Rapids squander opportunity for first place in 1-1 draw to LA Galaxy

The Colorado Rapids missed a accidental to instrumentality implicit archetypal spot successful the MLS Western Conference.

Michael Barrios gave the Rapids the pb successful the 66th minute, but the Los Angeles Galaxy answered successful the 80th infinitesimal arsenic the crippled finished successful a 1-1 gully astatine Dick’s Sporting Goods Park connected Saturday afternoon.

“It feels similar a missed accidental to ourselves,” caput manager Robin Fraser said. “Because I deliberation that successful a back-and-forth game, we astir apt did capable to triumph up to the constituent wherever we scored, they scored. And past aft that it became a dogfight again.”

Andre Shinyashiki flew down the flank and recovered Barrios’ caput connected a transverse for the goal. It was the Colorado goalscoring leader’s sixth extremity of the season.

“I cognize that Mikey volition marque those runs and I cognize that he’s gonna bushed immoderate halfway backmost oregon extracurricular backmost to beryllium honorable for pace,” Shinyashiki said. “And truthful I conscionable tried to enactment it successful a bully abstraction for him to onslaught it. And I was fortunate to get the shot determination and the recognition to Mikey too. it wasn’t an casual finish.”

Barrios has been 1 of the champion offseason additions successful each of MLS and a large crushed wherefore the Rapids are adjacent the apical of the table. He has played successful aggregate positions for the squad up apical and ever finds ways to contribute.

Samuel Grandsir scored for the Galaxy connected a extremity that progressive immoderate uncharacteristic mistakes from Colorado. The backline allowed Grandsir to get down them and William Yarbrough misplayed the shot.

“Robin said successful his code successful the locker country conscionable now, we’re ne'er going to beryllium perfect,” Shinyashiki said. “We’re going to marque mistakes and present contiguous we made a mistake successful it, and we got punished.”

Despite the disappointment of the draw, the Rapids stay unbeaten successful their past 8 games — the longest progressive unbeaten streak successful MLS.

Part of increasing and becoming a contender means being capable to vie with the apical teams successful the league. The Rapids present person 1 win, 1 nonaccomplishment and 4 draws against the different apical 3 teams successful the West.

“In past years, erstwhile we played the big-name teams we utilized to beryllium scared, utilized to ever beryllium unsure of ourselves,” Shinyashiki said. “And I deliberation that this twelvemonth we’re truly taking that measurement wherever we consciousness similar we tin spell toed to toed with them.

“That’s what we did contiguous and that’s what we support doing each week. No substance if it’s the Galaxy, Seattle, we play New England this twelvemonth and they’re doing well, we judge that we tin bushed each these teams and truthful that content and that mentality is what has carried america here.”

The Rapids would person taken archetypal spot with a triumph and Seattle Sounders gully oregon nonaccomplishment Saturday. They present beryllium 3 points down the Sounders with a crippled successful hand.

The Burgundy Boys person to rapidly displacement the absorption for a Wednesday crippled this week. They volition question to Portland to instrumentality connected the Timbers successful 1 of the much hostile environments successful MLS.