COMMERCE CITY — The soccer gods were in a mischievous mood Saturday night when Rapids backup goalkeeper Ian Joyce, an expectant father but unexpected participant, made his first MLS appearance.
As if he wasn’t nervous enough as it was.
Joyce and his wife are awaiting the arrival of their first child, a daughter, pretty much any minute. But when back spasms forced season-long starter Matt Pickens out of the lineup, Joyce got the call to start against the struggling Houston Dynamo.
A game pregnant with playoff implications for Colorado suddenly seemed even more nerve-wracking, especially since the Rapids gave up a season-high three goals last week at Columbus.
But the visitors didn’t put up much of a fight, and the Rapids equalled their season-high goal tally, subduing the Dynamo 3-0 and giving their maiden goalkeeper a clean sheet in his league debut.
“There was actually a concern his wife might go into labor last night, and we lose two goalkeepers,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “A very solid professional performance by a debutante.”
Joyce’s wife, Kelly, was at the game. The baby was kicking.
“The whole time,” Kelly said. “She doesn’t stop.”
Midfielder Jamie Smith was quick to release some of the pressure on Joyce, scoring in the second minute for the Scotsman’s first tally in a Rapids uniform.
Houston midfielder Lovel Palmer made it even easier on Joyce eight minutes later, drawing a straight red card after elbowing Pablo Mastroeni in the face, thereby forcing his team to play a man down the rest of the evening.
Omar Cummings scored the 600th goal in Rapids history in the 16th minute on a two-man counterattack with Conor Casey, and Casey made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, heading home the deflection of a save Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad made on Kosuke Kimura.
“I’d like to think I can control my nerves and use them in a positive fashion,” said Joyce, a graduate of Seton Hall. “I love that feeling before a game, and I’ll quit playing when I stop feeling that kind of sensation in your stomach. But, yeah, it was the best possible start to the game.
“You couldn’t ask anything more from the boys.”
The Dynamo didn’t give Joyce much of a chance to show his talents, but he was sharp in his decision-making, and he did get to make a nice kick save on Brian Mullan in the 56th minute.
“Very good save,” Smith said. “He makes his debut, it’s his first appearance for us, he keeps his first clean sheet, and there’s a very good chance he’s going to have his first child in the week. He, more than anybody, has a right to celebrate.”
Houston 0 0 — 0
Colorado 3 0 — 3 First half — 1, Colorado, Smith 1 (Casey), 2nd minute. 2, Colorado, Cummings 6 (Casey, Mastroeni), 16th. 3, Colorado, Casey 8, 23rd.
Second half — None.
Goalies — Houston, Pat Onstad; Colorado, Ian Joyce.
Yellow cards — Mastroeni, Colorado, 11th; Cruz, Houston, 70th; Casey, Colorado, 72nd. Red cards — Palmer, Houston, 10th.
Referee — Abbey Okulaja. Assistant referees — Anthony Vasoli. Peter Balciunas. 4th official — Alejandro Mariscal.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
