COMMERCE CITY, CO (July 23, 2016) – For the fourth time in five league games, the Colorado Rapids earned a draw. In a battle between the two top teams in MLS, they drew FC Dallas 1-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night. While the Rapids had some good moments, they seem to be surviving, but not thriving.
Surviving But Not Thriving: Rapids Draw FC Dallas, 1-1
Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni had to put less than his first choice Starting XI out to begin the game. Jermaine Jones was once again unavailable due to injury. Dillon Powers slotted in at the No. 10 role. Marco Pappa was on the bench for the home side. With Bobby Burling still recovering from knee surgery, Jared Watts started at center back.
FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja had more to deal with with his team playing a midweek game. Fabian Castillo did not travel with the team, adding fire to the transfer to Turkey rumors. Maximiliano Urruti also did not travel with the squad. Ryan Hollingshead and Tesho Akindele replaced the two, respectively.
The first half was played pretty evenly, with both sides having good spells of possession and scoring chances. Dallas was a bit more fluid in the attack, using their wide players to facilitate the counter. Colorado was not their sharpest on the day. They had trouble moving the ball quickly and getting it forward. Several careless turnovers in the midfield led to scoring chances for Dallas.
“I don’t think we were particularly the sharpest that we have been all season, but you’ve got to give credit to them. They’re top of the league for a reason,” said captain Sam Cronin after the match.
Marlon Hairston broke deadlock late in the half. The midfielder was able to pick a ball off Atiba Harris, run in on goal, and score.
The Rapids became very defensive in the second half, forcing Dallas to break them down. Some of this was by design, playing with a lead at home against a tired opponent. Some of this was the result of Colorado just not being able to get the ball moving forward.
On several occasions, Tim Howard had to bail his teammates out. The DP goalkeeper made five saves in the match, including this one.
“If he has to come up like that, we’re not doing a good job in front of him. I think tonight as a group it wasn’t our best defensive performance,” said Mastroeni after the match.
FC Dallas ultimately tied the game up off a fabulous strike in the 82nd minute by Victor Ulloa. This goal seemed inevitable considering Dallas’s chance creation in the second half.
After the match, Pareja commented “I thought we deserved much more than a point. It was a beautiful game tonight at a beautiful stadium and seeing the performance of our players was great. I thought we were the best team on the field tonight from the first minute to the ninety-plus. All the credit to our players who have played eight games in 29 days.”
While the Rapids are still near to the top of the table in MLS, they’ve been sleepwalking a bit since right before the Copa America break. They’ve drawn five of their last seven league games. The other two matches were home wins, but required goals in the final 15 minutes.
They haven’t played majestic soccer. Even when they dominate in performance, the rarely win by more than one goal. They’ve won several games this summer in which they did not dominate in performance.
Some of this is due to their style of play. More critically however, they haven’t gotten their best players together on the field. Pappa, Jones, Kevin Doyle, and Shkelzen Gashi are arguably their best front four on paper. They have played zero total minutes together this season.
Each of these four have carried the load offensively at times this year. When one misses time due to injury or an international call up, the others have stepped up. It is commendable that this team is one of the best in the standings despite having yet to field their best possible lineup.
Having this attacking core together will bring much needed quality and experience. The Rapids will be able to possess the ball and play more dynamically. This will take some pressure off their back line and Tim Howard.
Defensive reinforcements will also be on the way once Burling gets back from injury. This will help sure up the shape that was distorted against Dallas.
The Colorado Rapids need to get healthy. They’ve proven they can grind out results, turning losses into draws and draws into wins. But they’ve been at their best when their best players are on the field and making others around them better. They have been at their best when Jones and Pappa are pulling the strings. They are at their best when Doyle is getting regular service throughout the game. These are the keys to their success.
This period of many draws and a couple wins might be their worst slump of the season. It will have to be for them to win the Supporter’s Shield.
