Defending champions in all sports have had down subsequent seasons, but few have imploded quite like Colorado.  Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Rapids’ season was a roller coaster.  Struggling with injuries and added games the entire season, the team constantly rotated players and tried to field a healthy eleven, ending the season with third-string players trying to stave off elimination.  In the interim, their head coach and management held a power struggle over who controlled the purse strings and player movements, with the ultimate symbol of the weirdness being the head coach staying behind during a CONCACAF Champions League group stage away game.

But it’s a new day in Colorado, as they have a new coach and a few months of rest.  The team, when healthy, has one of the most talented starting XI in the league.  After such a rough season, how will the Rapids respond in 2012.  Let’s ask our “Three Questions” of the 2010 MLS champs.

1. Can we all play nice now?

The offending parties have left and been replaced.  This week Colorado hired former FC Dallas assistant and player Oscar Peraja as their new head coach.  For the team president slot to replace Jeff Plush, the team hired veteran front office man Tim Hinchey away from Derby County.  So all of the griping about who is in control can cease and the team can begin getting active in the offseason market, right?

There are still some questions about this front office, however.  With Peraja in place it looks like he will be in charge of player-personnel moves while Hinchey will be in charge of managing the organization.  With owner Stan Kroenke dealing with his larger soccer property overseas, essentially the buck stops with Hinchey.  While it is not entirely his fault, Derby County did fall down a few divisions under his watch, a serious drop in the English soccer world.  With their offseason beginning later than most other teams due to their front office hirings, how management works together to build depth will be critical in how quickly Colorado can restock.

2. Who’s next?

It is hard to build depth in MLS with the salary cap and various leagues for players to join.  That said, the Rapids’ lack of top-level depth was seriously exposed last season.  Some of their second string players were revelations, but injuries showed that Colorado was a fragile team.  This offseason, when the team should have been adding solid second and third string players who could compete for a starting job, they actually lost some of their depth when Sanna Nyassi was lost to the Montreal Impact after a promising season.  Colorado will use the draft next week to add some players but as long as their stars like Omar Cummings continue to have injury issues, they need to have contributors ready to step in.  This is especially important in an aging midfield.

3. Will they ever play defense?

Even in their MLS Cup run, Colorado’s defense was suspect but held up well enough to hoist the cup.  They allowed 41 goals in 2011 which was middle of the pack but, in a defense-first league, a better than average defense makes your team a championship contender.  Colorado did pick up Hunter Freeman from Eastern Conference champion Houston whose flexibility and good defense will help the team’s back line (or midfield if he moves up into a holding midfield role).  Anthony Wallace is turning into a very good defender and Drew Moore/Marvell Wynne are a good enough center back pairing.  We could see this unit become more consistent in 2012 and make that next step, although additional signings will help this progression.

An interesting thing happened in the four Conference Semifinal showdowns: the team winning the first leg fended off their foes’ stout challenges and advanced. Additionally, the higher seed went 3 out of 4 in the Semifinal round, leaving the top seeds from each Conference. We can address the efficiency of this generation of the playoff format at a later date. Right now, let’s break down these second legs, and see how we’ve arrived at our penultimate matchday:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(E1) Sporting KC 2-0 (WC2) Colorado  (Sporting KC wins aggregate, 4-0)

The match that led off the midweek quartet probably had the least suspense. Just before the half-hour mark, Aurélien Collin got behind the Rapids defense and beat Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens to Graham Zusi’s free kick. The French defender’s header put Kansas City up by 3 on aggregate, and that seemed to draw the life out of Colorado. The Rapids defense, playing without Kosuke Kimura, Drew Moor, and Tyrone Marshall, were exposed on set pieces throughout the match. Colorado also lacked a spark for most of the match as they mustered only four shots on net. CJ Sapong converted another Zusi free kick late in the match, this time with a powerful header from the edge of the box, and that put the exclamation point on the first playoff match in Livestrong Sporting Park history. It also ended Colorado’s bid to repeat as MLS Cup Champions, a feat that would have been impressive with so many key injuries.

(E2) Houston 1-0 (E3) Philadelphia (Houston wins aggregate, 3-1)

Houston played a very effective second leg, which they entered leading 2-1. They were able to work their main strategy to perfection, relying on a defensive mentality while earning (and converting) set pieces. Philadelphia was not in sync for much of this match, and credit should be given to the Dynamo midfield and defense for consistently pressuring the Union into lost possession. The Union also played into Houston’s hands by being overly aggressive in their own third, granting Houston the free kicks that have become Brad Davis’ calling card. He used those minutes in 1st half stoppage time and swung a bending free kick into the area. A barely-marked Brian Ching headed the ball from near the penalty spot to Faryd Mondragon’s left, and it proved to be the only goal. After a frustrating first leg in Pennsylvania, the Union never gained the confidence to make a serious run at advancing from this match. But for a second year franchise, Philadelphia exceeded expectations and gave their fans a largely unforeseen adventure into the playoffs..

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(W1) Los Angeles 2-1 (WC4) New York (Los Angeles wins aggregate, 3-1)

The talk abounded all week about the Rafa Marquez/Landon Donovan/Juninho/Ryan Keel dust-up. When the rematch finally began (leading to a beautiful silence from the pundits), the Galaxy took care of business at home. New York squared the aggregate score early, when Luke Rodgers ran onto a through ball from Thierry Henry and slotted it past Josh Saunders. The Galaxy then showed why they are the class of the league this year, pouring on pressure until Mike Magee headed home a David Beckham corner kick three minutes before the half. While it was an unsung hero who broke the deadlock, star power sealed the victory. Donovan converted a penalty with fifteen minutes remaining to complete the scorecard. The penalty was awarded when NY left back Roy Miller kicked Beckham in the abdomen while the former Manchester United star was shielding the ball.

(W2) Seattle 2-0 (W3) Real Salt Lake (Real Salt Lake wins aggregate, 3-2)

Seattle had a tall mountain to climb entering the return leg of this semifinal showdown. They had ceded three goals to Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium, but they hoped a raucous crowd at CenturyLink Field would inspire them to a big result. The Sounders that everyone expected to see in the first match showed up, and were clearly the better side as they dominated this match. At the half, though, the score remained unchanged, and Seattle had used two of their three substitutions early due to injured midfielders Alvaro Fernandez and Brad Evans. Seattle did break through, just before the hour mark, as left back Tony Beltran pulled down Mike Fucito in the area. Osvaldo Alonso converted the penalty kick to close the goal gap to 2. Five minutes later, a low shot from early substitute Lamar Neagle skittered past Nick Rimando to bring Seattle within a goal of Real Salt Lake. That crucial third goal never materialized though, as Real’s defense withstood the barrage. Salt Lake earns their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 2008.

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So the Sunday Conference Final matchups are as follows (all times EDT):

(E1) Sporting Kansas City vs. (E2) Houston Dynamo, Livestrong Sporting Park, 5:30 PM, FOX Soccer
(W1) Los Angeles Galaxy vs. (W3) Real Salt Lake, Home Depot Center, 9:00 PM, ESPN2

Has hell frozen over all of a sudden? What magic and mystery has happened down in Mexico. Last week we saw FC Dallas achieve history with the first ever MLS victory on Mexican soil against UNAM Pumas. The big question that came out of this was whether the Seattle Sounders would have that same magic against the defending champions in Monterrey.

Once again it was only one single goal that took down the defending champions at Estadio Tecnologico as the Sounders made a big attacking run in the 38th minute. It was a well linked up goal as Pat Noonan threaded the needle to Alvaro Fernandez and once he was deep inside the area, Fernandez went top shelf into the net.

All second half you saw Monterrey fighting, scratching and clawing their way to the Sounders net and no matter how many chances they had to equalize, that ball never got over the goal line. Either the shots were wide or reserve keeper Terry Boss found ways to make big saves and made that one goal lead stand.

The last chance for Monterrey to preserve a draw was in the second of four minutes of second half stoppage time. A free kick from just outside the area and when the ball was crossed a big grab by Boss who put himself into the net, but found a way to keep the entire ball outside of the goal line.

After a big victory down in Mexico by the Sounders, it was the Colorado Rapids turn to try and steal three points in Honduras as they faced Real Espana. You have to admit that in the first half, the Rapids were playing very poorly and looked lost on the field.

But while looking horrible at the start of the match, the finish at halftime was a well worked goal and once again it was the magic of Jeff Larentowicz that kept the Rapids afloat. In the first minute of first half stoppage time that magic came through as Larentowicz walked into the pass from Ross LaBauex and snuck it inside the far post.

All match long Stewart Ceus looked shaky and somehow fortunate that he was able to keep the ball out of the net against Real Espana. He made poor decisions when he attacked the ball. He missed the ball on the header in the area that nailed the crossbar in the 54th minute.

He was in good position to make a save on a shot in the 66th minute but somehow he allowed the ball to go through his legs, but with luck struck the outside of the net. You can tell that Ceus was nervous at times and it cost the Rapids a win in the 87th minute. Julio Rodriguez was able to convert on a poor clearance by Kosuke Kimura to share the points.

So while the Sounders made it two for two with road wins down in Mexico, the Rapids end the perfect streak but MLS is still undefeated in Champions League play. So far this has been a magical start to the 2011-2012 campaign.

When you saw the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas in last season’s MLS Cup Final, you thought it was going to be a boring final. But to be fair it was a very good final that sadly never had the star power it could’ve had if the Galaxy or the Red Bulls would’ve faced each other.

But as two rookies in the CONCACAF Champions League that finally got their chance in international club competition, you never thought you would see a crazy first half and all of a sudden history would be made on the same night.

Let’s head over to Colorado where the Rapids were facing Salvadorian side Isidro Metepan and the crazy first half I was talking about. Drew Moor has to be the luckiest player on the Rapids starting eleven as he caused an early mistake by bringing down Allan Kardeck in the second minute and was booked.

Kardeck did convert the penalty in the second minute yet while it looked like Moor got an easy out with the yellow card. He nearly put his side down a man but somehow got a lucky break. Being down a goal he was defending Christian Bautista and all of a sudden Bautista fell down in the 36th minute.

You could tell he was penalty hunting and trying to draw a second on Moor, but afterwards there was a horrible moment as Moor stomped on the right leg of Bautista and the referee pointed to the spot for a second penalty. The strange thing though was that no red card came out for Moor and when the action was being replayed the penalty was wiped out as the ref thought they were in an offside position.

A great goal came in the 25th minute from the brother of Liverpool forward and Uruguayan international Luis Suarez as Paolo Suarez caught Matt Pickens way off his line after he got taken out. Pickens tried to continue the play, but Suarez intercepted the ball and chipped the ball in.

Macoumba Kandji finally returned from his long and lengthy knee injury after winning last year’s MLS Cup. He got the Rapids back in the match with a brace, by scoring a great leaping header in the sixteenth minute from a great cross by Scott Palguta. His second came in the last minute of regulation in the first half. It was a weak attempt from the cross, but it had enough to cross the entire goal line.

Kandji became a helper in the beginning of the second half as he found an unmarked Andre Akpan in the area and the match winner was scored in the 50th minute to cement the victory. Metepan was down to ten men as Allan Kardeck was sent off on a straight red in the 41st minute.

From the mountains of Colorado to the history making moment down in Mexico City, as FC Dallas did the impossible. After twenty-five attempts to earn the full three points either in international club competition or in World Cup qualifying, a first division American side finally made history.

The only goal of the match in the 66th minute was a long distance rip by Jair Benitez that nailed the near post, only to have Martin Chavez convert the rebound. The hope and dream came true as UNAM Pumas put out a young side and became the first team to allow a MLS team to grab a win on Mexican soil.

From the wild and wacky to the trumpets sounding victory in a country that has been difficult to break through and secure a legitimate win, this victory by FC Dallas is feeling pretty good for Major League Soccer and the US.

It’s amazing what happens when you have a midfielder like Sanna Nyassi who barely gets anything in sixteen games, yet when a certain side comes to visit Dick’s Sporting Goods Park it looks like that they would make you look like a world class player. That’s what the Gambian did to the New York Red Bulls as he put on a clinic and showed his speed.

It all started in the second minute as the Rapids wanted to end this match early. Nyassi gets his first as he attacked the area and played a give and go with defender Tim Ream as he purposely deflected the ball off his legs and when he got the ball back, beats Frank Rost with a high chip. Ream had no clue what happened and that indecision cost them a goal.

Nyassi’s second goal was a moment of brilliance as he was able to slice and dice through the New York defense. Got a great ball from Omar Cummings and when there was a chance of being closed down; Nyassi avoided the defenders and beat Rost short side in the thirty-first minute.

The final goal to finish off his hat trick came in the sixty-first minute as Nyassi avoids Carlos Mendes and attacks the net. He gets inside the area and buries the ball past Rost who did get a touch on the ball, but not enough as it hits the back of the net. Three hard working and spectacular goals for Nyassi and the funny thing about it, those goals are that they are his first three of the season.

It could’ve been four goals for Nyassi if his long blast in the 26th minute didn’t hit the near post, but it left a juicy rebound for Wells Thompson as he rushed in and converted his chance on a confused Rost. It was a great night for Sanna Nyassi as he earned a hat trick and even though it won’t count as an assist, you can say that he helped out his side with a juicy rebound.

This was the worst match of the season for the New York Red Bulls. This side that looked confident and strong earlier this season has completely fallen apart. I expected them to have a lull when the Gold Cup came around, but sadly it looks like it got contagious and they haven’t played well. Mediocrity has fallen into the club and it’s not sitting well with the supporters.

In their last fifthteen matches they have only won twice and lost four times with too many draws to count. Right now there are question marks with how Hans Backe has been managing this side after such a great season last year.

He has messed around with the keeper situation and now he hasn’t bothered to make a substitution since the reserves were destroyed by the Crew in the reserve league earlier in the season. Now Austin Da Luz has been sent to DC United for the international spot to Rost. The depth that was growing has now been dismantled.

Outside of Tim Ream the entire draft class from last season has been subtracted and it’s a growing question as to why Backe said the Supporters Shield is the only thing that matters instead of the big trophy. This is a talented roster, which sadly decided not to show up mentally against the defending MLS Cup Champions and was lazy all over the field.

If things don’t change for the Red Bulls and quickly, those sides below them will take over and it could be from one of those three automatic spots to the wild card and that would be a disaster.

Photo by Nathan Forget

Looking back on Earl’s preseason preview of the Colorado Rapids, you will see the following players listed as anticipated starters:

Pickens (10)
Kimura (10) – Wynne (8) – Moore (10) – Wallace (5)
Mullan (5) – Larentowicz (10) – Mastroeni (8) – Smith (9)
Casey (2) – Cummings (6)

With pretty much the entire team coming back from last year’s MLS Cup winning side and the key additions being for depth, this team was expected to compete again for a championship.  And while they are in the race for the playoffs (4th in the tough Western Conference with 15 points), their lineup has seen various changes throughout the year.

The number in parentheses next to each player’s name is the number of starts they have had so far this season.  Mainstays like Pickens and Larentowicz have played in every game, but where this team has broken down is on offense.  Omar Cummings will miss a few more weeks with an ankle sprain and Conor Casey is finally coming back into playing shape after a long lay-off.  Brian Mullan was obviously suspended, and Pablo Mastroeni, a key cog in the midfield, has missed some games with a calf injury.  Injuries have also caused the team to shuffle players – as The Burgundy Wave pointed out even healthy players have had to shift to cover for injuries; against the Revolution a few weeks back Kimura and Wynne played new positions on the backline just to provide cover for missing teammates.

Look at the bench, and Colorado’s injury woes become even more pronounced.  In addition to long-term injury Macoumba Kandji, Caleb Folan has a groin injury and is currently out of the lineup.  In DC this past weekend, the last two strikers on the bench (Akpan and Amarikwa) were playing up front and Ross LaBeaux came off the bench as a late substitution.  Even players who have played all ten games, such as Matt Pickens, have been playing with injuries.  In short, this is a wounded team.

MLS has not helped the situation with a brutal stretch of scheduling.  The DC United match Saturday was the Rapids’ third straight road game and in five of the last seven they were the visitors.  In that stretch they had one win, three draws, and three losses.  But they took five points in their last three road games, which included two matches on the East Coast.

But things have begun to turn around for Colorado, and there is reason for hope in this squad, even to think about another MLS Cup run. First, the schedule does get easier.  Eight of the next thirteen matches are at home, including three of the last four, and the Rapids finish the season playing three potential playoff teams (Dallas, San Jose, and RSL) at home before going to Vancouver.

Second, the players are starting to come back from injury.  Casey made his return in DC and looked healthy, and his presence will make a major difference for the Rapids’ offense.  In about two months Cummings and Folan will be back, and baring any additional injuries, the team will begin to be back at full strength.  Brian Mullan has also served about half his suspension and will be back within the next month and a half.

I asked Gary Smith on Saturday about whether the injuries were actually preparing the team for an MLS Cup run:  ”I think the guys who are playing who might not have had too much football are going to benefit hugely from it,” he said.  ”[The young players], come the latter stages of this season, they’ll be able to draw on what they’ve been able to achieve in this period and hopefully their form continues to improve and they develop.”

One June 1, 2010, Colorado sat in fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 5-3-1 (15 points).  As of today, having played one more match, the Rapids are 4-3-3 (15 points).  With expanded seeding Colorado is likely to make the playoffs unless there is a major implosion or other massive injuries.  This team has the experience and ability to make another Cup run and if they are a “wild card”, they may take another trip through the Eastern Conference to make the finals.  The Rapids are healing and the next few matches are an opportunity to keep the bench players, “nice and bright and lively, and hungry to play when you’ve got a bit of a rotation,” as Smith told me.  ”At the moment we’re having to endure some difficulties… the position we have in our conference at this point is a very good one given circumstances and of course the fact we’ve gone on the road for four games we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

Colorado is quickly becoming the team not to face in the fall.

Photo by William Holtkamp

One would be tempted to overlook the two matches going on tonight in MLS and focus on an incredible slate of games this weekend, with LA/NY as the headliner.  To do so would be to miss some important storylines as the four teams taking the pitch tonight are all in a critical stretch of games that could define their place in the playoff race.

Each match is analyzed separately below, and feel free to offer your own pre- and post-game thoughts in the comments section.

DC United v. Seattle Sounders, 7:30 PM ET

Fun Fact: Seattle has never lost at RFK

Momentum: Momentum is all on Seattle’s side, as the team is winning despite high-profile injuries to their starters.  The Sounders have not lost since March and are coming off a 3-0 stomping of woeful Toronto this weekend.  Fredy Montero looks to finally be getting on track and the club is actually undefeated on the road this year, winning once and drawing twice.  They are also third in the Western Conference and can create some daylight between themselves and Colorado/Dallas with a good road trip.

The Black-and-Red, meanwhile, are struggling of late.  They were thumped by New York and Houston in MLS play and dumped from the Open Cup by New England last week.  The defense is in shambles and, as Steven Goff points out, the same buzz words used last year during DCU’s dreadful campaign are beginning to surface again.  They still sit sixth in the standings, two points behind New England and five behind Columbus, so if they can get it together they can make their own playoff run.

Key match-up – Brad Evans/Osvaldo Alonso v. Clyde Simms: There are rumors that Simms could sit this match as a result of his poor play the past few weeks, so we could see Kurt Morsink here or Dax McCarty drop back.  But the key match-up regardless of who starts is the midfield of DC stopping the midfield of Seattle.  For all the flack the DC backline has received, the midfield has done a poor job of controlling possession and playing a holding role, something they absolutely have to do against Seattle.  If Seattle is able to get on the run and create quick scoring chances, like they did against Colorado, this game could be over quickly.

Prediction: This is not the same DC team as last year and it has more talent, so I do not expect an implosion here.  Seattle also may be peeking ahead to Columbus on Saturday and may not start their entire best XI.  Regardless, I think Seattle controls possession and creates plenty of scoring chances, but the DC defense does just enough to hold on for a 2-2 draw.

Houston Dynamo v. Colorado Rapids, 8:30 PM ET

Fun Fact: Houston has never lost to Colorado in Robertson Stadium

Momentum: Colorado finally stopped their losing streak with their 1-1 draw with Chicago this weekend.  The fact is this team is banged up and their absences have hurt them.  Getting Pablo Mastroeni back helps the midfield but they are still thin up top without Conor Casey or Quncy Amarikwa.  Added to that is the fact that starters like Matt Pickens and Caleb Forlan are banged up, and Brian Mullan is out for a while, and you’ve got a team struggling to keep up in the West.  Colorado has fallen out of the top three and is being caught from behind by Dallas.  They need to right the ship and get a result against Houston.

Houston is playing the exact opposite right now.  The Dynamo are coming off a dominating performance at home against DC where Will Bruin and Brad Davis had their coming out parties.  They sit on 12 points which is third best in the East and if they can keep their momentum going can go a long way towards securing a playoff spot in the inconsistent East.

Key Match-up – Brad Davis/Pablo Mastroeni:  Davis recently took over the league lead in assists and played very well in the DC match.  He looks to be the kind of difference maker in the midfield that can help a team with inconsistent forwards find good chances to score.  If Mastroeni or the Rapids midfield can shield him from getting the ball to Bruin and Weaver, they have a chance to win.

Prediction: Houston’s tough at home and on a roll, but Colorado is too good to just roll over.  The Dynamo edge the Rapids 2-1.

For the uninitiated, the Rocky Mountain Cup is a yearly fan rivalry between the only two MLS clubs in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado and Real Salt Lake.  The Cup has been awarded since 2005 and the games to decide the Cup have been heated, with Wednesday’s match-up expected to be the same.  But more than that, this game is between the last two MLS Cup winners and possibly the two best teams in the West, so the hype for this match should be outstanding.

Real Salt Lake has fired the first broadside with the above video.

While not overly dismissive of their opponents, the video was made for an RSL audience to get them excited about the game on Wednesday.  But even a neutral like myself got a few chills watching this superbly done advertisement.  If watching it doesn’t make you want to go out and get Direct Kick, nothing will.

In any sport, a championship season depends on getting some breaks at the right times.  Some of those breaks occur in the offseason, when the current season’s roster is composed of trades scrutinized by the media as well as those that fly under the radar.  The trade of Jeff Larentowicz to the Rapids was the former, one noted by the press.  But its true impact wasn’t seen until November when the former Revolution midfielder, who arguably was the MVP of the MLS Cup, helped lead Colorado to their first championship.

The Larentowicz trade this offseason was not a surprise; the Brown graduated needed to get out of town to fully realize his potential.  After some overseas try-outs that he admits were not as promising as they seemed as well as offseason surgery, he and Wells Thompson landed in Gary Smith’s lap in a trade both teams needed.  Colorado had been watching Larentowicz for some time and was ready for an offer as soon as the overseas possibilities fell through.  He was a playoff veteran who would stabilize the Rapids’ midfield.

And stabilize it he did.  The 2010 All-Star had a banner year, providing the midfield stability needed for Smith’s team and serving as a defensive stopper.  His presence also allowed Pablo Mastroeni to be more involved in the offense where he matched his career high in goals.  Plus his stellar season earned him a call to Bob Bradley’s January camp for a shot at making the U.S. national team.  Undeniably, acquiring Larentowicz was key to Colorado’s unexpected MLS Cup run.

But what is Colorado had not been able to acquire him this past offseason? While Larentowicz acknowledged that overseas offers were not forthcoming, the trade could have fallen through.  Despite his unhappiness playing in Foxborough, the Revolution could have kept him as they went through somewhat of a transition year after their great runs in the late-2000s.  If keeper Matt Reis would not have been hurt, the Revolution would not have needed Rapids’ keeper Preston Burpo, an important part of the trade.  Or maybe another club, like Philadelphia where he went to high school, could have swept in with a better offer.

A Colorado without Jeff Larentowicz would have been a vastly different team.  Without his pairing with Mastroeni, I suspect the Rapids would still be without an MLS Cup.  Their defense, which was a team weakness this season, would have been even worse.  As for Larentowicz, he may have still been struggling in his career and not have been able to reach his full potential.  On the other hand, maybe Philadelphia could have paired him with Sebastian Le Toux.  Talk about an interesting midfield pairing!

But what do you think would have happened had Colorado not traded for Larentowicz?

The quest for the MLS Cup began last night with a late arriving crowd, an ironic “One Goal” MLS playoff video, and a match of two teams with vastly different playoff histories and playing styles.  The end result was a slightly disjointed match that put the Colorado Rapids up 1-0 over the Columbus Crew.

The atmosphere at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was loud as a crowd of over 12,000 blew their vuvuzelas and watched the home team come away with a critical home win.  At kickoff, the stands looked at best half full and while the crowd looked fuller as the match progressed, Stan Kroenke and Don Garber had to have been disappointed with the number of people they saw looking down from their box.

But two aspects of the match that were not disappointing for the Colorado faithful were the play of Omar Cummings and the Rapids’ midfielders.  Columbus controlled possession for the first ten minutes of the match but failed to do anything with it as the Rapids’ defense prevented any quality scoring chances.  It was Cummings who ignited the Rapids after the first few minutes by repeatedly breaking on the counter to set up the first few scoring chances.  After he missed Conor Casey on a two on one break in the eleventh minute, the Rapids basically camped out near the Crew’s goal for the next 60 minutes.

Despite Cummings abusing Bryan Carroll like a punching bag in the first half, the Rapids were only able to notch one goal thanks to a great play by their captain Pablo Mastroeni.  The midfielder sent a long pass to the right side of the pitch in the 23rd minute which found Cummings, who after breaking down the defense, sent in a cross that Casey whiffed but Mastroeni expertly buried in the net.  Surprisingly, it was only his first MLS playoff goal but it proved to be an important one.

The statistic of the first half that tells the story is this: Colorado had 10 shots on goal, Columbus 1.  The Rapids’ midfield repeatedly denied Crew star Guillermo Barros Schelotto any space to create plays and even when he did have space, he failed to take advantage.  On a rare scoring opportunity in the 53rd minute, Schelotto received a pass in the box that he promptly skied over the Rapids’ net.  Overall, it was a poor night from him but the Rapids’ midfield should receive a lot of credit for negating him and the Columbus attack for most of the match.

Two substitutions in the second half breathed life into Columbus and made this a match.  Schelotto came off Mendoza, and the Rapids replaced Thompson (who’d had a good match) for Kadji (who subsequently did not).  This led to a flurry of Crew chances to score but the keeper Pickens and some timely Colorado defending kept the visitors off the board.

So Colorado has the advantage going to Columbus next week for the second leg of this round, but both teams had to have been disappointed with the outcome.  For Columbus, the club looked outclassed and outplayed almost the entire match, save a flurry of attempts late in the second half.  Their star Schelotto looked old and they failed to really create quality chances.  They are lucky the final score was only 1-0.

For Colorado, fans have to be happy with the win but disappointed with the result.  Their margin of error next Saturday is very small and if Columbus can tweak their gameplan, it is perfectly possible that Colorado could be eliminated.  And they would have no one to blame but themselves; despite a number of very good chances (mostly created by Cummings) in the first half, the team could not find that decisive second (or third) goal.

Overall, last night was a good way to begin the playoffs, but neither team looked like a challenger for the MLS Cup.  I’ll chalk it up to conservative play and look forward to a more open match in the second leg.

What did you think about the match, the announcers, crowd, MLS video, etc.?  Share below or on Twitter @roberthayjr.