COMMERCE CITY — A shirtless Pablo Mastroeni exited Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night, presumably vanquishing any ambitions the Rapids had of upsetting the Eastern Conference-leading Columbus Crew.
The midfielder and team leader was issued a red card in the 77th minute, leaving Colorado (6-3-1) in survival mode against a MLS team it hadn’t beaten in seven attempts.
“Honestly, I think at that point, you’re happy with a 0-0 draw, because you’re a man down and it had been a relatively even game to that point,” Rapids defender Drew Moor said.
Rapids fans can be thankful Moor picked the opportune time to score his first goal in nearly a calendar year. His header off a perfect cross from Jamie Smith beat Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer to the near post in the 85th minute, sending the Rapids to a 1-0 win.
“It was a fantastic header by Drew and just caps off a wonderful performance from the lad,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said.
The 1-0 result is beginning to define the Rapids as much as their burgundy digs. It was their third consecutive win by the score and fifth straight single-goal MLS contest. Seven of the Rapids’ 10 games have featured a 1-0 score (four wins).
After Mastroeni’s ejection for tangling with the Crew’s Steven Lenhart, thoughts of the Rapids mustering a mere goal seemed a perilous proposition. But Jamie Smith, returning after being shelved most the season with a hamstring injury, found Moor streaking down the left side and delivered an on-the-money cross.
“He puts the ball into dangerous areas,” said Moor, who scored his first goal since June 13 of last year. “On a set piece like that, we don’t really have a set-up play. You just have to get bodies into dangerous areas.”
The Crew (6-2-3) played without coach Robert Warzycha, who was attending his daughter’s high school graduation. He was replaced by assistant and former Crew defender Mike Lapper. True to the mind-set of its interim front man, Columbus made it a direct objective to smother Rapids forwards Conor Casey and Omar Cummings, the only players on the roster who have tallied more than one goal this season.
It worked, as coach Smith yanked Casey midway through the second because he was being too heavily marked.
It was going to take an unlikely hero in the Rapids’ final home game before the World Cup break, and Moor filled the role perfectly.
Columbus 0 0 — 0
Colorado 0 1 — 1
First half — None. Second half — 1, Colorado, Moor 1 (Smith), 85th minute. Goalies — Columbus, William Hesmer; Colorado, Matt Pickens. Yellow cards — Moffat, Columbus, 40th; Casey, Colorado, 42nd; Baudet, Colorado, 58th; Lenhart, Columbus, 77th; Renteria, Columbus, 88th. Red cards — Mastroeni, Colorado, 77th.
