COMMERCE CITY — Kosuke Kimura is a head-down-and-work kind of guy with a mentality unique to an athlete giving up size and weight to just about everyone other than the ball boys.
On a perfect Saturday night when nothing was going right for the Rapids, Kimura turned from bright spot to brilliant with a ferocious goal in the 79th minute to give Colorado a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
“I just keep my head down and smashed it as hard as I can,” Kimura said with a grin.
The Japanese midfielder- turned-defender ran behind the stacked Dallas rear guard, collected Mehdi Ballouchy’s pass and hammered the ball through the hands of goalkeeper Ray Burse to halt the Rapids’ two-game losing streak.
It was Kimura’s second career goal and the perfect highlight in a night when he battled in the corners against the towering Brek Shea and the wily Eric Avila, and made forward runs with touch and tenacity.
“If somebody had given odds on Kosuke scoring, not only a goal, but a winning goal, I’m not sure too many people in the stands would have taken it,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “He was fantastic. The energy, the determination he showed and the goal — it was a terrific goal.”
The Rapids (6-4-6) extended their unbeaten streak against Dallas (4-8-5) to five games, while keeping the visitors scoreless for the first time in their previous nine games.
After losing two straight for the first time this season, Smith saw this game as a big test and gave his squad passing marks for finding a way to win in a game that lacked flow and creativity.
“I didn’t do much of anything,” Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens said. “I punched a few crosses, and that’s all I had to do tonight.”
Dallas dropped as many as seven into its defense and seemed content for its second draw of the season against the Rapids. Colorado often looked starved for ideas, a reminder of the absence of Omar Cummings and Colin Clark (both involved in Gold Cup competition) and the need for the reinforcements set to begin arriving when the international transfer window opens Wednesday.
