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Rapids road woes return
Colorado Rapids traveled to San Jose on Saturday night, and somehow fell into a repeat of a road loss to Kansas City three weeks ago.
Just like that April 10 game, all it took was a first half goal from the hosts to seal Colorado’s fate. This time it was Chris Wondolowski who delivered the only goal in a 1-0 San Jose victory.
San Jose improved to 3-2-0 (nine points), while the Rapids fell to 3-2-1 (10 points).
There was no shame in the goal scored, but it was a shame that the Rapids again proved less than lethal on one of the league’s Lilliputian fields
For the only score, Wondolowski fired a left-footed laser in the 33rd minute that streaked past Matt Pickens, kissed the cross bar and bounded into the goal. Wondolowski’s one-timer on the ball gave the forward his third goal of the year.
For the Rapids, Conor Casey looked particularly dangerous on both sides of Wondolowski’s goal. He thumped a left-footed blast into the side netting, and went wide with a header in the 36th minute.
Colorado’s best chance of the game came near the end of the first half. Wells Thompson fired a rocket from the top of the box in the 45th minute. Joe Cannon snapped to his right to parry the ball away. It was the save of the game for the ‘Quakes and one of the few moments for the Rapids where everything seemed to work.
In the second half, Casey found the back of the net in the 65th minute, but he was clearly offsides. The flag was up and the whistle blown before the ball settled in the back of the net. It was typical of the Rapids’ night of “almosts.” Substitutes Quincy Amarikwa and Claudio Lopez almost connected in stoppage time. Mehdi Ballouchy nearly sneaked one over the wall and under the crossbar. Pablo Mastroeni fired three long-range blasts that came close, but did no harm. The game was nearly as frustrating to watch as it must have been to play.
Rapids 11: Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Danny Earls (Julien Baudet, 61st), Thompson, Jeff Larentowicz (Claudio Lopez, 77th), Mastroeni, Ballouchy, Casey, Omar Cummings (Quincy Amarikwa, 71st).
Earthquakes 11: Cannon, Bobby Burling, Ramiro Corrales (Justin Morrow, 83rd), Jason Hernandez, Chris Leitch, Bobby Convey, Brandon McDonald, Andre Luiz (Brad Ring, 59th), Joey Gjertsen, Ryan Johnson (Eduardo, 59th), Wondolowski.
Cannon: Along with the win, Cannon also picked up the 70th shutout of his career.
One plus: Having already played in Kansas City, the Rapids are now finished with visiting the tiniest confines in MLS. The dinky fields really take a lot of the beauty away from the game and turn it into outdoor pinball. I’m increasingly thinking the 9-on-9 game might be the only way to play on these pitches.
Next Up: Los Angeles makes it lone trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday, Cinco de Mayo. Tickets are still available for the 7;30 p.m. game. The Galaxy has never looked hotter, and the Rapids are off to a great start. Since I will be stuck in class in Fort Collins, I hope everyone else is at the game.
were all those tweets yours? nice stuff sean-o!
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