The 2017 Colorado Rapids turned back the clock on Saturday night and looked eerily reminiscent of the Western Conference finals team of 2016. The Rapids beat Western Conference leader Sporting Kansas City, 1-0, off rookie center back Kortne Ford’s first MLS goal in the 11th minute.
After the game, a fired-up Pablo Mastroeni was nostalgic and hopeful about the return to the style that produced an unbeaten season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in 2016.
“We talk about making this place a fortress,” Mastroeni said. “A lot of people forget how that started. That was from gritty defending. So for me, that was one of the most important performances because I think it exemplifies everything that we are.”
Aside from Saturday’s win, the Rapids have not looked like the defensive juggernaut that they were last season. They’ve allowed 17 goals in 12 games thus far for a goals against average of 1.42. In 2016, their goals against average was 0.94. However, Mastroeni believes that this type of win will give the team the confidence to believe that their style of play can and will lead to success.
“This felt like 2016. This felt like, ‘I don’t care how many chances they have, I don’t care how many passes they pass around the back or sideways across the field, they’re not going to penetrate us and when we get one chance we’re going to nick one and score a goal,'” he said. “I think this is one of the most important games from a confidence perspective for this group because it goes back to saying, ‘It’s okay to be who we are.'”
Who they are, who they’ve been for the past year-plus, has been the best defensive team in all of MLS. Mastroeni pointed out that this year’s Rapids squad features many new players including Ford, Mohammed Saeid, Mike da Fonte, Nana Adjei-Boateng and Sam Hamilton, three of whom played on Saturday night. So, not only do those players need to develop chemistry, they need to develop the confidence that the Rapids’ style of play will lead to victories. Saturday’s result should go a long way in convincing them.
It seems that the hero of the match is buying in. Ford reiterated the Rapids commitment to defense in comments to the press after sharing an emotional post-game moment with his mother.
“The focus is on defense,” Ford said. “I thought we played spectacular tonight as a back four, as a back six and as a team. So that’s where the focus is and that’s where the focus is going to be going forward, just that mentality to fight and defend well. That’s what’s going to get us results in the future.”
Results are what the Rapids need, and they have a four-game home stretch where they can continue to climb back into the playoff conversation. We’re about one-third of the way through the season, so if the Rapids start turning things around now, they have plenty of time to ascend into a good position. The Rapids’ next game is June 3 against the Columbus Crew.
