A Game for the Stealin’

By: Jeff | April 13th, 2008

Checking my list... Name me one category in which the Colorado Rapids topped the New England Revolution. OK, defending…obviously. In spite of what I’ll call “full-spectrum dominance,” New England simply could not manage a clean shot over the full 90; on the occasions when they did, Bouna (Time!) Coundoul played the role of Johnny-on-the-spot to perfection. OK, so that’s two categories: defending and goal-keeping. And, to give the Revs their due, they did manage a few decent shots, Coundoul did fumble a couple balls (almost started a fight, one of them), but that’s the extent of Colorado’s upside.

Now, name me one category in which the Rapids topped New England. Well, obviously, they topped them in the one category that counts: they scored the game’s lone goal, that dreadfully soft thing that Nick LaBrocca powered over a mysteriously rooted Adam Cristman (good lord, man, I play the air like that). So, they game ended 1-0 to Colorado..and, as the match report tattooed on The Official Organ tells me, that propelled the Rapids to the top of the West.

Getting back to my theme, though, New England was, and I believe is, the better team. The polish, the movement, the openings they found again and again - none of them more often that Khano Smith plowing down the Rapids’ left against Kosuke Kimura: all these should have combined for a Revolution win. As Greg Lalas noted just minutes before the Rapids goal, New England had begun the erosion-esque process of breaking down the Rapids…so, what happened?

Got me. But here’s a guess. Colorado succeeded in limiting the Revs to chances from range. Kenny Mansally, the Revs most dangerous player by a good distance, launched a few stingers, Kheli Dube, the Revs’ Zimbabwean forward (and forgive me if I butchered the spelling), broke through once late, but, again, there stood Bouna (Time!) look a wall…that dropped the ball…thereby allowing him to be whacked by New England’s players.

But what does it matter in the end? How much does it matter that New England looked the sharper team, that Colorado looked more aimless than a 29-year-old man with a philosophy degree trying to talk his way through a job interview? In the end, the man who found the opening and exploited it wore white…ish…grey-ish…that color Colorado wears.

And like The Official Organ says, they’re top of the West tonight, so who cares how they got there?

Right. I’ll be back tomorrow with some perspectives from other Rapids-related sites. tonight’s wasn’t the prettiest win in Rapids history. Well, maybe it was. This isn’t a team famous for winning pretty. But they did win. And things are looking pretty good. At least, that is, in goal and defense…no time to rest yet, you guys.