Colorado Rapids 1-1 New England Revolution

By: Kyle | September 22nd, 2008

What was with the end of that match? Calling the game in the middle of a breakaway? Next to just before a PK, that is the most absurd time a ref could possibly call a game in soccer. If you watched the game from your home (at least the part that made it on the air), you heard a lot of complaining about inconsistent officiating, but over all, it seemed pretty normal for MLS. But that last call was a disgrace. I’ve only seen one other team get more robbed by a call in soccer: Canada in the 2007 Gold Cup.

But, officiating aside, while I would have liked a win as well, the Rapids are on a three game unbeaten streak. A three game winning streak would have been nicer, but, hey, it’s the freakin’ Revolution. At least it was in the second half. In the first, New England were not themselves; they were sloppy with virtually no field presence, and a severe possession (or at least control) deficit. When the Revs found their form at half time, though, there was plenty for Rapids fans to be proud of. They shut down Twellman, a task that proves difficult for any team in the league. They still managed to exercise decent ball in the midfield, and were stellar on defense, particularly Preston Burpo.

Another point to be proud of: the Rapids offence continued to threaten tonight, and against most MLS clubs would have earned a win. When the Rapids shoot, they don’t lose, and they managed 13 shots tonight.

Of course, I have to mention Colin and his perfectly placed header which was the Rapids’ only goal of the match. If you haven’t figured it out by now, Colin Clark is absolutely my favorite soccer player. If this kid played for any team which was considered a contender for the Cup or the Galaxy, he would have been a Rookie of the Year contender last year. Considering how well he plays on the right wing, and the USA’s recent shallowness there, I would be willing to bet we will see Colin Clark play in the World Cup someday. He just needs one shot at an international cap, and they’ll want him back for sure.

Concerning as we head into the home-stretch of the regular season, however, is the Rapids inability to finish on great opportunities. Terry and Colin are goal-makers, but if no one actually scores them, it only does us so much good. As far as opportunities created by the midfield go, the Rapids had the Revs by a mile, particularly two headers set up by Terry which were botched on the receiving end.

So, as we start looking to the playoffs, we should recognize that our team does have the fundamentals of a contender. Having one of the best midfields in the league will do that for you. Our short home stand is over, but we do have two more home games (against Houston and Salt Lake). Our other three last matches are away, but away against beatable teams. If we can beat Chicago at home, we should be able to beat LA or Chivas on the road.