The Colorado Rapids reached the Western Conference Championship after beating LA Galaxy 3-1 in a dramatic penalty shootout on Sunday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Park. Shkëlzen Gashi pushed the game into overtime with a first-half goal; Tim Howard made three stops in the shootout to help deliver the win.
It was a dramatic finish, but not an unexpected one for head coach Pablo Mastroeni.
“It was a really emotional game,” the coach said postgame. “Having left L.A. 1-0 down I thought we were in a very good position to play L.A. at home. I felt that we stuck to our game plan which was not conceding here at home. I think we set ourselves up wonderfully throughout the game and some chances to score some goals and add to that lead. For not some more poison in the finish, I think we would’ve doubled the score.”
The Rapids remain unbeaten at home in 2016, although that’s not what Mastroeni is most proud of heading into the Western Conference Championship.
“What I’m most proud of is being a part of a group that no one believes in and no one still believes in. The power of team was displayed today. There’s not a lot of playoff experience in that group, there’s very little playoff experience in that group. But what we have is a belief that’s beyond most teams that I’ve ever been a part of. If you could bottle that up and sell that, that’s the secret to a team,” Mastroeni said.
Colorado gained momentum just before the half when Shkëlzen Gashi cancelled out the Galaxy’s first-leg lead with a spectacular long-range strike.
OmGashi he's done it again.
1-0 @ColoradoRapids. #COLvLA https://t.co/0O2grx8XNA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 6, 2016
Gashi downplayed the goal, saying, “In a moment like that, I don’t think too much. The ball came to my side in a good position and I just took a shot. In this season, I’ve had a lot of shots and today, it was the right moment.”
Sadly, Gashi would not complete the game. He exited at halftime with a leg injury.
“I’m not sure if I made the foul or if Ashley Cole made the foul,” Gashi said postgame, “but it was a bad situation to be the last play in the first half. We went inside the locker room and I told them that I wanted to keep playing but after taking another step, I said ‘no chance.’”
The two teams could not be separated for the remainder of normal time or 30 extra minutes. So, with the aggregate score 1-1, this match would be decided from 12 yards.
The Rapids scored with all three of their spot-kicks but, although Steven Gerrard netted the Galaxy’s first, Giovani dos Santos missed and Ashley Cole’s effort was saved.
When Tim Howard thrust out his right hand to push aside a penalty from Jeff Larentowicz, a sell-out Dick’s Sporting Goods Park erupted.
Howard the hero. #COLvLA #MLSCupPlayoffs https://t.co/zE3srN1qqd
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 6, 2016
Howard was so elated with the victory, he didn’t realize initially that he’d sealed the game for his club.
“I did not realize it was over,” Howard said. “I was kind of thinking that it was but when I saw the guys running towards me I knew. It was nice. It was a long day and a long build-up. Extra-time and penalties, there is a lot of drama because the game can change in a minute. Then it is finally over with you on top. You dream about it and you talk about it. There are a lot of words. But it is good to go out there and do it.”
Colorado will open the Western Conference Championship Sunday, Nov. 20 against either FC Dallas or Seattle Sounders. Seattle leads 3-0 on aggregate after the first leg. The two teams finish the MLS Conference Semifinals at 7 p.m. on Sunday night.