Rising FCD, Rapids meet in Colorado
Both coming off big victories, teams clash for first time this season
DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK, Commerce City, Colo.
June 24, 2009 (WEEK 15) / MLS Game #107
7:30 p.m. MT (Altitude)
The Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas meet for the first time this season as both come off buoying victories at the weekend. The Rapids, coming off a second bye week of the season, rolled over Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United to extend their undefeated streak to seven games. FC Dallas came back from a halftime deficit for a 2-1 home victory against defending MLS champion Columbus Crew, snapping a two-game losing streak.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Eric Boria; 4th: Ben Chouaf
MLS Career: 87 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 19; pens: 31
INJURY REPORT: COLORADO RAPIDS - PROBABLE: MF Terry Cooke (L knee sprain) ... FC DALLAS - OUT: GK Dario Sala (L knee); DF Steve Purdy (R knee); MF Alvaro Sanchez (R ankle); DF Daniel Torres (R hamstring); MF Marcelo Saragosa (R hip); QUESTIONABLE: DF George John (R hamstring)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: COL: Conor Casey (USA; FIFA Confederations Cup)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: COL: Cory Gibbs ... DAL: Andre Rocha
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Conor Casey, Ugo Ihemelu ... DAL: Marcelo Saragosa
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (46 meetings): Rapids 16 wins (1 shootout), 57 goals ... FC Dallas 23 wins (2 shootout), 78 goals ... Ties 7AT COLORADO (21 meetings): Rapids 11 wins (0 shootout), 34 goals ... FC Dallas 7 wins (0 shootout), 33 goals ... Ties 4
RETURN MATCHES: 7/11: FC Dallas at Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. MT; 10/17: Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m. CT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/1: COL 2, DAL 1 (Casey 7; McManus 72 - Oduro 44)
7/19: DAL 2, COL 2 (Cooper 49; Toja 64 - H. Gomez 5; Casey 67)
9/4: DAL 0, COL 1 (Petke 60)
• The Rapids win in the first meeting a year ago snapped a six-game league losing streak against FC Dallas. It was FCD's first loss to Colorado since Sept. 4, 2004 - a span of 11 matches and three full seasons.
• However, the teams met twice in that timeframe in the MLS Cup Playoffs - and the Rapids advanced on both occasions, in each instance winning the second leg at Pizza Hut Park (on penalties in 2005, in extra time in 2006) to move onto the Western Conference Championship.
• The Rapids victory in the series finale last year at Pizza Hut Park was their first ever in league play in Frisco. After a draw in the first meeting between the clubs there, Colorado won the next three before a draw in the first meeting there last year. The win was the first for the Rapids on their last 14 league trips to the Big D, since a 1-0 victory at the Cotton Bowl on March 25, 2000. That includes the then-Burn winning both meetings at Dragon Stadium in 2003.
• Coaches record: Gary Smith v DAL: first game ... Schellas Hyndman vs. COL: P2 W0 L1 D1
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids came off their second bye week of the season in fine fashion, rolling over Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United 3-0 on Saturday evening at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids have 20 points from 12 matches, sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, eight points behind the Houston Dynamo but with a pair of matches in hand.LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were coming off a second bye week of the season with two wins and four draws in their last six games, while United had played a fiercely contested 3-3 draw at Seattle just three days earlier.
• It took the Rapids just 11 minutes to open the scoring. Pablo Mastroeni played a through ball up the middle of the park and Omar Cummings outraced a United defender into the area before collecting himself and coolly curling home a shot inside the right post.
• Then just before halftime, Cummings doubled the Colorado lead. Racing onto a poorly hit backpass, Cummings rounded goalkeeper Josh Wicks wide and drove the ball into the goal for his fifth goal on the season and third in the last two games.
• Cummings played provider four minutes after the restart. Racing down the left flank, he rounded the corner and laid the ball across the goal where Colin Clark tapped home first-time at the far post for his third goal on the season.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake two weeks earlier at Rio Tinto Stadium. Pat Noonan made his Colorado debut after being acquired from Columbus and Pablo Mastroeni returned from national team duty, as Mehdi Ballouchy went to the subsitutes' bench and Terry Cooke was injured.
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Matt Pickens - Ugo Ihemelu, Cory Gibbs, Scott Palguta, Jordan Harvey - Pablo Mastroeni - Jacob Peterson (Kosuke Kimura 68), Nick LaBrocca (Greg Dalby 81), Colin Clark - Omar Cummings, Pat Noonan (Mehdi Ballouchy 46). Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Michael Holody, Ross Schunk, Rob Valentino
• "I thought we were disappointing with the ball in the beginning of the first half. There were a lot of occasions that we squandered possession too easily, but the difference was Omar [Cummings]. His finishing was excellent. Although we came in up 2-0 there were plenty of things that weren't quite right," Smith said.
TEAM NEWS
• It was a second game without Conor Casey - who is still second in MLS with eight goals while on national team duty with the USA at the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Rapids have taken a draw and a win in those two games - and Omar Cummings has been involved in all four goals.
• "Without Conor [Casey] we're looking elsewhere to try to find some goals that are going to win us points, and tonight Omar has come up there," Smith said. "I also have to say that there were important saves by [Matt] Pickens. Those two in the end have really won us the game."
• After scoring on MLS First Kick 2009, Cummings went nine games without finding the back of the next, though he did assist on five goals in that time. His five-goal total for 2009 is now just one shy of his total in 26 league appearances a season ago.
• "Outstading. ... He had an opportunity to use his athleticism and he did it to a great degree. He has improved enormously. He's not just great on the ball and when were attacking, but he's got a much better understanding of what's required of him when we don't have the ball," Smith said. "His movement's better. He tries to keep play on one side of the pitch better."
• It was the second shutout of the season for Matt Pickens, and the second of the year for the Rapids. The first came May 2 against Real Salt Lake, in his first game after reclaiming the starting job after four games from Preston Burpo.
• "(Matt) Pickens made two or three huge saves keeping us in the game, and thwarting any kind of dangerous attempts on goal. Effectively it was a good defensive posture," said Pablo Mastroeni.
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas snapped a two-game losing skid, getting a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes for a come-from-behind 2-1 win against the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening at Pizza Hut Park. FC Dallas have 13 points from 14 matches, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, still one point ahead of San Jose and 15 points behind division leaders Houston Dynamo.LAST MATCH
• The Crew had righted their early struggles with four wins in their last six games and no losses in more than two months. FC Dallas had seen its four-game undefeated run come to an end the week before at Houston.
• On a hot night in north Texas, the reigning MLS champions took the lead in the 17th minute. Guillermo Barros Schelotto swung in a corner from the left and Eric Brunner powered a header into the goal that took a deflection off FC Dallas defender Pablo Ricchetti.
• But the Crew began to wilt in the heat and FCD pressed the advantage. The home side leveled terms in the 80th minute when Eric Avila collected a pass in midfield and set off forward before curling a majestic shot from outside the area into the upper right corner for his first professional goal.
• Then in the 87th minute, FCD got the game-winner. David Ferreira was dribbled toward goal in the area when he was tripped up from behind by Crew center back Chad Marshall and referee Terry Vaughn pointed to the spot. Kenny Cooper stepped up and fired home for his seventh goal on the season.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made one change to the team that lost 3-1 to the Houston Dynamo the weekend before. Marcelo Saragosa came into a wide midfield spot in place of Jeff Cunningham.
• Here's Hyndman's team (4-4-1-1): Ray Burse - Drew Moor, Pablo Ricchetti, Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace (Eric Avila 76) - Marcelo Saragosa (Brek Shea 46), Andre Rocha, Dax McCarty, Dave van den Bergh (Jeff Cunningham 65) - David Ferreira - Kenny Cooper. Substitutes Not Used: Josh Lambo, Michael Dello-Russo, Blake Wagner, Peri Marosevic.
• "The guys really dug deep into themselves and came away with the performance of the year for us as far as the results," Hyndman said. "I am really proud of the guys. I think it gives us a breath of fresh air. If we do these things, well find a way to win."
TEAM NEWS
• After the break, Hyndman brought on three attacking players to try and press the advantage in the heat. Included in the moves were bringing on Jeff Cunningham - who had featured in the last three games as a wide midfielder - in as the lone striker and moving Kenny Cooper out to a wide role.
• "I think they were getting a little tired," Hyndman said. "We were trying to press them a little bit. We talked about it at halftime, that they were very dangerous on the transition. We tried Kenny (Cooper) out wide there and he wasn't as productive when we brought on Brek Shea. The attack was so much more dangerous."
• Eric Avila came through with his first professional goal, in his 25th career league appearance. All but three have been after coming on as a substitute.
• "That was a brilliant goal that he made. One of the things Eric does well is that he has a strong right foot and is able to bend that ball," said Hyndman. "I think he looked up and played it with confidence. We were losing 1-0 and he is on top of the box, and he made a brilliant goal and gave this whole team a lift. He comes off the bench and he brings a little bit of a spark to the team."
• After dropping six of their first eight games, FCD has lost just two of their last seven, and have two of their three victories on the season included in that time.
• "It feels really good to win. We went on a nice four-game unbeaten run before Houston and had beaten Chicago when they were the only unbeaten team in the league. That was a big win for us and this is another big win," Cooper said. "Hopefully this puts us back on track. We have a big game this week in Colorado. Hopefully this will give us the momentum to get another good result."
