm, Baudet was undergoing surgery to repair the injury.

On Sunday afternoon against the league-leading Houston Dynamo, Baudet was on the field. Not only did he play, but he scored the only goal in Colorado’s 1-0 victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“It was just a matter of getting match fit, which I wasn’t,” Baudet said. “(Coach) Gary (Smith) rang me and said, ‘I think we can use your experience today,’ and he made a good decision.’ ”

Smith’s call paid off because the Rapids lost central defender Cory Gibbs to a leg injury in the first dozen minutes of Sunday’s match. The situation prompted the return of Baudet about a week sooner than coach or player had planned.

Smith said he planned to use Baudet in a reserve-team scrimmage against Regis University at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the training pitch at Dick’s. Then, he said, he would evaluate Baudet’s conditioning to see if would be ready to play Saturday at home against Toronto.

And Baudet was not alone in the role of unlikely hero against the Dynamo.

Mehdi Ballouchy also entered the game because of an injury, and the midfielder served the corner kick that led to Baudet’s winning goal in the 55th minute. Ballouchy sent the ball right to the top of the goal box, and Baudet headed it in from six yards out for his first goal with the Rapids.

A couple minutes later, the Rapids won another corner, and Ballouchy again looked for Baudet.

“Yeah, it worked once. Why not twice?” Baudet said. “The delivery’s got to be right. You go and attack a space. And if the ball’s there, it’s a 50-50 with your marker and who’s going to want to want it more. And on (the first) occasion, no one.”

Ballouchy was in place because winger Jamie Smith went down about 30 minutes into the game and appeared to be grabbing his left knee. He resumed playing but had to leave in the 34th minute.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Baudet.

SAVE OF THE GAME: Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens was credited with only one save in the official stats, and it was a beauty against Kei Kamara in the 49th minute. The Houston striker got behind the Rapids’ defense and was alone with Pickens. Kamara could’ve shot up, down, left or right, and he chose to stay low. Pickens got down quickly and smothered the shot.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME BAUDET SCORED A WINNING GOAL? “Probably five years ago,” Baudet said. “I think it was even more than that. I think it was a free kick in the FA Cup against Bristol City.”

GARY SMITH’S OPTIONS ON DEFENSE: When Gibbs left the pitch, the Rapids’ head coach had these options: Baudet; Rob Valentino, who looked very good in a recent training match against the Colorado School of Mines; and Michael Holody, whose loan to Real Maryland ended this week. Scott Palguta was not among the players available on the bench because he tweaked his right calf in the first half Sunday against Chicago.

ANOTHER LOAN ENDED: Goalkeeper Steward Ceus is expected to return to the team this week after being on loan to the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer Leagues’ Second Division.

GIBBS HURT: The Rapids said Gibbs may have hurt a muscle in his thigh. He limped to the locker room at halftime, and he was still limping when he left the locker room after the game.

SMITH HURT: Jamie Smith said he felt his leg pinned under a Houston player during a collision and felt something in his left knee. He said he wasn’t sure of the extent of his injury.

OMAR APPARENTLY NOT HURT BADLY: Pat Noonan replaced striker Omar Cummings for the final 20 minutes. The Rapids said Omar had been bothered by a slight hip strain during the week. 

GALLERY OF HONOR: Former Rapids striker and current Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer was inducted into the Rapids’ Gallery of Honor at halftime. He was welcomed to the club by members Marcelo Balboa and Paul Bravo and by Rapids alumni Rafael Amaya, Chris Martinez, Ritchie Kotschau, Seth Trembly, Eric Denton and Wes Hart.

IT WON’T SHOW UP IN THE BOX SCORE, BUT … Kosuke Kimura had a beautiful little nudge on Luis Angel Landin in the 68th minute that allowed Pickens enough time to smother a dangerous pass into the box.

AND HEADED BACK THE OTHER WAY … Almost immediately after Kimura’s deft play, Houston defender Geoff Camerion knew exactly how much shoulder to use to force Cummings off the ball in the Dynomo’s penalty area to prevent a scoring chance.

BUSY WEEKEND: The fourth official on the field, Ben Chouaf, also was the fourth official at the Colorado-Illinois and Denver-St. Mary’s matches on Friday at the University of Denver.

DYNAMO STARTERS: Onstad, Hainault, Boswell, Cameron, Barrett, Mullan, Clark, Holden, Davis, Ching, Kamara.

RAPIDS STARTERS: Pickens, Kimura, Gibbs, Ihemelu, Harvey, Smith, LaBrocca, Mastroeni, Peterson, Casey, Cummings.