Graham Zusi provided the services in the 28th and 76th minute as Sporting Kansas City recorded another 2-0 victory over the Rapids, giving KC a 4-0 aggregate win in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. Aurellian Collin and C.J. Sapong doubled the margin for Sporting, which beat the Rapids 2-0 on Sunday on the strength of two Teal Bunbury strikes.

A piecemeal lineup and a punchless attack characterized the disappointing finish to the season for the Rapids. Colorado came in desperate to gain a two-goal win to force overtime and backed by words of praise. But the end result was much like the rest of the season as the Rapids couldn’t find a breakthrough.

While the winners get to move on to face the winner of the Philadelphia Union-Houston Dynamo series on Sunday at Livestrong Sporting Park, the losing Rapids get to ponder what might have been.

The Few: With Drew Moor, Kousuke Kimura and Caleb Folan out with injuries suffered in the first leg against KC, Tyrone Marshall out serving a mandatory suspension for a red card in the first leg, Conor Casey, Jamie Smith and Anthony Wallace out for the season with injuries, and Pablo Mastroeni out since suffering a concussion on Oct. 14, the Rapids were not close to the side that won the 2010 title.

On Wednesday night, the team lacked rhythm and punch. Ultimately, the side paid the price.

Final 11: Here’s the lineup the Rapids fielded in the last match of the year: Matt Pickens, Wells Thompson, Marvell Wynne, Scott Palguta, Miguel Comminges, Brian Mullan, Joseph Nane (Macoumba Kandji 56), Jeff Larentowicz, Ross LaBauex (Eddie Ababio 80), Omar Cummings (Quincy Amarikwa 46), Sanna Nyassi.

On the bench were substitutes Andre Akpan, Danny Earls, Mike Holody and Steward Ceus.

Now, compare that with the squad that started the season against the Portland Timbers on March 19: Pickens, Kimura, Wallace, Wynne, Moor, Mullan (Thompson 88), Smith, Mastroeni (Nyassi 77), Larentowicz, Casey (Amarikwa 61), Cummings.

Found Wanting: The lineups tell the tale of how the depth of this squad was tested. Players had to play out of position and hunt for ways to score. The task proved more than the squad could manage.

What’s Next: The MLS expansion draft will unfold in three weeks. A conference call will determine who the Rapids lose, if anyone, to the new side in Montreal on Nov. 23.

Unless grabbed in the draft, expect Pickens, Wynne, Larentowicz, Cummings and Nyassi to be in the starting 11 for the foreseeable future. Thompson and Amarikwa’s energy make them likely returnees, too. Akpan and Palguta are also likely to stay thanks to their work rates. Kandji gets a return to the Rapids after spending most of the year rehabilitating his leg.

After that, it will be time to take a long look at the injured, the ineffective and the aging before starting the 2012 season. Among the injured, look for most of them to return. Moor and Kimura are defensive stalwarts. Wallace is a young player with promise. Casey, although aging, is the still the squad’s offensive spark. They’ll all be back.

Smith, who underwent successful ACL this week, adds spark, but has never settled in as a regular and can’t assume a roster spot will be waiting. Folan, who provided six goals, was a disappointment and is unlikely to return.

Mastroeni, the team captain, is a lock to return and play until he can’t anymore. Joining him on the high side of 30 are Marshall, who looks like he might have another year at center back, and Mullan, who can see the end from here, but can’t tell quite how far away it is.

As for the rest, now would not be the time to buy a house in the Denver area.

The latest evidence came Sunday evening as the Rapids fell 2-0 to Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Colorado, which edged the Columbus Crew 1-0 in the wild card match on Thursday, couldn’t generate legitimate threats as Sporting spent the evening shoving them around the field.

There was a great deal of literal shoving as Kosuke Kimura, Drew Moor and Caleb Folan all departed with injuries. Moor injured his shoulder, Kimura broke a bone in his left foot, and Folan left with an ankle sprain.

This means a team that hasn’t scored more than two goals in an MLS match since July 20 would have to win by at least that margin just to get a penalty kick chance against KC on Wednesday night. Or, the team could repeat its three-goal win from July 20 and advance to the next round.

Otherwise, Kimura, Moor, Folan, Jamie Smith, Pablo Mastroeni, Conor Casey and Anthony Wallace — who will all be out with injuries on Wednesday — will have company in the training room.

Teal Deal: Teal Bunbury scored both goals for Kansas City on Sunday. The second-year player from Akron continues to make a fool of my prediction that he would be a bust when KC drafted him in the first round before the 2010 season.

Also Missing: Defender Tyrone Marshall was ejected during the Sunday match, which makes him unavailable for Wednesday’s return leg.

This ejection and the injuries leave Marvell Wynne guiding a back line of Scott Palguta, Danny Earls and either Mike Holody or a player transplanted from another spot (Wells Thompson?) on Wednesday night. This is not good news for a defensive clampdown.

It was as match a wrestling match as a battle of soccer teams on Saturday. Here, Brian Mullan tangles with two Dallas defenders. Colorado won 1-0. (Photograph by Joel Baud/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Saturday night showdown between FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids was not so much a rematch of the 2010 MLS Cup as it was a desperate 90 minutes for two teams stumbling toward the playoffs.

Colorado came in winless in its last five MLS matches (0-3-2) and Dallas arrived on a string of getting shutout in three straight matches. For the teams clinging to the top two wild card spots, neither side was in a position to allow for too many errors.

Mercifully for the Rapids, the team with the biggest chinks in its armor proved to be the visitors from Texas.

Drew Moor, whom FC Dallas traded to Colorado in 2009, rose to get a head on a Sanna Nyassi corner kick in the 25th minute and deliver the game’s only goal. Matt Pickens was solid in the net and the Rapids weathered a late challenge while a man down to win 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the team’s first home win since Aug. 5.

With the victory, the Rapids improved to 11-9-12, 45 points, with two matches remaining. Dallas — shutout for the fourth game in a row — dropped to 13-11-7, 46 points, with three matches remaining.

The result likely meant that both sides will make the postseason, but with several teams still having four games to play after the weekend, it’s too soon to start making playoff decisions in Dallas or Denver.

The LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake have all booked playoff spots. The top three spots in the Eastern Conference are still to be sorted with six teams bunched only seven points apart. The top three from the East will go through with the remainder battling FC Dallas and the Rapids for the four wild card spots.

Next Up: The Rapids get a rest. Colorado’s two regular season MLS matches include a home date with Salt Lake on Oct. 14, and a visit to the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 22.

In the final group stage match of the CONCACAF Champions League, Colorado travels to Santos Laguna on Oct. 19 to face a side that is already in the CCL quarterfinals. The Rapids need a win to advance in the champions league or a tie and some lucky circumstances to move forward.

Still Searching: Murphy Brown had greater success finding an assistant than coach Gary Smith has in finding a leftback. Moor, Anthony Wallace, Danny Earls, Scott Palguta and even Wells Thompson have spent some time in the spot. The latest choice, Miguel Comminges, was sent off for a second yellow card on Saturday. This means he will be sitting out on Oct. 14, and another back will have a chance in the unsettled corner.

Quincy Amarikwa rises above a Isidro Metapan defender during second half action of the CCL opener on Wednesday night. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Isidro Metapan and the Colorado Rapids combined for five goals on Wednesday night, but it was a brace from Macoumba Kandji that made the difference in the home side’s first CONCACAF Champions League match.

Kandji’s goals, in the 16th minute and first-half stoppage time, rescued a discombobulated Rapids side and paved the way for Andre Akpan’s second half winner at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Their three goals led the way to a 3-2 Colorado win over the visitors from El Salvador.

Kandji’s strikes, the first off the head and the other from the floor, came after the Salvadoran side diced the mixture of veterans and benchwarmers on the field for the Rapids.

Colorado fans deemed the CCL game a nonstarter — staying away in droves — and the Rapids seemed to endorse that decision with a series of first-half gaffes.

The first came in the opening seconds of the match as Metapan managed to draw a penalty kick on a play that was last successfully used in a seventh-grade rec league game. Metapan sent a runner, Cristian Bautista, from the right wing into the penalty area where a diagonal ball arrived at the same time that defender Drew Moor put his arm on Bautista. Down went the forward, and up came the yellow card for Moor.

Matt Pickens guessed wrong on the PK, and Metapan held a 1-0 lead through an Allen Kardeck goal with more than 88 minutes showing on the game clock.

The strike seemed to awaken Colorado, which controlled play and found a reward when Kandji drove a Scott Palguta cross down and into the goal 14 minutes later.

The Rapids, however, were not done making mistakes. Pickens made an exceptionally ill-advised pass that was returned as a chip into the far netting in the 25th minute by Paolo Suarez. Pickens, who had gone down in a collision, tossed the ball toward Kosuke Kimura, but Suarez raced to it first, and made the lanky ‘keeper pay.

Again, Colorado started dominating possession, a position helped along by the ejection of Kardeck shortly before half for a swing into Moor on a El Salvadoran counter attack. Up by a man, Colorado kept probing and Kandji was on the end of a play to nick the ball into the goal and bring the teams level on the scoreline at half.

Colorado Rapids Andre Akpan (top), celebrates with Macoumba Kandji, after Kandji scores the second goal of the night during the CCL opener, Aug. 17. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Colorado finally took advantage of the man advantage when Kandji faked out a defender, passed to Wells Thompson, who deflected a ball to Andre Akpan in the 51st minute. The Ivy Leaguer, who picked up an assist on Kandji’s second goal, delivered a clinical finish that provided the winning margin.

Next Up: The Colorado Rapids face Chivas USA, one of the teams chasing them for a playoff spot, in MLS action on Saturday. The next CCL match at home will be Sept. 13 at home against Mexican side Santos Laguna. Laguna beat Real Espana of Honduras 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Bracing Brace: Wednesday night was the first meaningful soccer action for Kandji since his cross led to the game-deciding own goal in Colorado’s 2-1 win over FC Dallas in the 2010 MLS Cup Championship in November. Kandji tore his right ACL on the cross and has yet to appear in an MLS match this season.

Prior to Wednesday night, Kandji had never scored more than one goal in a Rapids uniform.

Miraculous Montes: Metapan ‘keeper Miguel Montes had several excellent saves on the night. He denied a Joseph Nane strike from the edge of the penalty area in the first half. His best came in the 73rd minute when he stretched to deny Thompson on a through ball from Akpan.

No amount of pleading can change the fact the New England Revolution snuck out of Dick's Sporting Goods Park with a point on the road. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

For the Colorado Rapids, it was the old sinking feeling that comes from letting points slip away at home to a poor side that has mustered only one win on the road. The fact that the tie came after Kosuke Kimura scored a ludicrous goal made the 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution only that much more unsettling.

The Rapids moved to 7-6-10 on the season after taking the lead but failing to put away the Revs.

Benny Feilhaber opened the scoring with a shot against the run of play in the 25th minute. It appeared that the Revs goal was enough to unhinge a Colorado side that was dominating play for the first half, but unable to break through.

Caleb Folan put the Rapids on the board from the penalty spot in the 65th minute. His goal came after a one-two with Sanna Nyassi and Omar Cummings that ended with Chris Tierney upending Nyassi in the box and getting an early trip to the showers via a red card.

While Colorado kept pressing, the goal that put the Rapids up came from an unlikely source and an unlikely goalkeeping error by Matt Reis. Kimura sent a long pass from inside his half toward the New England penalty area. Reis got caught out of position and watched the ball bounce over him and into the back of the net in the 82nd minute.

Three points eluded the Rapids in the 90th minute when Kenny Mansally went down in the penalty area as he jockeyed with Scott Palguta for position. Shalrie Josephy calmly slotted the spot kick past Matt Pickens for the draw.

Up Next: The Rapids travel to Philadelphia to play the Union on Friday.

All-Star: Coach Gary Smith rested Cummings for the first half in anticipation of the forward’s appearance at Wednesday’s All-Star Game at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.

Conor Casey could only smile as he scored his sixth -- and ultimately final -- goal of the 2011 season in a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. With Casey out for the season, Colorado begins the search for a new scorer. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Maybe Scott Palguta has a few more goals in him this season.

Palguta, who has two goals in his career, both game winners this season, has the highest strike rate of all the remaining Colorado Rapids with two goals in six appearances in the 2011 season.

Relying on a reserve defender to score a host of goals wouldn’t matter if not for the loss of leading scorer Conor Casey for the season. Casey, who went out injured in the 38th minute of Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Seattle Sounders, led the team with six goals this season. An MRI on Tuesday confirmed that Casey had torn his left Achilles tendon, an inury with about an eight month recovery period.

In his absence, here’s what the scoring table looks like for Colorado:

1. Jeff Larentowicz — 4 goals
2. Caleb Folan — 3 goals
2. Jamie Smith — 3 goals
4. Drew Moor — 2 goals
4. Omar Cummings — 2 goals
4. Scott Palguta — 2 goals

For those keeping track, that’s two defenders and two midfielders on the list with forwards Folan and Cummings.

Finding a consistent scorer starts tonight as the Rapids face the New York Red Bull at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids play twice this week, with New York followed by the New England Revolution on Saturday. Tickets are available to both matches by calling 303-825-GOAL or visiting the team Web site.

Admittedly, the reserve defender has only scored twice in his career, with both goals coming this season. Each strike, however, has been the winner in 2-1 decisions for the Rapids (6-5-9, 27 points).

Palguta, who came on when Danny Earls couldn’t continue after 23 minutes, was in the right place at the right time to stroke home a rebound from a Conor Casey header and put the Rapids up 2-0 on the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night.

Palguta’s tally in the 68th minute proved the game winner as Brazilian Camilo got loose for a score in the 77th minute to bring the expansion Whitecaps back into the game.

While that strike could have made for some tense moments late, the Rapids, who have been tied five times in 10 home matches this season, put on a clinic in how to kill off a game. In one late sequence, Jeff Larentowicz and Sanna Nyassi earned two corner kicks and a free kick as they played keep away from Whitecaps defenders near the right corner flag, shaving seconds that turned into minutes off the game clock.

Three Amigos: While a defender got the game winner, it was a night that belonged to Colorado’s forwards. Coach Gary Smith started three of them, with Caleb Folan and Omar Cummings joining Casey, who was wearing the captain’s armband in Pablo Mastroeni’s absence. The three forward lineup played well, with Casey getting the first goal, snapping the header that led to the second and nearly scoring on several opportunities. Cummings sent blistering shots from the left and right side that just missed wide, and Folan tirelessly chased loose balls until giving way to Brian Mullan in a late defensive substitution.

Casey’s Goal: While he has been on a torrid pace of late, scoring six times in seven games, Casey has had fewer prettier setups than the one he scored on in the 25th minute. Jamie Smith delivered a brilliant cross that cleared defenders and landed for Casey at the edge of the six-yard box. Casey finish was clinical.

Casey nearly had a second in the 53rd minute when Folan got a touch on a ball in the box and Casey latched on to it. The big forward rounded former Rapids ‘keeper Joe Cannon, but he couldn’t get his left-footed shot into the net from an acute angle with momentum carrying him and the shot out of bounds.

Smith delivered to Casey again in the sequence that produced Palguta’s goal. Smith’s free kick found Casey’s head near the 18, and Cannon had to stretch out fully to keep the forward’s header out. Palguta then delivered the coup de grace.

No Pablo: Team captain Mastroeni was unavailable for the match due to yellow card accumulation. Mastroeni picked up a card against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night in a collision that also hyperextended his right knee.

Midfield Trio: Without Mastroeni, the Rapids went with a 4-3-3 for most of the game, with Smith, Larentowicz and Wells Thompson working as a trio of central midfielders for most of the night. Introducing Mullan in the 65th minute, the team went back to a conventional 4-4-2 with Cummings and Casey up top.

Home Win: Prior to Saturday night, the Rapids had not won at home since April 3. Only the Chicago Fire had fewer than Colorado’s two home wins prior meeting Vancouver. Colorado’s home record improved to 3-2-5.

Rain Delay: The start of the second half was delayed nearly 20 minutes as rain fell in Commerce City and lightning flashed in the distance. The crowd of 13,058 went for shelter during the extended wait.

Next Up: After three games in six days produced a win and two draws, the Rapids get a measure of rest before travelling to face the Seattle Sounders on July 16.

Expect this to be a particularly savage Seattle crowd, especially when the name Mullan is mentioned. His tackle during the April 22 match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Steve Zakuani broke the forward’s leg and resulted in a 10-game suspension for Mullan. Sounders fans are unlikely to greet Mullan with anything short of derision.

The tie moves the Rapids to 4-3-2 (14 points) and gives the team four points from the first two games of a three-game road trip.

Injuries forced both sides to play with makeshift lineups, and the patchwork  rosters showed on the field. Both teams struggled to find a consistent attack in the first half. The final result became a fitting finish for the evening.

With Conor Casey nearly recovered from a hamstring strain and Omar Cummings out with an ankle injury suffered in Wednesday’s night victory, the Rapids turned to Quincy Amarikwa and Caleb Folan. The injury list got longer as Folan limped off after a half hour to be replaced by Andre Akpan.

Tyrone Marshall and Drew Moor partnered in central defense with Marvel Wynne at right back. Kosuke Kimura pushed up to right midfield. Scott Palguta, Wednesday night’s hero for his late goal in the 2-1 win, started at leftback.

Yellow Fellows: After finally going through the game without a player picking up a caution, two Rapids went into the referee’s book. Palguta was cautioned in the 62nd minute. Jeff Larentowicz was shown yellow in the 80th minute. Chris Tierney picked up a yellow for New England in the 19th minute.

Next Up: Colorado now faces the final game of its three-game, 10-day road trip. The Rapids visit the nation’s capital to face D.C. United on May 14. The Rapids beat D.C. 4-1 on a chilly, snowy afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on April 3.

On the strength of a long-range Jamie Smith free kick and a late lazer from left back Scott Palguta, the Rapids came back from 1-0 down to upend the Houston Dynamo 2-1. The win at Robertson Stadium snapped a four-game winless streak, and made the Rapids the first MLS team to come back after falling behind and earn a win this season.

In a tense, physical affair, all the opportunities came in the final 20 minutes. It started with former Rapid Colin Clark, who picked up his first goal for the Dynamo in the 71st minute. Clark, who was traded to Houston after suffering his second torn anterior cruciate ligament the past summer, made a quick move after receiving a Je-Vaughn Watson pass and fired it past ‘keeper Matt Pickens.

Colorado didn’t have to wait long to strike back. Tally Hall misjudged Smith’s 40-yard free kick, and could only flail as the ball rolled into the net in the 74th minute.

This left the late heroics for Palguta, who earned a rare start for the Rapids. Caleb Folan was credited with an assist for knocking a Marvel Wynne throw-in toward Palguta. The veteran lined up a left-footed shot from 18 yards that snuck in between Hall and the post.

From there, the Rapids hung on for the road win, the team’s second on the road this year.

Going Yellow: The Rapids string of earning yellow cards ended on Wednesday. The team had at least one booking in the first seven games of the season. This time it was the men in orange seeing yellow. Cam Weaver and Brad Davis each picked up cards in the physical first half.

Cummings Concern: Just as players were getting healthy, a mainstay went out. Omar Cummings came up limping after a collision with Lovel Palmer just before half. Folan came on for Cummings.

Next Up: The Rapids get little time to enjoy moving to 4-3-1 (13 points) on the season. The MLS Cup champions return to the road and to action on Saturday against the New England Revolution, 2-3-3 (9 points).

There are only six defenders on the current roster, but there is probably no position in better health for the Rapids. There’s also no area that will tell more about the team’s long-term plans for captain Pablo Mastroeni, 34, than what Colorado does on defense.

Since winning the MLS cup in November, the Rapids have shed a veteran defender (Julien Baudet) and picked up a veteran defender (Tyrone Marshall). The club also swapped out a young defender in Danny Earls, but has yet to name a replacement.

While that spot is sure to be filled, the current roster needs seven more bodies to reach 30. Before we look at what players might be added, consider the four at the back.

Across the Back: Kosuke Kimura, 26, on the right turned into a weapon in 2010. Thanks in part to the solid tandem of Marvell Wynne, 24, and Drew Moor, 26, in the middle, Kimura was no longer using his speed to try and fill gaps at the back. Anthony Wallace, 21, could be on the left side for the next decade. His arrival from FC Dallas in July was the perfect reminder of the difference a natural left footer can make.

Beyond the starters, it gets thin quick. Marshall, 36, looked creaky last season, but should be serviceable in relief and as an spot starter. Scott Palguta, 28, is a step down in speed, but he can play anywhere across the back.

Outlook: Wynne will likely continue to develop in his second full season in central defense. After playing every minute in ’10, Moor will have to get a few breaks as the regular season is four games longer and the team has an additional competition (CONCACAF) to consider.

Colorado needs some bodies here as insurance and to field a reserve side.

Likely Move: Grab a couple of young defenders in the SuperDraft. Let the kids get some reserve time. Slot Mastroeni into central defense a few times this year. He has played that role capably for the U.S. National Team. With two years left on his contract, this could lengthen Mastroeni’s tenure with the club, add some veteran savvy in the back, and allow some tinkering in the midfield.

Next Up: Midfielders