Colorado Rapids (2-4-8) midfielder Dillon Powers had the opportunity to notch a seminal moment in the history of the Rocky Mountain Cup during Sunday’s game against Real Salt Lake but he could not deliver on a second half penalty kick. He shot the ball far right, perhaps a perfect metaphor for the Rapids’ season thus far: close, but not close enough.
Sunday’s match ended in a 0-0 draw. Colorado entered the first match in June having gone 1-2-2 during the month of May. Real Salt Lake was 2-3-2 in that same time.
With the draw, Colorado remains winless in their last three games. Also with the draw, the Rapids remain in last place in the Western Conference. If history is any indicator, the team will need to score at least 50 points to make the playoffs. That means Colorado needs to average 1.8 points per match if they are going to have any chance at the postseason.
They keyword of the match was “finish,” something neither team could pull off. RSL had problems converting, but that was mostly due to the great defensive pairing of Bobby Burling and Axel Sjoberg. While the Rapids couldn’t convert due to bad passing and poor shot selection.
Another takeaway from the game was the shakiness of the Rapids defense. It possibly may have been because of the absence of defender Drew Moor, but at times the team gave up too much space for RSL to attack. At times, Irvin was out on his own, forced to make some important, but risky, saves.
The Rapids will be back in action on June 16 at Dick Sporting Goods Park against Colorado Springs FC in the fourth round of the US Open Cup. They resume MLS play on June 19 at home versus Dallas FC.
Marcus Flowers, an Mile High Sports intern, contributed to this report
