Teammates swarm Jeff Larentowicz after his 69th minute header put the Rapids up 2-1 on Chivas USA. The Goats rallied to tie 2-2 on Saturday night. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Twice Colorado led on Saturday night, and twice Chivas USA came back, eventually claiming a share of the points at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Goals from Caleb Folan and Jeff Larentowicz, both clinical strikes, were countered by the visiting Goats, who exploited the few openings they found on the night.

Ultimately, the 2-2 draw proved that remaining undefeated over the past six games (4-0-2) is not the same as winning for the Rapids, and earning another draw on the road (the second straight) was a solid result for Chivas USA.

It could have been much better for the Rapids (10-6-11, 41 points). Colorado started in a 4-5-1 formation with Folan as the lone striker, and the early results were encouraging. The Rapids controlled play for the first 25 minutes, and Folan snapped a precise goal off a Pablo Mastroeni cross in the 13th minute. The Ireland striker has now quietly tied Conor Casey for the team scoring lead in 2011 with six goals.

With Chivas doing an effective job disrupting the midfield, the Goats latest acquisition paid an immediate dividend in the 36th minute. Former Rapids Nick LaBrocca sent a pass to a rushing Juan Pablo Angel, who beat the offsides trap and tapped the ball past ‘keeper Matt Pickens.

In the second half, the Rapids came out the most dangerous side, but struggled to finish. Finally, Sanna Nyassi delivered a corner in the 69th minute that Larentowicz headed home. The two had nearly connected earlier, and Larentowicz made no mistake as he put the ball in the side netting.

The second goal wasn’t enough, however, as Chivas took advantage of a squad that lost its tactical shape. Laurent Courtois was the beneficiary as he ran on to a Michael Lahoud pass and put it between Pickens’ legs in the 86th minute.

Colorado got two chances in second half injury time to grab three points. ‘Keeper Dan Kennedy misplayed a Nyassi free kick in the 93rd minute that no one could latch on to. Then, on the resulting corner kick, Macoumba Kandji fired a rebound into the box. Defenders knocked it out as time was called on the tie.

Iron Man: Drew Moor is now the MLS iron man. The defender, playing at left back, played the full 90 minutes for the 68th consecutive game, setting a record for field players.

Next Up: The Rapids travel to Honduras for a Tuesday match against Real Espana in the team’s second CONCACAF Champions League group stage match. Colorado will remain on the road, facing the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Ill., on Aug. 27.

The next home match comes Sept. 13 against Santos Laguna in CCL play. The next MLS home game is more than a month away when the San Jose Earthquakes visit DSG Park on Sept. 24.

Caleb Folan delivers the header that gave Colorado an early lead in a 2-2 tie with Chivas USA. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Omar Cummings tees up a shot during the Rapids home clash with Chivas in 2010. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Colorado Rapids start the final eight games of the MLS season secure in a playoff position and tangling with one of the teams chasing them, Chivas USA.

This alone makes the Saturday night clash at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park intriguing, but add in the Goats’ latest signing, the return of a former Rapid and the potential to watch an endurance record, and the storyline gets a little overwhelming without even mentioning CONCACAF Champions League play.

Whew. There’s a lot going on in Commerce City tonight at 7. Here’s the break down.

The Striker: Juan Pablo Angel, the top scorer in the MLS in the past five years, became a Chivas player on Wednesday. The Colombian forward never found his place and had trouble finding the goal this season with the LA Galaxy.

Angel, a Designated Player, became expendable and was disposed when LA signed Robbie Keane. He moved across the locker room to Chivas on Wednesday and is scheduled to make his first appearance tonight.

The Returnee: Nick LaBrocca developed into a midfield stalwart for the Colorado Rapids in 2007-09 before getting traded to Toronto FC for the ’10 season. He found a new home with Chivas this year and has blossomed into an MLS All-Star.

This season, he has become a part of the attack, scoring seven goals and netting four assists for the Goats.

More Moor: Defender Drew Moor tied the MLS record for complete consecutive games for a field player at 67 in the match against San Jose Earthquakes. Tonight he can take ownership of the record.

Playing in central defense or at left back, Moor has been a constant in the lineup. With Anthony Wallace out, look for Moor — who played 90 minutes in Wednesday night’s CCL clash with Isidro Metapan — to be patrolling the backline.

Busy Schedule: Seven Colorado starters played most of the night in Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Metapan. After tonight, the team will have to gear up for a trip to Honduras to play Real Espana in Tuesday’s CCL match. Then, it’s on the road again to face Chicago on the 27th.

Isidro Metapan Alfredo Pacheco (left), watches as Colorado Rapids Andre Akpan (top), uses the back of Pacheco's teammate Alex Escobar during the CCL opener, Aug. 17. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Almost All White: The Rapids are also debuting a new look tonight. Colorado will be wearing white shorts with the team’s white road jersey with burgundy shoulders. Take a look at it here.

Since dropping the powder blue road kit, the Rapids have been looking for a third kit this season.

Last Time: The Rapids went on the road and defeated Chivas 1-0 on March 26. Quincy Amarikwa got the game’s loan goal.

Yellow Alert: Jeff Larentowicz, Caleb Folan, Wells Thompson and Moor each face a mandatory one-game suspension after their next yellow card. LaBrocca and Zarek Valentin are in the same spot for Chivas.

So, it’s possible that Moor could set the endurance record at 68 games and then be forced to miss the next match for accumulation of cautions. Insert your ironic comment here.

Streaks: Colorado is undefeated (4-0-1) in its past five match and coming off its best performance at home in a 2-0 victory over the Columbus Crew on Aug. 5.

Chivas settled for a tie with the Seattle Sounders FC last week and has gone 2-1-2 in the past five games, four of them away matches.

In their last Major League Soccer meeting on July 25, 2009, the Rapids tore through New York 4-0. Since then the teams have met for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where the Red Bulls thumped Colorado 3-0 with John Wolyniec scoring twice. That May 26 defeat in at the new Red Bull Arena knocked Colorado out of the U.S. Open Cup.

Last Man: Of the four who scored against New York in 2009, only Mehdi Ballouchy is still on the roster. The other scorers that day were Nick LaBrocca, Jacob Peterson and Pat Noonan.

Angel Fire: Juan Pablo Angel has taken 19 shots on goal, more than anybody else in MLS this season, scoring eight times. He will come up against a Colorado defense that has conceded only 11 goals in 12 games, four of those in the past two matches.

Records: Colorado is 15-13-3 all-time against New York. On the season, Colorado is 6-3-3 overall (21 points), good for third place in the Western Conference. New York comes to town at 8-5-0 (24 points) and in second place behind the Columbus Crew in the East.

Streaks: Colorado return home after back-to-back 2-2 road ties, and on a five-game undefeated run. On June 9, Conor Casey scored a stoppage time goal to bring back a point from Chicago. Last weekend, the club left Houston with another 2-2 tie.

New York comes in on a three-game winning streak in MLS play, defeating Kansas City 3-0 at home the last time out.

DSG Park: The Rapids are 3-1-1 at home in 2010, while New York is 3-3 on the road to start the year.

As Pablo Mastroeni watches as Conor Casey fires home one of two penalty kicks during Sunday's 3-1 win over Toronto FC. (Photo by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

A trio of free-kicks propelled the Colorado Rapids past Toronto F.C., with a 3-1 victory Sunday on a clear day at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The win brings the Rapids to 2-1-1 on the season and second place in the western conference.

 In a first half that saw little action, Conor Casey netted his second goal of the season with a cheeky penalty kick, chipped just over Toronto F.C. keeper Stefan Frei. The penalty came after forward Omar Cummings made a dash into the box then cut back on defender Adrian Cann who slipped and handled the ball with his arm to prevent Cummings from a scoring opportunity. Casey then converted with confidence and composure.

“I’d like to be more productive out of the run of play,” Casey said, “it hasn’t come yet, but the important thing is we win and get three points.”

The half stayed mostly uneventful in the Rapids defensive third thanks to the athleticism of center back Marvell Wynne and a well organized back four, with tight marking and active tracking. Smart defending allowed goalkeeper Matt Pickens a stress-free start.

The second half started with chants of “Glory, Glory Colo-ra-do” from the Rapids cheering section and more stellar defense from defender Marvell Wynne, displaying his speed and agility as well as reassurance for his signing.

Toronto midfielder Martin Saric was booked in the 45^th minute for a hard tackle before teammate and Captain Dwayne De Rosario converted a penalty kick in the 58^th minute to the right of goalkeeper Matt Pickens. Pickens was called with the foul for bringing down Toronto midfielder Sam Cronin after he had found space in the box.

 Rapid’s Coach Gary Smith admitted he was uneasy after the equalizer, but his fears were put to ease in the 71^st minute when midfielder Jeff Larentowicz scored a freekick from the corner of the box, splitting the wall and beating Frei near-post.

 “To concede was a concern, at that point you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, and Jeff gave us that.” Coach Smith said.

 Casey then gave Smith and the Rapids their final assurance when he was brought down in the box by T.F.C. defender Makism Usanov after a dangerous cross from Cummings. Casey stepped to the spot cool and confident once again and netted his third goal in four games to the right of Frei.

The Rapids earned a solid home win with convincing play over a Toronto side who were much weaker on the day. The Rapids face the Revolution next Saturday in New England where they will look to continue their run of form.

Reunion: Four former Rapids took the field. Nick LaBrocca and Ty Harden started, with Jacob Peterson and Dan Gargan coming on in the second half. Each side used all three substitutes on a sunny, dry and nearly perfect day.

Rapids Starters: Pickens, Danny Earls (Scott Palguta, 83rd), Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Kosuke Kimura, Colin Clark (Qunicy Amarikwa, 68th), Larentowicz, Pablo Mastroeni, Jamie Smith (Wells Thompson, 59th), Omar Cummings, Casey.

Toronto Starters: Frei, Maksim Usanov, Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora, Harden, LaBrocca (Peterson, 60th), Julian de Guzman, Sam Cronin, Martin Saric (Gargan, 80th), De Rosario, Chad Barrett (O’Brian White, 66th).

Next Up: Larentowicz and Thompson face their former teammates as the Rapids travel to the New England Revolution for a Saturday contest.

Road Warriors: The Rapids are entering a spell of playing four of the next five games on the road. The loan home game in that stretch is a May 5 match against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Galaxy are currently the class of the league with a 4-0-0 record and Edson Buddle scoring seven goals in those four games.

That’s what happened in Toronto, where the mayor there felt the need to air his worries about the club after the Canadian side dropped the first two games by a combined 6-1 margin. Thursday night the club bought a measure of relief as Toronto FC eeked out a 2-1 win over the expansion Philadelphia Union.

“Eeked” is a loaded term — after all, even a lousy win is still worth three points in the standings — but considering that Toronto played a first-year team that lost its captain to a first-half red card at BMO Field in Toronto and needed a goalkeeping error for the first score and a penalty kick for the second, eeked seems about right.

Watching that game, the most surprising elements were how Philadelphia kept finding room to attack and how Dwayne De Rosario could provide just enough spark to get his team by a lesser side. De Rosario scored both goals, one on a restart and the other from the penalty spot. He also slotted back into more of a midfield position in the second half, where he provided distribution that the club otherwise lacked.

For Sunday, it means the Rapids (1-1-1)  may get the chance to expose some of the same flatness in the back with the strike tandem of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. It also means that Rapids fans had better watch out if De Rosario is distributing the ball instead of waiting for service.

Homecoming: Sunday afternoon (game time at 3 p.m.) will represent the first time Nick LaBrocca, Ty Harden and Jacob Peterson will have appeared in Colorado since being traded to Toronto during separate transactions in the off-season. LaBrocca, a bulwark in the Rapids midfield the past two seasons, has brought his bull terrier nature to the field for Toronto and is likely to start. Peterson came off the bench on Thursday night, and seems to be the right-foot option on the midfield wing and in defense for the Reds. Harden has also been sitting on the subs bench.

Wynne’s World: Marvell Wynne also gets to face his former teammates on Sunday. Converted to a central back by Colorado, Wynne was a standout on the defensive wings for Toronto. Sent packing by new coach Preki, Wynne has been a revelation in the back for the Rapids, showing speed and strength that can negate many an attack while learning the center back position. For some reason, I suspect he will try to get forward on deadballs Sunday with the intent of poking something on goal in payback for his departure.

Against Toronto: While Toronto has drawn exceptional fan support in its first three seasons, the team has struggled on the field. One of the few clubs it has handled well has been the Rapids. Toronto owns a 4-2-0 mark against Colorado. However, the Rapids are 2-1-0 against the Reds at home.

Last Meeting: On Sept. 12 in Toronto, FC slipped by the Rapids 3-2.

Out Sunday: Defender Julien Baudet won’t be on the field for the Rapids on Sunday after being ejected from the game against Kansas City. While Baudet serves a one-game suspension, the only other Rapids out of action are midfielder Ciaran O’Brien, recovering from a hip strain, and forward Ross Schunk, who is out with a torn ACL in his right leg.

The club made official Thursday afternoon rumors that Toronto FC would ship defender Marvell Wynne to Colorado in exchange for Nick LaBrocca and a 2011 third round draft pick.

“Marvell is a great athlete and we wish him all the best,” Toronto head coach Preki said in announcing the move. “He’s been a big part of this club and I’m sure he will be missed by the fans.”

Known for his pace down the flank, Wynne was the first overall selection in the 2006 SuperDraft and has three caps with the U.S. National Team. He was also a member of the U.S. 2008 Olympic Team.

Wynne, who will compete with Kosuke Kimura for the right back spot, was already on a flight on Thursday afternoon and will join the Rapids in Los Angeles ahead of their season opener against Chivas USA on Friday.

LaBrocca is headed to Toronto where he will join the team for the trip to Columbus this weekend.

LaBrocca, who played more minutes than any other Rapid player last season, had a breakout 2009 and participated in a U.S. National Team camp in November 2008. His position on the team may have been made redundant by the acquisition of Jeff Larentowicz from New England.

This is the third trade Colorado and Toronto have completed in the past three months. The two previous ones saw Jacob Peterson and Ty Harden head to Toronto while Colorado picked up a draft pick and allocation money.

LaBrocca was much loved by Colorado fans for his work rate and versatility. He played every position in the midfield for the Rapids during ’09. He was a capable defender, a blue-collar hustler, and he seemed to have a knack for dumping a shot into the back of the net when least expected. He scored two goals in each of the past two campaigns. He was rarely flashy on the field, but always seemed to be in the mix.

Wynne’s arrival in Commerce City puts a new pressure on Kosuke Kimura, the incumbent at right back. Both are fast and like to get into the attack. Wynne, however, has been more imposing on the field. While Kimura did play as a wing midfielder late in the season due to a rash of injuries in ’09, it will be interesting to see where he lands as the team readies to face Chivas USA on Friday night.

Word about this is spreading quickly, which means the Rapids probably will make an announcement sooner, rather than later. Stay tuned.

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.

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.