On an oddly chilly night last week, with woeful San Jose in town to face the suddenly surging Rapids, Conor Casey saved the day with a game-saving, stoppage-time goal in the 94th minute. It was the second consecutive game that a Casey goal after 90 minutes earned the Rapids a draw.
In an otherwise normal season, it would be an amazing two games. Two salvaged and much-needed points in the final seconds of two straight games.
But there was no celebration in Commerce City. A dour Rapids side took no solace. It wasn’t a point they were after. It was three.
Thus is the Rapids’ newfound expectation. Ties are like losses. Creeping into the playoffs is an afterthought. Colorado wants to win. And win late in the MLS playoffs.
The Rapids on Saturday host New England in their final home game of the season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, a 7 p.m. kickoff airing on Altitude.
Colorado currently leads four teams in contention for a wild-card spot in the MLS playoffs. But they are just two points behind second-place Los Angeles for an automatic bid from the Western Conference.
“Obviously, we want to win,” Casey told this week. “Point-wise, we’re still in decent shape. We still have things in our own hands.
“It would have been nice to have won the last couple of games. But it’s not like we’re getting blown out or beaten really bad. We’re in the mix.”
The Rapids (10-8-9, 39 points) are in the middle of a crowded MLS table. They are two points behind L.A., yes. But New England (10-9-7, 37), in the eighth and final wild-card spot, is just two back of Colorado.
So frail are MLS fortunes, they can change in a week. When the Rapids headed to San Jose for the first of a home-and-home series, they had two wins in three games, one an impressive road victory over conference-leading Houston.
They’ve struggled some since, with a loss and three ties. It’s been nearly a month since Colorado’s last win.
But the Rapids on Saturday will see a Revolution squad playing its second road game in four days.
“That lends itself to us being more creative and being more expressive,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “The group will be ready for that having been on a decent run.”
