Rapids analysis: Statement win at Houston sets up opportunity to cement status as MLS contender

The Colorado Rapids person spent astir of the play sitting successful 3rd oregon 4th spot successful the Western Conference.

Yet contempt a mates of adjacent misses, they were inactive searching for a connection win.

On Saturday night, the Burgundy Boys conscionable whitethorn person got it with a commanding 3-1 triumph implicit the Houston Dynamo successful BBVA Stadium — a spot wherever Houston hadn’t mislaid each season..

“I deliberation it was a truly bully squad triumph successful a spot that is hard to play against a bully opponent,” Rapids caput manager Robin Fraser said. “… We cognize that they’re truly beardown astatine home, and for america to travel successful and enactment retired a show similar that, I was truly really arrogant of the team.”

It wasn’t wholly casual for Colorado. Lalas Abubakar scored successful the 5th infinitesimal to springiness the Rapids an aboriginal 1-0 lead, but Houston tied it up close earlier halftime aft Houston was awarded a penalty.

The Rapids’ effect successful the 2nd fractional — goals from Michael Barrios and Braian Galvan successful the 60th and 80th minutes, respectively — was precisely the benignant of reply 1 would expect from a existent MLS contender.

“The happening astir this radical is they’re starting to get truly assured and person existent aforesaid belief,” Fraser said. “And (the 2nd goal) was a infinitesimal wherever we smelt blood.”

There are nary stars connected Colorado’s roster — not a azygous subordinate was named to the All-Star Game, and nary 1 grabs nationalist headlines. But the Rapids find themselves successful the vigor of the playoff contention and wrong striking region of archetypal place.

“We person a truly bully team,” Abubakar said. “Obviously we similar each other, we recognize each other, we’ve got each different connected the tract nary substance who is playing. That is the spot of this team. We are ever unneurotic and play together.”

Colorado present has 31 points and sits 4th successful the West. The apical 2 teams (Sporting Kansas City and LA Galaxy) person each played 2 much games than the Rapids. If the Rapids won the 2 games successful hand, they would beryllium sitting successful a necktie for archetypal spot with Sporting KC.

The 1 happening keeping them retired of the nationalist speech is the deficiency of a triumph implicit 1 of the league’s premier clubs.

A triumph against Sporting KC past week could person gone a agelong way. It was a missed opportunity, particularly with the mode the Rapids dominated the entirety of the match. They missed a akin accidental successful a 1-1 gully with the Seattle Sounders successful aboriginal July.

They person a monolithic trial Tuesday erstwhile they question to Los Angeles to instrumentality connected the second-place Galaxy. The Galaxy is unbeaten successful its past 4 games. Win that, and the spotlight could soon find its mode to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“One of the large adjustments successful this league is to beryllium capable to woody with teams that are erratically antithetic connected Saturday from the squad that you are going to spot connected a Wednesday to the squad you volition spot the adjacent Saturday,” Fraser said.

“And it truly is simply a testament to the team’s maturity and their quality to work situations and to deliberation collectively. Which is astir apt the biggest cardinal to america continuing to bash well.”

The Rapids play the Galaxy oregon Sporting KC successful the 3 of their adjacent 5 games. By then, it volition beryllium wide whether they are morganatic MLS contenders oregon the middle-of-the-pack afterthoughts preseason prognosticators said they were.