Dan's Colorado Rapids "Soccer" Thread

[BPBlueSox]

Apr 12 Colorado 1 - 2 San Jose (0-1-0)
Apr 26 Colorado 1 - 1 DC United (0-1-1)
May 3 MetroStars 2 - 1 Colorado (0-2-1)
May 10 Columbus 2 - 0 Colorado (0-3-1)
May 17 Colorado 0 - 2 MetroStars (0-4-1)
May 25 Chicago 4 - 0 Colorado (0-5-1)
May 31 Colorado 1 - 0 Los Angeles (1-5-1)
Jun 7 Los Angeles 2 - 0 Colorado (1-6-1)
Jun 11 Colorado 0 - 0 DC United (1-6-2)
Jun 14 Colorado 4 - 1 New England (2-6-2)
Jun 21 Dallas 3 - 1 Colorado (2-7-2)
Jun 25 Colorado 2 - 2 Los Angeles (2-7-3)
Jun 28 New England 3 - 2 Colorado (2-8-3)
Jul 4 Colorado 3 - 2 Kansas City (3-8-3)
Jul 9 Los Angeles 0 - 1 Colorado (4-8-3)
Jul 12 San Jose 0 - 2 Colorado (5-8-3)
Jul 26 Colorado 1 - 0 MetroStars (6-8-3)
Aug 5 Colorado 3 - 2 Kansas City (U.S. Open Cup)
Aug 9 Colorado 2 - 0 Dallas (7-8-3)
Aug 13 DC United 1 - 0 Colorado (7-9-3)
Aug 16 Colorado 2 - 1 Columbus (8-9-3)
Aug 22 Kansas City 2 - 2 Colorado (8-9-4)
Aug 27 Chicago 2 - 1 Colorado (U.S. Open Cup QuarterFinal)
Aug 30 San Jose 1 - 2 Colorado (9-9-4)
Sep 6 Colorado 2 - 1 Dallas (10-9-4)
Sep 13 Colorado 1 - 0 Kansas City (11-9-4)
Sep 18 New England 0 - 0 Colorado (11-9-5)
Oct 1 Colorado 1 - 1 Chicago (11-9-6)
Oct 4 Kansas City 4 - 2 Colorado (11-10-6)
Oct 11 Colorado 0 - 0 San Jose (11-10-7)
Oct 18 Chicago 4 - 3 Colorado (11-11-7)
Oct 25 Dallas 4 - 3 Colorado (11-12-7)
Nov 4 Colorado 1 - 1 Kansas City (West Conf. Semifinals)
Nov 8 Kansas City 2 - 0 Colorado (3-1 KC Aggr.) (West Conf. Semis)
SEASON OVER

[BPBlueSox]

The Rapids are currently in 3rd place, one point behind Kansas City for 2nd.

Goals against Kansas City on Friday night came from Chris Henderson, his first of the season, and the Scot John Spencer...

Next up is an U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday in Chicago against the Fire...and then back to MLS action on Saturday nigth in San Jose...

[Obri]

I am shamefully ill informed when it comes to the MLS, so i'll be looking for you to keep me updated Dan!

[awefullspellare]

lol GO RAPIDS!!!!!

[BPBlueSox]

Fire Advance to Semifinals, 2-1

Naperville, IL (Wednesday, August 27, 2003) -

The Chicago Fire used a late first half goal by DaMarcus Beasley and an own goal in the second half to register a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids in a wild Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match played in front of 5,156 fans at North Central College’s Cardinal Stadium. With the win the Fire advances to the semifinals of the 90th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, where it will face the winner of the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) - Seattle Sounders (A-League) quarterfinal match, which will be determined later tonight as the teams currently battle in Washington.

The game saw a total of seven yellow cards, 42 fouls and one ejection to Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni in the 31st minute.

“I didn’t think it was our day in terms of possession soccer and moving the ball I think we’re capable of, but at the same time it’s nice to know that you can go through a game like this and come away with a win,” said Fire Head Coach Dave Sarachan. “We hope that this is one of those days where it’s not the best, but they guys still competed and it was a good result. I give Colorado credit for playing with 10 men and still competing hard and making it a hard game for us.”

The first half began with the Fire holding much of the possession and drawing several early fouls from the Rapids, which resulted in a busy half for referee Michael Kennedy. After earning a caution in the 29th minute for dissent, Colorado midfielder Pablo Maestroeni was ejected from the match just two minutes later after receiving a second yellow card for a reckless foul, resulting in a man advantage for the “Men in Red” over the last hour of the match. The Fire failed to capitalize on the momentum however, as Rapids forward John Spencer struck five minutes after the red card was shown to put Colorado up 1-0.

Like in its quarterfinal match against Milwaukee Wave United, the Fire didn’t take long to equalize the match. Just before the halftime break in the 44th minute, midfielder Andy Williams played a ball over the Rapids defense from behind the midfield stripe to a striding Beasley, who made contact with Colorado defender Robin Fraser on the play but continued on his run. Beasley made a touch to get into the penalty area and slotted the ball past a charging Scott Garlick to tie the match at 1-1 heading into the half.

“We didn’t give them much to start the game, but once we went up a man we lost our composure and started going forward and lost our shape,” said Beasley. “It was good to get it to 1-1 going into the half and in the second half we played smarter and played pretty well.”

While the second half saw less physical play, it was an unusual play that would result in the game-winning goal for the Fire. In the 53rd minute Beasley created another offensive chance when he carried the ball down the left flank and into the penalty area. After achieving the endline, the U.S. National Team regular cut back and sent a cross along the turf into the goal box that deflected off the foot of Fraser and passed by a helpless Garlick to give the Fire what would end up being the final tally of the contest. Chicago would use a couple of key saves by goalkeeper Zach Thornton down the stretch to secure the lead and allow the Fire to move its record in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal contests to a perfect 4-0-0.

The Fire will next take on the winner of the Galaxy-Sounders match in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal contest to be played on either September 23 or 24. The U.S. Soccer Federation will determine the site, date and time of that contest in the upcoming days. The Eastern Conference leading Fire (11-4-6, 39 points) will return to Major League Soccer action this Saturday, August 30 when it travels to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium at 5:00 p.m. CT (live on Telemundo-44, tape-delay on Fox Sports World at 6:30 p.m. CT).

Fire Man of the Match - DaMarcus Beasley



Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire
August 27, 2003 -- Cardinal Stadium


Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
Colorado Rapids 1 0 1
Chicago Fire 1 1 2

Scoring Summary:

COL -- John Spencer 11 (Chris Carrieri 6) 36
CHI -- DaMarcus Beasley 6 (Andy Williams 7) 44
CHI -- own goal (Robin Fraser) 53


Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart (Matt Crawford 66), Nat Borchers, Robin Fraser, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson (Zach Kingsley 66), Kyle Beckerman, Pablo Mastroeni, Mark Chung, John Spencer (Alex Blake 73), Chris Carrieri (Zizi Roberts 73).

Substitutes Not Used: Scott Vallow.

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Mark Chung 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (John Spencer 2); FOULS: 22 (Kyle Beckerman 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (John Spencer 3); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Mark Chung 2); SAVES: 3 (Scott Garlick 3)

Chicago Fire -- Zach Thornton, Kelly Gray, Jim Curtin, Carlos Bocanegra, Evan Whitfield, Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Jesse Marsch (Logan Pause 66), Orlando Perez (Ryan Futagaki 92+), Damani Ralph (Dipsy Selolwane 78), Andy Williams (Nate Jaqua 72).

Substitutes Not Used: Justin Mapp, Ante Razov, Henry Ring.

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (DaMarcus Beasley 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (DaMarcus Beasley 2); FOULS: 20 (Chris Armas 5); OFFSIDES: 6 (Damani Ralph 4); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Andy Williams 3); SAVES: 4 (Zach Thornton 4)



Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Ritchie Kotschau (caution; Reckless Foul) 13
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (caution; Dissent) 29
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (caution; Reckless Foul) 31
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (ejection; Second Caution) 31
COL -- Kyle Beckerman (caution; Persistent Infringement) 38
CHI -- Jim Curtin (caution; Professional Foul) 40
COL -- Robin Fraser (caution; Reckless Foul) 41
CHI -- Jesse Marsch (caution; Delaying a Restart) 59

Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: -Steven Davidson; Cien Aseora
4th Official: Ricardo Salazar
Attendance: 5,156
Time of Game: 1:55
Weather: Clear-and-78-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

Woo! Chunger and Spence scored the two goals for the Rapids as they broke .500 for the first time this year!

Rapids Win Again At Spartan

SAN JOSE, CA – The Colorado Rapids (9-9-4, 31pts) moved into second place in the Western Conference with a 2-1 road victory over the League-leading San Jose Earthquakes (11-4-7, 40pts) at Spartan Stadium on Saturday night. The visitors' goals came from forward John Spencer and midfielder Mark Chung, who scored in the same match for a record-tying seventh time this season (Chicago Fire forward Ante Razov and Damani Ralph have also tallied in the same game on seven occasions this year). Chung and Spencer together account for 21 of the 28 goals scored by the Rapids in 2003.

Although the Earthquakes saw another six-game unbeaten streak come to an end at the hands of the Rapids for the second time this season, the current Western Conference leaders still clinch a playoff berth for the third consecutive season by virtue of the 2-1 loss suffered by the Dallas Burn against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday night. With eight matches remaining and 24 points separating the Earthquakes and Burn in the Western Conference standings, the Quakes are ensured of clinching at least one of the four MLS Cup Playoff berths in the Western Conference.

Colorado, now 7-1-1 in its last nine games, claimed only its third road victory of the season and its second in San Jose this year (2-0 win on July 12). With the win the Rapids now sit in second place in the West by overtaking the Kansas City Wizards (29pts), who play Sunday night in Columbus (7:30PM ET). The victory in San Jose also ties the all-time regular season series between the Rapids and Earthquakes at 15-15-1.

The Earthquakes, who lost for just the second time in the last 14 matches, dominated possession in the first half, establishing their trademark quick and short passing game. However, the team had few threatening scoring opportunities to show for their commanding initiative. As soon as the Earthquakes attempted to enter the final attacking third of the field the Rapids defenders consistently closed them down convincingly.

While the first half was played for the most part in the Rapids' half of the field, Colorado sought the quick counterattack and it was on a quick transition that the visitors opened the scoring against the run of play in the 21st minute. Chung took the ball on the left attacking flank and sprinted straight at goal. He used a give-and-go passing combination with Spencer at the top edge of the box before firing a left-footed shot from the left corner of the six-yard box and inside the right post past rushing goalkeeper Pat Onstad. Chung's 10th goal of the season was also his 50th career goal as he joined a group of 15 other players who have achieved the feat. It was also his second against San Jose in two games at Spartan Stadium this season.

The Earthquakes twice came close to equalizing in the closing stages of the first half. In the 45th minute a Ramiro Corrales left-footed shot finished high of the crossbar. Moments later in added time forward Landon Donovan struck the far left post on a curling left-footed drive from a tight angle on the right side of the box.

The match continued along the same lines in the second half. The Earthquakes first came close to finding the back of the net in the 59th minute as sprawling Rapids goalkeeper Scott Garlick did just enough to deflect a lunging effort by forward Brian Mullan, who pounced on a deflected shot. But Mullan would not be denied one minute later as Earthquakes defender Eddie Robinson nodded a cross down to Mullan in the middle of the box. The Colorado native took the ball off his chest to get by one defender and then poked a shot by Garlick from the edge of the six-yard box.

Mullan's equalizing goal, his sixth of the year, would further fire up the match which subsequently featured fierce end-to-end action. The Earthquakes pressured relentlessly in attack while the Rapids sprinted on the counter immediately upon winning the ball back. In one 20-second stretch in the 64th minute, Rapids midfielder Chris Henderson saw his shot saved by Onstad on one end while Donovan appealed for a penalty kick on the other end after rounding Garlick on a ball delivered over the top.

As the Earthquakes pressure increased, the Rapids would take the 2-1 lead in the 67th minute. Forward Chris Carrieri delivered a low cross to the near post from the right flank into the path of his strike partner Spencer. The Scotsman beat defender Eddie Robinson to the ball and sent a low first-time right-footed shot under Onstad for his 11th goal of the year.

The game would continue at its hectic pace until the end with the Earthquakes throwing forwards Dwayne DeRosario and Jamil Walker into the mix. But the home team would only come close to scoring on a Lagos shot deflected for a corner (79th minute) and a Chris Roner header which finished just over the crossbar (82nd minute). Colorado had the opportunity to pad its lead in the 80th minute on a counterattack as midfielder Kyle Beckerman sent a ball over the Quakes defense to Henderson, who beat the offside trap but could not get around Onstad in the one-on-one situation in the box.

On Saturday, Sept. 6 the Rapids host the Dallas Burn (9:00PM ET), who stand at the bottom of the Western Conference while the San Jose Earthquakes host the New England Revolution a day later on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 3:30PM ET in a doubleheader which features the U.S. Women's National Team facing Mexico in its final match before the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.

MLS Man of the Match: John Spencer (Colorado Rapids)


Colorado Rapids (9-9-4) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (11-4-7)
August 30, 2003 -- Spartan Stadium


Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
Colorado Rapids 1 1 2
San Jose Earthquakes 0 1 1

Scoring Summary:

COL -- Mark Chung 10 (John Spencer 3) 21
SJ -- Brian Mullan 6 (Ian Russell 5, Eddie Robinson 1) 59
COL -- John Spencer 11 (Chris Carrieri 6) 67


Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart, Nat Borchers, Robin Fraser, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson, Kyle Beckerman, Pablo Mastroeni, Mark Chung, John Spencer, Chris Carrieri.

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Blake, Matt Crawford, Zach Kingsley, Zizi Roberts, Scott Vallow.

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (John Spencer 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Mark Chung 2, Chris Henderson 2); FOULS: 21 (Chris Carrieri 4, Chris Henderson 4); OFFSIDES: 3 (John Spencer 2); CORNER KICKS: 1 (Chris Henderson 1); SAVES: 5 (Scott Garlick 4)

San Jose Earthquakes -- Pat Onstad, Todd Dunivant (Jamil Walker 78), Jeff Agoos, Eddie Robinson, Chris Roner, Ian Russell (Dwayne De Rosario 60), Ronnie Ekelund (Manny Lagos 73), Richard Mulrooney, Ramiro Corrales, Brian Mullan, Landon Donovan.

Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Johanes Maliza, Craig Waibel.

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Ramiro Corrales 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Brian Mullan 2); FOULS: 10 (Ramiro Corrales 2, Eddie Robinson 2); OFFSIDES: 2 (Ronnie Ekelund 1, Brian Mullan 1); CORNER KICKS: 9 (Jeff Agoos 9); SAVES: 3 (Pat Onstad 3)



Misconduct Summary:
SJ -- Eddie Robinson (caution; Reckless Foul) 62

Referee: Richard Heron
Referee's Assistants: -Craig Lowry; Francisco Sanchez
4th Official: Jesse Johnson
Attendance: 10,116
Time of Game: 1:57
Weather: Clear-and-76-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

Woo-woo! This was the first game I was able to attend since late July! A combination of a road trip, and me being in Georgia led to that...

This was a pretty good game from the Rapids. Posession may have been about even, but anytime Dallas got down in the attacking third, the Rapids did a good job shutting them down.

Dallas took the lead on a PK around the 25th minute or so to go up 1-0.

Spencer had a chance to equalize on his own PK around the 35th or so, but he put it into the keeper's mitts.

1-0 at the half.

Chris Carrieri equalized for the Rapids around the 55th minute with a nice blast from the outside of the box. 1-1.

Then in the 77th minute, I believe, Chris Henderson put it home off a nice pass from Spencer, I believe it was...2-1 Rapids.

The Rapids held off the Burn for the last 15 minutes, even with Mark Chung getting a red in the 88th minute for hauling someone down. Scott Garlick made a nice save on a header during stoppage time.

2-1 Rapids! The Rapids remain in 2nd place in the Western Conference table.

Summary from MLSNET.com:

DENVER, CO – Second-half goals by Chris Carrieri and Chris Henderson powered the Colorado Rapids (10-9-4, 34pts) to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the visiting Dallas Burn (4-15-4, 16pts) at Invesco Field on Saturday night. With the three points the Rapids solidified their second-place position in the Western Conference while cutting the San Jose Earthquakes' lead to just six points. The Earthquakes host the New England Revolution on Sunday afternoon (3:30PM ET).

The Rapids move closer to securing a playoff spot after a poor start to the season and see their magic number reduced to four points. Any combination of four points gained by Colorado or lost by Dallas in the remaining seven games will secure a postseason berth for the Rapids.

Colorado, the hottest team in MLS, has now won eight of its last 10 MLS matches and extended its unbeaten streak at Invesco Field to nine games (7-0-2) while tying a team record set over two seasons (Sept. 2, 1998 – June 26, 1999). The Burn, who wasted a 1-0 lead on the road for the second weekend in a row, registered their seventh loss in eight games and third in a row. The Rapids victory also evened the all-time series at 13-13-1.

The Rapids came flying out of the gates as Dallas defender Ezra Hendrickson and goalkeeper D.J. Countess stopped attempts at goal as early as the second minute. However, for the second consecutive match Dallas took the lead on a goal by Brad Davis. The second-year players was knocked down in the box by Colorado defender Nat Borchers and Davis himself stepped up to convert the penalty kick for his sixth goal of the year.

The home team had its best chance at equalizing on a 37th minute penalty kick by forward John Spencer which was saved by Dallas' Countess. It was the second consecutive save in as many games for the Burn's second-year netminder as he dove to his left on the Scotsman's attempt (Countess saved an attempt by Los Angeles forward Carlos Ruiz last Saturday). Dallas defender Brian Dunseth was judged to have used his hand to knock the ball away from Spencer in the box, leading to the penalty kick. Spencer had netted all four penalty kick attempts previously taken this season.

Colorado's equalizing goal came just nine minutes into the second half as Carrieri netted his third tally of the campaign. On an odd-man breakaway in the 54th minute Spencer delivered a cross from the right side and Carrieri volleyed home a low shot past Countess and inside the left post to level the score at 1-1.

The two teams exchanged scoring opportunities in an entertaining second half. Countess made saves on shots by Kyle Beckerman (62nd minute tipped over the crossbar) and Mark Chung (70th minute deflected wide left). Dallas' opportunities were created by second-half substitute Eddie Johnson who set up Joselito Vaca (63rd minute), Toni Nhleko (66th minute) and Bobby Rhine (74th minute) but each player missed the target. Vaca was stopped at close range by a desperate challenge from goalkeeper Scott Garlick while Rhine saw his shot from a tight angle smash against the left post.

Moments after Rhine's effort hit the woodwork, Henderson scored the game-winner in the 76th minute. The veteran flank midfielder pounced on a through ball by Mark Chung down the right side of the box and sent a diagonal shot past goalkeeper D.J. Countess and inside the far left post. Having taken aim at goal for the entire match and leading the Rapids with six shots, Henderson finally found the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

In second half stoppage time Chung was sent off for the first time in his eight-year MLS career for a foul on Burn captain Oscar Pareja. Among the all-time League leaders in games and minutes played, the three-time Fair Player of the Year award winner will have to sit out next weekend's match against Kansas City due to a red-card suspension.

The Burn's back line was decimated by injury and suspension as regulars Tenywa Bonseu (one-game red card suspension) and Chris Gbandi (left ankle sprain) missed the match for the visitors. The Rapids were also missing an important defensive figure as veteran Robin Fraser was unavailable after his father passed away earlier this week.

The Rapids remain at home next weekend to host another Western Conference team on Saturday, September 13 as they welcome the Kansas City Wizards (9:00PM ET). Dallas takes to the road again on the same day to conclude a three-game road swing in Columbus against the Crew (7:30PM ET).

MLS Man of the Match: Chris Henderson (Colorado Rapids)


Dallas Burn (4-15-4) vs. Colorado Rapids (10-9-4)
September 06, 2003 -- Invesco Field at Mile High


Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
Dallas Burn 1 0 1
Colorado Rapids 0 2 2

Scoring Summary:

DAL -- Brad Davis 6 (penalty kick) 24
COL -- Chris Carrieri 3 (John Spencer 4, Chris Henderson 3) 54
COL -- Chris Henderson 2 (Mark Chung 4) 76


Dallas Burn -- D.J. Countess, Ezra Hendrickson, Matt Behncke, Shavar Thomas, Brian Dunseth, Joselito Vaca (Bobby Rhine 72), Chad Deering, Oscar Pareja, Brad Davis, Gavin Glinton (Edward Johnson 63), Toni Nhleko.

Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Cassar, Philip Salyer, Jordan Stone.

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Toni Nhleko 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (3 tied with 1); FOULS: 21 (Toni Nhleko 6); OFFSIDES: 1 (Gavin Glinton 1); CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 7 (D.J. Countess 6)

Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart, Nat Borchers, Pablo Mastroeni, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson, Kyle Beckerman, Matt Crawford, Mark Chung, Chris Carrieri, John Spencer.

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Blake, Joe Cannon, Byron Foss, Zach Kingsley, Michael Piserchio, Alberto Rizo, Zizi Roberts, Casey Schmidt, Scott Vallow.

TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Chris Henderson 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Chris Carrieri 3); FOULS: 15 (Kyle Beckerman 5); OFFSIDES: 1 (John Spencer 1); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Chris Henderson 4); SAVES: 2 (Scott Garlick 2)



Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Kyle Beckerman (caution; Persistent Infringement) 13
DAL -- Gavin Glinton (caution; Tackle from Behind) 57
DAL -- Toni Nhleko (caution; Persistent Infringement) 75
DAL -- Edward Johnson (caution; Dissent) 77
COL -- Mark Chung (ejection; Violent Conduct) 90

Referee: Marcel Yonan
Referee's Assistants: -Nathan Clement; Steven Taylor
4th Official: Scott McCaslin
Attendance: 15,726
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-80-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

[BPBlueSox]

Well, for the longest time, I though this game was gonna be a draw. The Rapids seemed to be content with the way they were playing, and there weren't many chances going either way. The Rapids looked a little bit out of sync with Chung not in there because of a card suspension.

That all changed in the 80th minute or so when the Scot scored!

On a side note, I've found a really crazy section where me and my buddies sit in now at the games. Good times!



Colorado Rapids 1 - 0 Kansas City Wizards

Spencer Nets Winner, 1-0

DENVER, CO – Forward John Spencer scored the only goal of the match and the Colorado Rapids (11-9-4, 37pts) became the second MLS team to clinch a playoff berth with a 1-0 home victory against the Kansas City Wizards (7-9-8, 29ts) on Saturday night at Invesco Field at Mile High.

By virtue of their victory and the Dallas Burn's 3-2 loss in Columbus earlier Saturday night, the Rapids clinched a playoff berth with six matches remaining in the season, joining the San Jose Earthquakes, who secured their postseason spot two weekends ago. Colorado, which started the season 2-8-3, is now just six points behind Western Conference leading San Jose, which lost 2-1 to D.C. United earlier Saturday. Kansas City, which is winless in its last eight matches, is in danger of dropping to fourth place in the Western Conference pending the result of the Los Angeles Galaxy match against the Chicago Fire late Saturday.

The Rapids, winners of nine of their last 11 matches, captured their sixth consecutive home victory while extending their home undefeated streak to a club record 10 matches (8-0-2). The League record is 15 straight home matches without defeat held by the San Jose Earthquakes and Chicago Fire.

Spencer netted the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. The 5ft, 7in Scotsman headed home his team-leading 12th tally of the season off a Chris Henderson corner kick, nodding the ball to the right of goalkeeper Tony Meola on his far post header. It was also Spencer's eighth goal in 10 career matches against Kansas City. He also netted two goals in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth round match to help eliminate the Wizards from the competition on August 5.

The match was a wide open, evenly played affair with the Rapids starting the match strong and threatening early on with an eighth minute Chris Carrieri shot that finished wide of the target. The best scoring opportunity of the half came in the 18th minute as Spencer got a foot on a corner kick but Meola made an instinctive one-handed save, stopping the Scotsman's shot from the top of the six-yard box.

The best first-half scoring chance for the Wizards came on a shot by Wolde Harris in the 30th minute off a long ball from Preki but Colorado defender Nat Borchers recovered to neutralize the Jamaican's shot.

The match continued to be wide-open free-flowing in the second half with non-stop back-and-forth action but poor finishing and solid defending maintained the scoreless tie. Kansas City nearly took the lead when defender Jimmy Conrad saw his header slam against the crossbar off a free kick by Preki in the 69th minute.

After taking the lead in the 83rd minute the Rapids held on for the win, securing the seventh shutout of the season for Rapids goalkeeper Scott Garlick, who tied a career high.

The Rapids played without dynamic midfielder Mark Chung, who served a one-game red card suspension after being ejected from a match last weekend for the first time in his eight-year career, spanning 226 matches. Henderson, who normally operates on the right flank, moved to Chung's vacated left midfield role while rookie Matt Crawford started the match on the right. Midfielder Eric Quill did not make the trip for Kansas City due to illness while forward Josh Wolff did not enter the match after tweaking his ankle in training during the week.

The Rapids will look to continue their winning ways when they travel to New England for a nationally televised match on Thursday, Sept. 18 against the Revolution (7:30PM ET – ESPN2). Kansas City hosts Western Conference leading San Jose on Saturday, Sept. 20 (8:00PM ET).

MLS Man of the Match: John Spencer (Colorado Rapids)


Kansas City Wizards (7-9-8) vs. Colorado Rapids (11-9-4)
September 13, 2003 -- Invesco Field at Mile High


Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
Kansas City Wizards 0 0 0
Colorado Rapids 0 1 1

Scoring Summary:

COL -- John Spencer 12 (Chris Henderson 4) 83


Kansas City Wizards -- Tony Meola, Jimmy Conrad, Diego Gutierrez, Nick Garcia, Chris Klein, Francisco Gomez, Preki, Kerry Zavagnin (Carey Talley 88), Stephen Armstrong (Davy Arnaud 72), Wolde Harris, Igor Simutenkov.

Substitutes Not Used: Bo Oshoniyi, Josh Wolff, Alex Zotinca.

TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (Wolde Harris 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Wolde Harris 2); FOULS: 11 (Jimmy Conrad 3, Chris Klein 3); OFFSIDES: 5 (Igor Simutenkov 2); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Preki 4); SAVES: 3 (Tony Meola 3)

Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart, Nat Borchers, Robin Fraser, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson, Kyle Beckerman, Pablo Mastroeni, Matt Crawford (Zach Kingsley 70), Chris Carrieri, John Spencer.

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Blake, Joe Cannon, Michael Piserchio, Alberto Rizo, Zizi Roberts, Casey Schmidt, Seth Trembly, Scott Vallow.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (John Spencer 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (John Spencer 2); FOULS: 13 (Pablo Mastroeni 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (Chris Henderson 3); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Matt Crawford 3, Chris Henderson 3); SAVES: 2 (Scott Garlick 2)



Misconduct Summary:
KC -- Jimmy Conrad (caution; Professional Foul) 56

Referee: Gus St. Silva
Referee's Assistants: -Roger Itaya; David Bragg
4th Official: David Simon
Attendance: 16,937
Time of Game: 1:49
Weather: Clear-and-55-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

New England Revolution 0 - 0 Colorado Rapids

Garlick Is Hero In 0-0 Tie

FOXBORO, MA – The Colorado Rapids (11-9-5, 38pts) had two players sent off but held on for a 0-0 road tie against the New England Revolution (7-9-9, 30pts) at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night. The match was the third and final meeting between the two clubs this season after they split the previous encounters.

The tie pulls the surging Rapids, who clinched a postseason berth last weekend, to within five points of the Western Conference leading San Jose Earthquakes (43pts). The Revolution, in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, now stand just one point behind the Columbus Crew (31pts) for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. The tie by the Revolution also puts the Chicago Fire in position to secure a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs with a victory on Saturday, Sept. 20 against the Dallas Burn.

The first half was a wide open affair with both teams finding space to maneuver in midfield. However, the passing in the final third was off the mark for both teams and defenders had a relatively easy time winning back the ball. The Rapids, who consistently sought the quick counter, failed to create many threats for Revs goalkeeper Adin Brown and it was New England that would go on to outshoot the Rapids 10-4 in the half and 19-6 for the game.

Revolution forward Taylor Twellman, who was making his return after missing three matches due to injury, showed few ill effects from the facial injuries and concussion suffered in an Aug. 23 match against Los Angeles. He finished the match with a game high nine shots. His header in the 19th minute off a cross from Brian Kamler was tipped over the bar by Rapids goalkeeper Scott Garlick. In the 31st minute it was defender Nat Borchers who blocked Twellman's shot in the box following a fine run and through pass from Steve Ralston.

The Rapids suffered a blow just before halftime when central midfielder Kyle Beckerman was ejected in the 43rd minute after receiving a straight red card for a foul from behind on Revolution playmaker Jose Cancela. Just minutes before Cancela's free kick from the left flank was flicked on by Ralston, whose header struck the crossbar on the most dangerous attempt at goal in the first half.

The Revolution would not enjoy the man advantage for too long, however, as left midfielder Brian Kamler was sent off in the 54th minute, receiving a straight red card for his studs up challenge which struck Rapids defender Wes Hart in the midsection. Both teams made adjustments to their formations, playing with one forward and moving the second one into a flank midfield position.

In a second half which would not produce many goal scoring opportunities, the Revolution had the opportunity to break the deadlock on a penalty kick awarded in the 68th minute after Twellman was judged to have been fouled in the box, sandwiched between Rapids defenders Borchers and Hart on a ball crossed into the box. Twellman himself stepped up to take the Revolution's second penalty kick of the season but saw his low shot to the right post saved by Garlick. Although the Revolution would switch to a three-man back line in the 71st minute with the entrance of midflelder Leonard Marshall, the move would not produce much fruit for the home side as the best chances came from long distance shots.

In the second minute of overtime Garlick was forced to save a header by Revolution defender Jay Heaps off a corner kick and just two minutes later the Rapids, who only had two men sent off all season, had a second player sent off in the match. Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni received his second yellow card of the game after a two-footed sliding challenge which struck Leonard in the Revolution box.

The clean sheet was Garlick's eighth of the season, setting a new personal high (he registered seven in 1998 with D.C. United). The shutout was Adin Brown's third of the campaign.

The match marked the final match of September for the Rapids, who return to action on Wednesday, October 1 when they host the Chicago Fire at Invesco Field at Mile High (9:30PM ET). The Revolution also play at home in their next match on Sunday, Sept. 28 as they welcome the Columbus Crew (6:00PM ET) in a critical Eastern Conference showdown with playoff implications.

MLS Man of the Match: Nat Borchers (Colorado Rapids)


Colorado Rapids (11-9-5) vs. New England Revolution (7-9-9)
September 18, 2003 -- Gillette Stadium


Goals by Period 1 2 1OT 2OT Tot
Colorado Rapids 0 0 0 0 0
New England Revolution 0 0 0 0 0

Scoring Summary:


Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart, Nat Borchers, Robin Fraser, Ritchie Kotschau, Mark Chung, Kyle Beckerman, Chris Henderson (Matt Crawford 81), Pablo Mastroeni, John Spencer, Chris Carrieri.

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Cannon, Zach Kingsley, Casey Schmidt, Seth Trembly.

TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (John Spencer 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (3 tied with 1); FOULS: 16 (Chris Carrieri 3, Robin Fraser 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (3 tied with 1); CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 5 (Scott Garlick 5)

New England Revolution -- Adin Brown, Jay Heaps, Carlos Llamosa (Marshall Leonard 71), Rusty Pierce, Joe Franchino, Shalrie Joseph, Steve Ralston, Brian Kamler, Jose Cancela, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan.

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Brown, Leo Cullen, Nick Downing, Dario Fabbro, Daouda Kante, Ibrahim Kante, Jason Moore, Matt Reis.

TOTAL SHOTS: 19 (Taylor Twellman 9); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Taylor Twellman 3); FOULS: 14 (Taylor Twellman 5); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7 (Steve Ralston 4); SAVES: 3 (Adin Brown 3)



Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Kyle Beckerman (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 43
NE -- Rusty Pierce (caution; Professional Foul) 46+
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (caution; Reckless Foul) 52
NE -- Taylor Twellman (caution; Reckless Foul) 53
NE -- Brian Kamler (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 54
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (caution; Professional Foul) 94
COL -- Pablo Mastroeni (ejection; Second Caution) 94

Referee: Alex Prus
Referee's Assistants: -Gibby Widner; Bahij Salman
4th Official: Erich Simmons
Attendance: 8,807
Time of Game: 2:06
Weather: Cloudy-and-63-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

10-Man Rapids Fight Back

DENVER – Midfielder Mark Chung tied a career high with his 11th goal of the season as the Colorado Rapids (11-9-6, 39pts), reduced to 10 men, scored a late equalizer to extend their club record home unbeaten streak to 11 games (8-0-3) after a 1-1 tie against the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Fire (12-6-8, 44pts) on Wednesday night at Invesco Field at Mile High.

While both teams have already clinched MLS Cup Playoff spots, the Rapids and Fire are looking to secure the highest possible seed ahead of the postseason with just four games remaining. The Fire now have a six-point lead on the second-place MetroStars in the East. The Rapids, who last played back on Sept. 18, gain only a point on the first-place San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference as they now face a 10-point deficit.

The two teams played to a 0-0 deadlock in an extremely balanced first half in which neither side was able to impose itself. The two squads held their shape and played an organized game with the respective back lines rarely being caught off guard. The best opportunities at goal fell to Rapids forwards Zizi Roberts and Chris Carrieri but goalkeeper Zach Thornton stopped the frontrunners on each of their attempts midway through the period.

The Fire, who registered a 7-0 advantage on corner kicks in the first half, scored on a corner kick three minutes into the second half. The kick was taken by forward Ante Razov from the left side and the ball fell to Damani Ralph, who escaped from his man marker Nat Borchers. The Jamaican native controlled the ball off his chest and fired a shot on the bounce from 15 yards out which deflected off teammate Jesse Marsch, who was lined up alongside the last defender just outside the six-yard box. The ball was redirected by Marsch inside the right post for his third goal of the year.

The Rapids responded with a 60th minute counterattack which ended in a Carrieri shot from outside the box but Thornton was alert to block the ball destined for the top right corner of the goal. On the other end Rapids goalkeeper Scott Garlick stopped Razov on a bouncing, close range effort to keep the Rapids in the match.

In an effort to bolster his team's attacking fortunes, Rapids Head Coach Tim Hankinson brought on Jamaican veteran midfielder Darryl Powell, who made his MLS debut in the 76th minute as he entered the match as a substitute. However, the Rapids' chances at equalizing took a hit as defender and captain Robin Fraser was sent off for a high sliding challenge on Marsch in the 79th minute.

Despite playing with a man down, the Rapids still found the back of the net in the 83rd minute on a free kick. With the ball positioned outside the Fire penalty area in line with the left post, midfielder Mark Chung curled the ball over the Fire wall and into the top left corner as Thornton scrambled in vain into the side netting. Chung's 11th tally of the year tied a career high set last year.

The Rapids played without starting midfielders Pablo Mastroeni and Kyle Beckerman, who both served one game suspensions for red cards received in their last game. In a gametime decision Colorado was also forced to take the field without captain and leading scorer John Spencer due to a hamstring injury. Midfielder Justin Mapp and defender C.J. Brown were unavailable for Head Coach Dave Sarachan and the Fire to injury.

The Rapids, who are now 9-1-3 in their last 13 games, will travel to Soldier Field for the third and final regular season meeting between the two clubs on October 18. The Fire registered a 4-0 win at Cardinal Stadium in the first contest of the year between the two teams on May 25 and also eliminated Colorado from the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in a 2-1 August 27 win.

Colorado next takes to the road for a Saturday, October 4 match against the Kansas City Wizards (8:00 p.m. ET) while the Fire will play the Los Angeles Galaxy on the same night in their final match at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville, Illinois before moving into renovated Soldier Field (8:30 p.m. ET – FOX Sports World).

MLS Man of the Match: Nat Borchers (Colorado Rapids)


Chicago Fire (12-6-8) vs. Colorado Rapids (11-9-6)
October 01, 2003 -- Invesco Field at Mile High


Goals by Period 1 2 1OT 2OT Tot
Chicago Fire 0 1 0 0 1
Colorado Rapids 0 1 0 0 1

Scoring Summary:

CHI -- Jesse Marsch 3 (Damani Ralph 6) 48
COL -- Mark Chung 11 (unassisted) 83


Chicago Fire -- Zach Thornton, Carlos Bocanegra, Jim Curtin, Kelly Gray, Evan Whitfield, Chris Armas, DaMarcus Beasley, Orlando Perez, Jesse Marsch (Logan Pause 82) (Andy Williams 95), Damani Ralph (Nate Jaqua 76), Ante Razov.

Substitutes Not Used: Craig Capano, Henry Ring.

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Damani Ralph 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1); FOULS: 16 (Ante Razov 6); OFFSIDES: 9 (Ante Razov 4); CORNER KICKS: 8 (Ante Razov 5); SAVES: 6 (Zach Thornton 6)

Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart, Nat Borchers, Robin Fraser, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson, Matt Crawford (Darryl Powell 76), Seth Trembly, Mark Chung, Chris Carrieri, Zizi Roberts.

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Blake, Joe Cannon, Byron Foss, Zach Kingsley, Michael Piserchio, Alberto Rizo, Scott Vallow.

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Zizi Roberts 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (3 tied with 2); FOULS: 16 (Zizi Roberts 4); OFFSIDES: 6 (Zizi Roberts 3); CORNER KICKS: 1 (Chris Henderson 1); SAVES: 3 (Scott Garlick 3)



Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Wes Hart (caution; Tackle from Behind) 6
COL -- Seth Trembly (caution; Reckless Foul) 49
COL -- Chris Henderson (caution; Professional Foul) 54
CHI -- DaMarcus Beasley (caution; Delaying a Restart) 62
COL -- Robin Fraser (ejection; Serious Foul Play) 79
CHI -- Chris Armas (caution; Professional Foul) 97

Referee: Hector Tobon
Referee's Assistants: -Craig Lowry; Jose Andrade
4th Official: Ben Chouaf
Attendance: 12,185
Time of Game: 2:08
Weather: Partly Cloudy-and-61-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

Kansas City Wizards 4, Colorado Rapids 2

Klein Leads Wizards Charge

KANSAS CITY, MO – Midfielder Chris Klein registered his second consecutive multi-goal game and the fourth of his career as his two goals paced the Kansas City Wizards (9-10-8, 35pts) to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids (11-10-6, 39pts) at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night. Klein's two tallies match the feat he achieved last weekend against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a 2-1 road victory.

With just three matches remaining (maximum of nine points), the Rapids' loss mathematically awards the Western Conference championship to the idle San Jose Earthquakes (49pts), who host the MetroStars Sunday afternoon (4:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2).

Colorado remains in second place in the Western Conference while the Wizards, who won their second consecutive match following a nine-game winless streak, move into sole possession of third place in the Western Conference. Both teams had already clinched a playoff berth entering the match, which marked the fourth and final regular season meeting between the two clubs and the first Wizards victory in the season series.

The Wizards were aggressive and determined out of the gates and with the Rapids playing the offside trap and pushing their back line up field, the home team attempted to use long balls over the defense to break through. However, Kansas City's forwards were caught offside on several occasions in the early going. The Wizards would tie their all-time club record by getting stopped by 11 offside calls in the match.

Kansas City sustained the pressure for the entire first half and its breakthrough came on a quick restart as Preki curled a free kick from the right side and defender Jimmy Conrad connected with a near post header for his third goal of the season in the 15th minute.

Only six minutes later the Wizards doubled the score as right midfielder Eric Quill volleyed a ball to Preki near the top of the Rapids penalty area. The veteran midfielder headed the service over central defender Nat Borchers. The ball fell into the path of a charging Klein, who also headed the ball on the bounce from the center of the box past goalkeeper Scott Garlick, who came off his line in an attempt to challenge.

For the second consecutive match Klein, who is customarily employed at right midfield, played on the left side of midfield in more of an attacking role. He often caused matchup problems for Colorado as he proved to be an added forward on several occasions.

The depleted Rapids, who gave away the ball several times in the opponent's half, did not register a shot in the entire first half. Their first attempt at goal in the game came two minutes into the second half and resulted in a goal as forward Zizi Roberts sprinted on a breakaway down the left flank on a feed from midfielder Seth Trembly. The Liberian forward raced 30 yards into the left side of the box and curled a right-footed diagonal shot which beat goalkeeper Tony Meola inside the far right post for his third tally of the season.

Colorado was a sharper team in the opening of the second half and registered the equalizer in the 60th minute on a penalty kick. Forward Chris Carrieri delivered a through ball down the middle of the box into the path of midfielder Mark Chung, who was judged to have been tripped in the box by Wizards central defender Diego Gutierrez. Midfielder Chris Henderson stepped up to take the spot kick against his former team and placed the ball in the upper right corner to make the score 2-2 on his third goal of the campaign.

However, Klein's second goal of the match and sixth of the season proved to be the game-winner in the 82nd minute. A long ball by Preki found Francisco Gomez near the right corner of the Rapids penalty area. The fifth-year midfielder sent a shot across the box which Klein pounced upon at the far left post, slotting the ball home from six yards out for a 3-2 Wizards lead.

Gomez would ensure the victory with Kansas City's fourth goal in added time as the Wizards successfully beat the Rapids offside trap in the 91st minute. Quill delivered the ball over the Colorado back line and with the Rapids players appealing for offside, Gomez ran uncontested onto goal and sent a shot from inside the box under goalkeeper Scott Garlick for this third goal of the year. Klein and Talley would come close to scoring a fifth goal for the home team also in second half added time.

Leading scorer John Spencer (left hamstring strain), who had scored in every match against the Wizards this year, and World Cup midfielder Pablo Mastroeni (right quadriceps strain) did not make the trip for the Rapids due to injury while central defender Robin Fraser sat out due to a red card suspension. The absences allowed Darryl Powell, regularly listed as a midfielder, to make his first MLS start as he paired with Nat Borchers in central defense.

The Wizards played without the services of experienced Russian forward Igor Simutenkov (strained calf muscle) while striker Josh Wolff was not yet able to return from a left ankle sprain.

Preki's three assists on the night take his League leading total to 16 and he is now just five helpers behind the all-time record set by Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama (114). Preki, the League's all-time leading scorer (76g, 109a) also leads the League in scoring on 38pts (11g, 16a).

The victory marked the first Wizards win against Colorado since August 19, 2001 – a span of eight regular season meetings. It was also only the Rapids' second loss in their last 14 league matches (9-2-3) dating back to July 4 and the first loss since a 2-1 loss away to D.C. United on August 13, ending a seven match unbeaten run.

Colorado and Kansas City play host to regular season Western Conference matchups next weekend. The Rapids host San Jose on Friday, October 10 (9:30 p.m. ET) while the Wizards welcome Los Angeles in a critical showdown the day after on Saturday, October 11 (8:00 p.m. ET).

MLS Man of the Match: Chris Klein (Kansas City Wizards)

Colorado Rapids (11-10-6) vs. Kansas City Wizards (9-10-8)
October 04, 2003 -- Arrowhead Stadium


Goals by Period 1 2 Tot
Colorado Rapids 0 2 2
Kansas City Wizards 2 2 4

Scoring Summary:

KC -- Jimmy Conrad 3 (Preki 14) 15
KC -- Chris Klein 5 (Preki 15, Eric Quill 6) 21
COL -- Zizi Roberts 3 (Seth Trembly 1) 47
COL -- Chris Henderson 3 (penalty kick) 60
KC -- Chris Klein 6 (Francisco Gomez 3, Preki 16) 82
KC -- Francisco Gomez 3 (Eric Quill 7) 91+


Colorado Rapids -- Scott Garlick, Wes Hart (Matt Crawford 84), Ritchie Kotschau, Nat Borchers, Darryl Powell, Chris Henderson (Zach Kingsley 87), Kyle Beckerman, Seth Trembly, Mark Chung, Zizi Roberts (Alex Blake 89), Chris Carrieri.

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Cannon, Michael Piserchio.

TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (Chris Henderson 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Chris Henderson 2); FOULS: 15 (Chris Henderson 4); OFFSIDES: 2 (Chris Carrieri 1, Chris Henderson 1); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Chris Henderson 4); SAVES: 2 (Scott Garlick 2)

Kansas City Wizards -- Tony Meola, Jimmy Conrad (Carey Talley 84), Diego Gutierrez, Nick Garcia, Chris Klein, Kerry Zavagnin, Eric Quill, Stephen Armstrong (Wolde Harris 68), Alex Zotinca, Preki, Davy Arnaud (Francisco Gomez 76).

Substitutes Not Used: Chris Brunt, Taly Goode, Taylor Graham, Jack Jewsbury, Bo Oshoniyi, Jorge Vazquez.

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Chris Klein 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Chris Klein 2); FOULS: 19 (Eric Quill 4); OFFSIDES: 11 (Eric Quill 4); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Preki 3); SAVES: 2 (Tony Meola 2)



Misconduct Summary:
KC -- Preki (caution; Reckless Foul) 6
COL -- Kyle Beckerman (caution; Reckless Foul) 50
KC -- Jimmy Conrad (caution; Reckless Foul) 67
KC -- Davy Arnaud (caution; Persistent Infringement) 73
COL -- Ritchie Kotschau (caution; Reckless Foul) 74

Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: -Greg Barkey; Roger Itaya
4th Official: Joe Heyden
Attendance: 13,069
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Clear-and-69-degrees

[BPBlueSox]

Another home game...another game without a loss...I believe the unbeaten streak at home is 13 now.

However, the Rapids thoroughly outplayed San Jose and came away with a 0-0 draw. Kind of unfortunate. We needed three points to really lock on to 2nd place in the conference.

Oh well, hopefully KC doesn't catch us.

Game summary coming soon.

[BPBlueSox]

4-3 loss at Chicago over the weekend.

One game left during the season, at Dallas.

The Rapids have dropped to 3rd, one point behind Kansas City. This has become very important, because whoever finishes in 2nd, gets home field advanatage during the first round of the playoffs...

[BPBlueSox]

Another 4-3 loss, this time at Dallas.

Kansas City tied, so all the Rapids had to do was win at last place Dallas, and finish second. They didn't.

Now they play KC in the first round of the playoffs playing the first game at home.