Colorado's Luis Zapata takes a shot against Seattle (Getty Images)
This one was truly a match of the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Colorado Rapids. The bad news for the Rapids is that coming into the match they had lost five straight, and really needed the good to outweigh the bad and the ugly. Instead the Seattle Sounders took advantage of their best two chances of the night and managed to take three crucial road points from Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
The ugly reared it's head almost right away for Colorado. In the second minute the Sounders set up for a corner kick, and Mauro Rosales put it right into the box and to head of Eddie Johnson. Seattle's All-Star forward easily slipped the Rapids' defense and nodded the ball home to give the Sounders an early 0-1 lead.
Colorado could have really dropped their heads at that point, but they managed to fight back almost right away. In the 4th minute Brian Mullan took a through ball and managed to find a surprising target streaking into the Sounders penalty area. That target was Rapids' Captain and defender Drew Moor, who calmly smacked the ball into the back of the net to even the match at 1-1.
Following the opening scrimmages Colorado seemed to get on their game. They had gotten the all important equalizer and set out to control the ball and look for the go-ahead goal. They did have their chances. Conor Casey was especially active and dangerous for the Rapids. In the 13th minute he smashed a drive from outside the box that just went wide of the far post. Just a couple of minutes later, he forced a save out of Seattle 'keeper Michael Gspurning, who was making his return from injury. However, Colorado couldn't drive home another chance and the half ended at 1-1.
The second half preceded along the same lines with the Rapids controlling the run of play. Unfortunately for them, it was one more lapse of concentration that cost them the match. After a Colorado turnover in their own defensive half, Johnson found himself on the ball and sent a perfect cross over to a totally unmarked Osvaldo Alonso. He easily volleyed the ball into the open net to give Seattle the 1-2 lead on 65 minutes.
To give the Rapids credit, they did fight hard for the equalizer and got a couple of really good looks. Casey got a great chance at a diving header in the 70th, but barely mistimed it and Drew Moor's cross glanced off of his head and out for a goal kick. Then in the 75th Martin Rivero hit the crossbar with a beautiful direct free kick. Finally, just one minute later, Casey found himself open in the box, but took an extra step allowing Gspurning to get his feet and save the shot.
That was the last best chance for Colorado, who dropped the match 1-2 to record their 6th straight loss. In the end, they did create the chances, but couldn't quite finish. Couple that with two more big defensive lapses, and the proud Colorado fans leave DSG scratching their heads yet again.
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