Fresh off their biggest victory of the season last week — a 1-0 surprise of league-leading Houston — the Rapids on Saturday take a step toward deciding their season’s direction.
The Rapids have reached a fork in the season, if ever there was one.
Colorado (9-7-6, 33 points) is tied in fourth place with rival Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA in MLS’ Western Conference. If the season ended today, the Rapids would need a tiebreaker to qualify for the postseason.
Seven games remain on the Rapids’ docket, including Saturday’s hosting of Toronto FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. The 8 p.m. kickoff airs nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.
“After last week, the players should be brimming with confidence,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “They’ve shown a lot of character coming back from some difficult defeats. What we’ve been able to do is keep ourselves in a spot to challenge.”
The Rapids at home last week scored on a Julien Baudet header off a Mehdi Ballouchy corner kick to defeat a Houston team that has won two of the past three MLS titles.
But the Rapids have not built momentum this season. They have alternated wins and losses for eight consecutive games.
And after Saturday, five of the Rapids’ final seven games will be on the road. A rough path to end the season, one that puts the playoffs in a hard-to-reach place.
“What we’ve done better than in years gone by is restrict the other team’s opportunities,” Smith said.
“We limited Houston to one or two efforts from range. And we classified them as one of the two best teams in MLS at this point.”
For the stretch run, the Rapids this week acquired veteran defender Drew Moor from Dallas, sending standby Ugo Ihemelu to Texas. The Rapids are hoping Drew, who holds five caps with the U.S. national team, will stabilize the backline.
“We’re bringing in an experienced MLS campaigner,” Smith said. “He has a very good pedigree. What we hope is we can rekindle his old form.”
The Rapids on Saturday will be without top scorer Conor Casey (national team).
And the team Thursday learned the league suspended midfielder Pablo Mastroeni two games for a hard foul on Houston’s Andrew Hainault last week, a foul that earned only a yellow card at the time.
But the Rapids will have MLS assist leader Omar Cummings on attack.
Colorado’s hosting of Toronto, part of a home-and-home series in back-to-back weeks, will bring one of the league’s top scorers to town.
Toronto’s Dwayne De Rosario, with nine goals this season, is near the top of the MLS goals lead.
“In De Rosario, they have a match-winner,” Smith said. “Those types of players can change the game in a wink of an eye.
“I imagine it’ll be a tough and drawn-out encounter that hopefully we can tip in our favor.”
MLS playoff picture
Eight teams qualify for the MLS playoffs — the top two teams in each conference and the four other best teams. How the standings look today with eight weeks remaining:
Team … W-L -T … Pts
1. Houston* … 11-7-7 … 40
2. Columbus* … 10-4 -9 … 39
3. Los Angeles* … 9 -4-11 … 38
3. Chicago* … 10-6-8 … 38
5. Seattle FC … 8-6-10 … 34
6. Colorado … 9-7-6 … 33
6. New England … 9-6-6 … 33
6. Real Salt Lake … 9-9-6 … 33
6. Chivas USA … 10-9-3 … 33
10. D.C. United … 7-5-11 … 32
11. Toronto FC … 8-8-7 … 31
* — Conference leaders
Rapids vs. Toronto FC
At DSG Park in Commerce City
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
STAY ON THE COUCH
More stellar Open coverage.
The great thing about the U.S. Open, for casual tennis watchers and hardcore court fans alike, is the television schedule. Unlike the Australian and French opens and Wimbledon, watching matches live is all the world easier from New York.
And so far, the TV coverage of the U.S. Open’s early rounds has been stellar. Between the Tennis Channel and ESPN2, time has been devoted to seeds low and high, men and women.
Starting Sunday, viewers can add CBS to the mix. Saturday’s third round airs on KCNC-4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Today and Saturday, find the action throughout the day on the cable channels, including the men’s second round and women’s third round tonight on ESPN2 from 5-9 p.m.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Big outdoor sports weekend.
The great thing about Labor Day weekend in Colorado is you can’t go far without colliding into an outdoor sports event. There are plenty of fundraising walks, runs, rides and swims to fill the entire three days. Highlights:
• On Saturday, the Fountain Valley 5K For the Fallen will honor Army Spec. Ronald Tucker, a graduate of Fountain-Fort Carson High who was killed in Baghdad last year. The run and walk goes at the school’s Guy Barrickman Stadium at 7 a.m. (active.com).
• On Sunday, find the 24th edition of the 10,000 Meters at 10,000 Feet Run near Steamboat Springs. It’s a 10K and 5K trail run to the summit of the old Rabbit Ears Pass Road. Starts at 10 a.m. (runningseries.com).
• Then on Monday, the CU Kickoff Class 5K, dubbed “Running with the Buffaloes” will benefit CU’s nationally renowned cross country and track and field teams. The race starts at Potts Field at 8 a.m. (boulderroadrunners.org).
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Pioneers, Buffs square off.
Two of the best soccer teams in the region will battle this weekend, when the Denver women’s team, along with Oregon and Colgate, travels to Boulder to take on Colorado in the CU Soccer Classic at Prentup Field.
Action starts today when Oregon faces Colgate at 2 p.m. The 15th- ranked Buffaloes then take on in- state rival and defending Sun Belt champion DU.
On Sunday, the Pioneers go against Colgate at 11 a.m. and CU takes on Oregon at 1 p.m.
