This was the story from Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, Friday night as the Colorado Rapids suffered a humbling loss to FC Dallas 3-0. The Rapids went into the game without Conor Casey, missing for two to four weeks with a hamstring injury, and without team Captain Pablo Mastroeni.

They were each missed as the Rapids misfired in attack and Dallas controlled much of the action. Dallas, which fell to the Rapids in extra time when the two teams met for the 2010 MLS Cup, made no mistakes this time. Former Rapids defender Ugo Ihemelu latched on to a putback after a corner kick and put Dallas ahead in the 26th minute.

David Ferreira doubled the lead in the 40th minute when he collected a perfectly weighted pass from Fabian Castillo and chipped ‘keeper Matt Pickens. Ferreira struck again in the opening moments of the second half. This time, Eric Avila broke into the box and drilled the ball across the front of the goal where Ferreira tapped it home.

While the rout was now on, Ferreira at least refrained from pulling a pacifier out of his shorts as he had done on the first goal. Instead, he pantomimed rocking a baby. After his earlier goal celebration, it was a surprisingly subdued encore.

From there, the game dissolved into frustration for the Rapids and waiting for the first win of the season for FC Dallas.

Yellow Alert: Caleb Folan, Anthony Wallace, Omar Cummings and Drew Moor each picked up yellow cards during the game.

Into the Fire: Sanna Nyassi got his first start of the season before being replaced by Brian Mullan on the wing at halftime. Joseph Nane got his first minutes of the season, starting in place of Mastroeni. Tyrone Marshall also got into the game as he replaced Wallace in the 63rd minute.

For the game, Nyassi was ineffective and two of the three Dallas goals came down the middle of the defense.

For the Record: Colorado, off to its best start ever, fell to 3-1-0 with the loss. Dallas got its first win of the season to move to 1-3-0. Dallas had scored only one goal prior to Friday.

Next Up: The Rapids get little time to sulk. The team travels to Salt Lake to take on Real on Wednesday.

Conor Casey runs toward Macoumba Kandji as Brian Mullan embraces Kandji's face, after Kandji's shot deflected off a defender for the winning goal. Dallas defenders Ugo Ihemelu and George John react in shock to the shot and John's own goal. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd feels the sting of Conor Casey's goal (center) during the MLS Cup in Toronto, Canada. Casey is congratulated by Kosuke Kimura and Omar Cummings and in the end the Rapids beat FC Dallas 2-1. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Rapids get ready to party as they celebrate their first MLS Cup triumph, Sunday night in Toronto. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Captain Pablo Mastroeni lifts the MLS Cup. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Yes, the Hoops will have one more person in midfield than the Rapids. Yes, the midfield total includes likely league MVP David Ferreira.

And what has this combination produced in two regular season meetings? Two ties.

So, move on. The 4-5-1 can clog the midfield, but it can also short-circuit the attack. The Rapids demonstrated this while tinkering with the 4-5-1 this past season. The formation will not make the difference during the MLS Cup match on Sunday.

Nor will the goalkeeping. Matt Pickens is excellent and underappreciated. Kevin Hartman is “El Gato.” He may be an aging cat, but he is still a cat and a noticeable improvement over Dario Sala in goal. It’s an even match there.

What will make a difference for two teams that put playing as a team first? Read on.

Where He Roams: Where forward Conor Casey receives the ball and where he goes with it will determine Colorado’s success in attack. Casey’s willingness to take the ball wide, rather than charging up the middle of the field, led to the club’s post-Labor Day revival. It boosted Casey’s assist total as it gave Omar Cummings space to move with pace.

If Casey is able to get the ball and turn, the Rapids will be able to score. If he’s constantly bumping and banging as he goes up for headers and has no obvious outlet, the team will have trouble mustering shots inside the box.

Former Teammates: Cummings is blazing fast, and the only person I have seen outrun him will be in the middle of the Dallas defense. Former Rapid Ugo Ihemelu consistently kept pace with Cummings when they were teammates.

Normally, knowing that someone is actually faster than Cummings would be a worry. However, in scoring 14 goals this season, Cummings has developed tactical moves, guile and a deadlier shot. He’s earns the edge as he faces one of the few people who can negate his pace.

When these two meet on Sunday, it will be in desperate moments with goals on the line.

Wing Men: Brian Mullan and Jamie Smith will be busy setting up forwards and trying to blunt attacks. Neither is likely to land on a highlight reel.

The two Dallas attackers to watch are Brek Shea and Atiba Harris. Shea will be coming from the midfield wings, and Harris will either be out there or starting up top as the lone striker.

Shea has had a wonderful season, but was a nonentity in the 1-1 tie with the Rapids in Commerce City. Harris always seems to be on the precipice of scoring. Finding these two and keeping them from getting free with space will be largely the task of Anthony Wallace and Kosuke Kimura.

Normally, I would give the edge to Shea and Harris, especially because of the youth of Wallace at left back. However, Wallace was with Dallas through half the season. If ever there was someone with the knowledge of his opponent and the desire to prove his worth, it would be Wallace against Dallas. If he shuts down the right side of the Hoops attack, it’s hard to see Dallas scoring.

Intangibles: It will be cold. There will be former teammates facing one another. There will be two MLS original franchises looking for a first title. Looking at all the intangibles that can go into a winning team, I see two that most intrigue me: the returnee and the veteran.

The Returnee: Marvell Wynne was outstanding in his three years playing for Toronto FC. Playing on BMO Field, Wynne will have a host of local fans. I think he will want to remind everyone of what they lost. I look for something improbable from him — a long, dribbling run, an assist, a header — that makes a difference for Colorado.

The Veteran: Pablo Mastroeni looked old and tired in the second half of ’09. Working in tandem with Jeff Larentowicz, he has enjoyed a renaissance year. His team is often chided for playing without style. What most observers aren’t appreciating is that they are playing with style, Mastroeni’s style. They mix it up in the midfield, they win loose balls, and they constantly look to spring forward. If they are playing their style they will win.

The Final: It will be low scoring, and penalty kicks are a possibility. However, there are enough holes in the Dallas defense to squeeze in a goal or two. Rapids 2, Dallas 1.

The Rapids face FC Dallas at 4 p.m. on Saturday needing a win to end a three-year playoff drought. The team could also use some help, and a Seattle tie or win against Kansas City would be ideal.

Colorado is 11-8-8 (41 points) and in fifth place in the Western Conference, eight points clear of the final playoff spot going into the weekend. Dallas is on an 18-game undefeated run with a record of 12-2-13 (49 points) and in third place in the West, having already clinched a playoff berth.

Sitting eight points back of the Rapids are the KC Wizards. The Wizards need to run the table to finish in front of Colorado. While that seems unlikely, the Rapids have watched playoff spots vanish during the last game of the season the past two years. Until the improbable becomes impossible, it’s worth hoping for a Sounders win.

On TV: The Rapids will be televised locally by KWGN, Channel 2.

Last Time: Colorado and Dallas tied 1-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 31.

Big D(ud): Colorado is 17-24-9 all-time against Dallas, including 5-17-3 when the games are played in Texas. The Rapids are 1-1-1 in the last three matches at Pizza Hut Park.

Road Trip: The Rapids are 3-6-4 on the road this year, having tied their last road match at Salt Lake 1-1 on Sept. 25. The Rapids last road win was on May 15, a 1-0 win at D.C. United.

Home Heroes: Dallas is 8-1-5 at home this season. They created history with their 3-0 victory against the Chicago Fire last Saturday evening at Pizza Hut Park as they extended their single season unbeaten streak to 18 games, which tied the Columbus Crew for the MLS record.

Iron Man: Rapids defender Drew Moor is one of two field players to have played every minute of every game in MLS this season. The other is New York defender Tim Ream. Colorado acquired Moor from Dallas in exchange for Ugo Ihemelu in 2009.

From this mix of emotions comes my hopes and fears for the Colorado Rapids in 2010.

Hope: Conor Casey and Omar Cummings remain healthy. Yes, there will be nicks and scrapes, but the past season and a half have been a lesson in how good Casey can be when healthy. He is a beast in the air and fearless in front of goal. A little better service in ’09 and he would have led the league in scoring. Cummings in lightning fast, works harder than almost anyone, and provides an ideal complement to Casey. Together, they are a great strike partnership. Healthy, and anything is possible.

Fear: One or both of the aforementioned forwards will spend time on the training table. Their continued good health is critical to the attack. The team is thin and/or untested behind these two attackers.

Hope: The defense remains solid. Injuries to midfielders produced some odd lineups late in the past campaign and placed additional pressure on the backline. While goalkeeping remains strong, keeping those shots from ever happening remains a priority.

Fear: The center of the midfield and defense proves to be too slow. Julien Baudet makes up for a lack of speed with game acumen. Ditto, most of the time, for Pablo Mastroeni. None of that, however, compensates for the loss of Ugo Ihemelu’s pace. There is no speed in the heart of the defense, a fact that often meant wing defenders were either stranded or racing out of position to cover a speedy attack in the middle.

Hope: A long Rapids run in the U.S. Open Cup. The trophy case needs some silverware. The Lamar Hunt cup would look great there. Again, the Rapids have the opportunity to make a run at this title, the nation’s oldest soccer trophy. Crashing out in qualifying is unacceptable.

Fear: An early exit for the Rapids. Colorado is not burdened with CONCACAF, SuperLiga or other outside tournaments during the season. It has only a couple of players (Mastroeni and Casey) likely to be called away for World Cup duty. The Rapids could field a strong side for each match. Still, it’s easier to play the subs and treat this trophy like it doesn’t matter. Trophies do matter, and 15 years is a long time to go without one. Fear of failure is likely to come true here, but that doesn’t make it any more satisfying.

Hope: Playoffs. The swoon in the final third of the season was a fluke.

Fear: No playoffs. The swoon was not a fluke.

That’s where I stand as the season starts. How about you?

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.

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.

PLEA FOR ASSISTANCE: Regis University men’s soccer coach Tony McCall and his wife, Jennifer, have an 8-month-old daughter named Kenleigh who has Down syndrome. The McCalls are asking folks for financial support for “Kenleigh’s Kause,” helping find a cure for Down syndrome. The family will participate in the Step Up for Down Syndrome walk at 9 a.m. Sept. 27 at City Park in Denver, or you can go directly to the Kenleigh’s Kause team page to make a donation. Here’s the link to the Step Up for Down Syndrome page, and here’s a link to Kenleigh’s Kause. Down syndrome is a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops mentally and physically. It affects about one in every 800 babies.

REGIS VS. RAPIDS: Facundo Diz scored twice as the Rapids reserves topped Regis University 4-0 Tuesday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Ross Schunk and guest player Luke Williams also scored for the Rapids. Both of Diz’s goals came in the second half. The reserve team’s lineup consisted of Preston Burpo, Rob Valentino, Ty Harden, Mike Holody, Ross Smith, Greg Dalby, Pat Noonan, Eric Denton, Williams, Diz and Schunk. Read more about the exhibition here.

CONOR CASEY’S TEETH: ESPN reports that Rapids striker Conor Casey had not joined the U.S. camp in Utah as of Wednesday evening because he had his wisdom teeth removed Monday in Denver. ESPN’s Steve Davis writes that although Casey’s “hold-up play in the same stadium as an MLS All-Star was a highlight a month back against Everton,” he probably won’t be much more than insurance as the Nats take on El Salvador in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. Read Davis’ whole story about the U.S. lineup here.

MY VOTES FOR MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH: I voted for Columbus defender Chad Marshall, and Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer was my second choice. In August, Marshall helped the Crew to a 3-1-0 record while playing the full 90 minutes in each match. Each of his two goals in the month were game-winners, including a free kick strike against the Rapids on Aug. 1, and he had one assist. Hesmer went on to win the monthly award, voted on by the North American Soccer Reporters. New England’s Shalrie Joseph was the runner-up, and Rapids striker Omar Cummings was third.

GARY SMITH ON THE IHEMELU-MOOR TRADE: Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith spoke to MLSNet.com’s Owen Perkins about the trade that sent Ugo Ihemelu to Dallas for Drew Moor, a draft pick and allocation money.  “In Ugo you’ve got a pristine athlete with lots of pace, and a terrific kid at that as well. But I think with Drew you’ve got maybe a little bit more of a cultured defender. A little bit more capable on the ball. And hopefully as versatile at right back and at center back.” Smith said the Rapids’ late second-half collapse against Chicago had something to do with the deal. “That’s not to say that the move that was made with Ugo was solely based on that, but it did play a part in it. … ” Read Perkins’ whole story here.

SUPER CLASSICO REVIEW: Henry Schultz, an occasional contributor to ColoradoSoccerNow.com and our departed friend FC Rocky, had this to say about last weekend’s Chivas USA-Galaxy match: “It was just awful. Errant passes, big, bouncy first touches resulting in loss of possession, etc. There were a couple of flashes from Beckham, like when he reached behind for an unexpected bounce and hooked a perfect pass forward with the back of his heel. Overall, a dull exhibition, however much the commentators tried to hype the ‘rivalry’ between the teams.” Hank is working on a book review for us that we’ll publish in the coming months.

OREDIGGERS IN THE RANKINGS: The Colorado School of Mines women’s soccer team is tied for fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings for the central tegion. The women posted victories last week at home against  Washburn University and Nebraska-Omaha. The Mines men are ranked third in the central region. The men beat Northwest Nazarene 5-1 on Aug. 27 and the University of Mary 3-0 on Monday.

REMEMBER WHEN CELTIC WAS IN TOWN? ESPN reports that Hull City has signed Dutch striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who was released by Celtic at the end of the Scottish Premier League season, on a two-year deal. Vennegoor of Hesselink was a member of the Celtic team that met the MLS All-Star Team in 2007 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Read the whole story here.

CU AWARD: University of Colorado senior Nikki Marshall was named CU’s Athlete of the Week for Aug. 24-30. She has won the award seven times, more than any other Buffalo. Marshall scored the first two goals Sunday in Colorado’s 8-1 win over St. Mary’s in record fashion. Marshall scored her first goal 23 seconds into the game, setting a school record for the fastest goal in program history. Just two minutes later, she scored the winning goal.

The Colorado Rapids have traded defender Ugo Ihemelu to Dallas for Drew Moor, the club announced Monday.

Along with Moor, the Rapids receive Dallas’ second-round pick in the 2010 draft plus money.

Moor was the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft. He appeared in 123 games, with 111 starts, for Dallas, recording eight goals and two assists. This season, he has started in 21 games for the Hoops and has scored a career-high three goals.

A college teammate of Rapids midfielder Jacob Peterson at Indiana, Moor won NCAA championships with the Hoosiers in 2003 and 2004. On the international level, Moor has earned five caps with the U.S. nen’s national team.

Ihemelu leaves Colorado having played in 63 games with the Rapids, scoring one goal and registering two assists. He was acquired by the Rapids in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Dec. 1, 2006.

The Rapids host Toronto at 8 p.m. Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

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.