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Casey delivers, Rapids win
Conor Casey celebrates scoring the third goal of the evening against the Houston Dynamo, Saturday, Aug. 28, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids won 3-0. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
Conor Casey delivered a tour de force Saturday night, as the Rapids forward setup two goals and then scored the third in Colorado’s 3-0 rout of the Houston Dynamo.
Casey turned creator for a team that has struggled to score. He sprung midfielder Jamie Smith with a pass that led to Smith’s first goal of the season in the second minute of the game. Casey then delivered a ball through the 6-yard box from the right side that Omar Cummings tapped in for his sixth goal of the year in the 16th minute of the game.
Casey rounded out his night and the scoring when he nodded in a deflected shot in the 23rd minute for his eight goal of the season and all the Rapids needed on a night against woeful Houston.
Colorado improved to 8-6-7 (31 points) with the win and moved up to seventh in the playoff race. Houston dropped to 6-11-5 (23 points).
The win was only the Rapids second since June 5, but it marked a positive start to the final third of the season. Colorado has five home games in the remaining nine, including a meeting with Chivas USA next Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Recordsetter: Pablo Mastroeni took over the all time record for starts with the Rapids as the captian took the field in the starting 11 for the 171st time on Saturday. To mark the occasion, Mastroeni picked up an assist and a yellow card on the night. Mastroeni had tied the mark of 170 with Chris Henderson with his start a week ago against the Columbus Crew.
Hamstrung: Other than being snakebit in front of the goal in the second half, the only disappointment for the Rapids came in watching Marvell Wynne walk off injured. Dannie Earls came on in the 43rd minute, after Wynne walked off mouthing “hamstring.”
Casey’s Night: Casey couldn’t have played much better. The only thing his night lacked was a second goal. Keeper Pat Onstad pulled off a sharp foot save to deny Casey in the 53rd minute, and the forward just missed wide of the far post on a left-footed shot in the 83rd minute.
Big win: The three-goal margin of victory was the highest for the Rapids this season. The biggest victory came a week after the team suffered its worst loss of 2010, a 3-1 loss to the Crew.
Re-Joyce: The only notable change in the lineup for the Rapids was in goal. Ian Joyce earned the shutout starting in place of Matt Pickens.
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