COMMERCE CITY — Welcoming a favorable turn of the schedule but facing three games in seven days, the Rapids responded Saturday night with their most dominating performance of the season against MLS power D.C. United.
In the first home game of a stretch that will have them playing nine of 12 games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids overpowered the Eastern Conference leaders 3-0, thanks to a brilliant evening by forward Omar Cummings, who scored the first two goals and created the third with an assist.
“I got the chances,” Cummings said, “so I put them away.”
With leading scorer Conor Casey in South Africa on U.S. national team duty at the Confederations Cup, and newcomer Pat Noonan taking Casey’s spot in the lineup, Cummings sparked his team with a pair of explosive first-half goals.
“He’s improved enormously his play on the ball and when we’re attacking,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “He’s got a much better understanding of what’s required when we don’t have the ball. His movement is better, he’s thinking about his game, and tonight he won us a game.”
Cummings began the scoring with a superb individual effort in the 11th minute, springing out of the midfield on the center-left portion of the pitch with the ball and a burst of speed, skipping over a sliding tackle attempt by United defender Greg Janicki and beating United goalkeeper Josh Wicks to the far post.
He tallied again in the 45th minute, pouncing on a sloppy pass by a defender, streaking down the middle of the field, outmaneuvering a sliding Wicks on the right side of the penalty box and fitting a shot into the goal from a sharp angle.
“The second one was definitely a gimme, but still you have to work hard for it,” Cummings said. “Yeah, it’s a bad pass, but you still have to score, you have to put it in the back of the net.”
Cummings struck again in the 49th minute, drawing three defenders to him on a run down the left side of the field and feeding a wide-open Colin Clark on the right side as Colorado took its first three-goal lead of the season.
D.C. United 0 0 — 0
Colorado 2 1 — 3
First half — 1, Colorado, Cummings 4 (Mastroeni), 11th minute. 2, Colorado, Cummings 5, 45th.
Second half — 3, Colorado, Clark 3 (Cummings, Peterson), 49th.
Goalies — D.C. United, Josh Wicks; Colorado, Matt Pickens.
Yellow cards — Gibbs, Colorado, 12th; John, D.C. United, 22nd; Wallace, D.C. United, 53rd.
Referee — Michael Kennedy. Assistant referees — Robert Fereday, Peter Balciunas. 4th official — Abbey Okulaja.
A — 11,416 (18,086).
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
