The Rapids are dearly hoping to clinch a playoff spot with their next two road games because they do not want it to come down to the final home game against Real Salt Lake on Oct. 23. In each of the past three seasons, they have gone into the final regular-season game needing to beat RSL to make the playoffs, and their regional rivals denied them on all three occasions. The details:
2007 AT DSG PARK
Real Salt Lake 1, Colorado 0 Robbie Findley scored on a counter-attack in the 87th minute, preventing RSL from finishing with the worst record in the league. Two Colorado starters left the game with injuries (Terry Cooke and Ugo Ihemelu), and Colin Clark hit the post with a shot.
2008 AT DSG PARK
Real Salt Lake 1, Colorado 1 The Rapids seemed mere seconds from making the playoffs when Yura Movsisyan scored the tying goal in the 90th minute, clinching RSL’s first-ever playoff berth. Conor Casey scored in the 19th minute for Colorado.
2009 AT RSL
Real Salt Lake 3, Colorado 0 Findley scored twice and Movsisyan once for RSL, which finished with the same number of points in the standings as Colorado (40) but advanced to the playoffs on tiebreakers. RSL went on to win the MLS Cup.
John Meyer, The Denver Post
