Commerce City – The Rapids’ 1-0 victory Saturday night wasn’t ideal.
In a perfect world, Colorado would have ended its 10-game winless streak on its own merit.
Instead, a fortunate bounce off the head of Houston midfielder Dwayne De Rosario gave the Rapids their first victory since May 26.
De Rosario’s own goal early in the second half was the difference as Colorado (5-9-6) tripped up the Western Conference-leading Dynamo (10-7-4) before an announced crowd of 18,024 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
It was Colorado’s second victory in seven games against Houston, which also lost 1-0 to Real Salt Lake, Major League Soccer’s worst team, in its previous match. The Rapids, who went 0-7-3 in their previous 10 games, can finally breathe again.
“It was an important win,” said Colorado midfielder Terry Cooke, whose corner kick in the 61st minute was inadvertently tapped in by De Rosario. “There was pressure all over the place, from people in the front office down to the playing staff. It’s obviously a relief.”
The Rapids have scored just eight goals in 10 home games, but their defense was flawless against Houston. Colorado played short- handed down the stretch after defender Ugo Ihemelu was ejected in the 77th minute for a hard foul.
“We played very well,” Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo said. “It was complicated a little bit at the end, with the red card. But anytime you can get a win, specifically against a team like Houston at home, it’s something that makes you feel very comfortable.”
The game was physical in all areas of the field, and scoring chances were precious. Hard tackles, finger-pointing and yellow cards occurred far more often than decent shots. The teams combined for 31 fouls, including 19 by Houston.
The Dynamo fired nine shots in the second half, but only three required saves by keeper Bouna Coundoul. After Ihemelu’s departure, the Rapids managed to keep Houston from any good touches in front of their goal.
“Sometimes we get demoralized when something goes wrong,” Clavijo said. “Today we battled for 90 minutes against adversity and we managed to win. I’ve said all along, this team always has great intensity and fight.”
Before De Rosario’s defensive miscue, the Rapids’ Jacob Peterson had the game’s best scoring chance. But his header veered just over the crossbar. Clavijo thought Cooke was his best player among a handful of others who had good games.
“We took chances, we created at both sides, right and left, and ‘Cookie,’ Terry Cooke, probably had his best game in his last 10,” Clavijo said.
Houston coach Dominic Kinnear, a former Rapids player, said: “We’ve lost seven games this year, and six have been 1-0. We’ve been in every game. We’re making little mistakes and it costs us points.”
Staff writer Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
