The wait for midfielder Jermaine Jones was well worth it. The midfielder spent the first six games of his time with the Colorado Rapids sidelined because of suspension for conduct toward a referee in last year’s playoffs (then with New England), but immediately started making up for his lost time when he returned to action on a snowy Saturday night in Commerce City.

Jones scored a goal to put Colorado ahead 1-0 in the 21st minute, then assisted on the game-winner in the 82nd to give the Rapids a 2-1 victory over New York Red Bulls.

A brave but sparse crowd was on hand at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to see the USMNT midfielder make his Rapids debut and put his mark on the young season. At 13 points, Colorado is third in the Western Conference after this goal.

Beyond bringing exceptional skill to Colorado, head coach Pablo Mastroeni said postgame it was Jones’ energy and leadership that is playing a big role in Colorado’s turnaround from a last-place finish last year.

“He really injected the group with a lot of energy, a lot of quality football, a lot of guile and experience. The most important thing for us that this is a guy who hasn’t played a full 90 minutes in a few months. In these kind of conditions, you can make so many excuses, but he was a real leader tonight and just found a way to get involved and really make a difference on both sides of the ball – him scoring that goal is a validation of his commitment to being in the right place at the right time, but most importantly, I think the guys will look at that as a performance that we can rely on. A very important performance for the group tonight.”

It was the second game in a week that Colorado jumped out front and then allowed their opposition to tie the game. But it was also the second time Colorado scored in the 82nd minute to take the decision. That, Mastroeni says, is huge for his club early in the season.

“Two games in a row where we’ve jumped ahead, drawn and then found a way to win the game,” he said. “That fortifies the brain, it fortifies the belief, it fortifies all the work that we’ve done in the preseason to this point. It validates everything. That spirit, that drive and that determination to get forward and find a way to get that second goal.”

Jones is instilling his own confidence in his squad, as well.

“The Rapids are young and a lot of people don’t maybe have our team on the list for a playoff spot, and that’s what I try to explain to these guys, look game-to-game and be hungry and prove people wrong and that can be motivation. And right now, with me they won, and without me they won, so it shows that the team is intact.”