COMMERCE CITY — It was hard to tell which team was more desperate Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The Rapids hadn’t won at home since April 3, racking up five ties in seven home games since then. The expansion Vancouver Whitecaps have won only twice, and lost their last game in the 90th minute at home.
But the Rapids prevailed 2-1, thanks to Conor Casey’s sixth goal in his last seven games and a goal by Scott Palguta on an opportunity created by a Casey header. The Whitecaps trimmed the lead on a late goal by Brazilian forward Camilo to keep Rapids fans on edge until the final whistle blew 13 minutes later.
It was Colorado’s first win since a 1-0 result at Portland on June 11, with two ties and two losses in the interim.
“It just feels good to win,” Casey said. “We haven’t gotten a win in a while, and it’s just a big relief.”
Rapids coach Gary Smith tweaked his lineup, playing three forwards — Casey, Omar Cummings and Caleb Folan. Cummings was listed on the lineup as a midfielder, but he played his usual attacking role and had a couple of hard shots that were just off-target.
Casey’s goal came off a precision cross by Jamie Smith in the 25th minute. Smith fought through a traffic jam on the right side of midfield and crossed a ball just over the head of Vancouver defender Michael Boxall. A wide-open Casey buried a right-footer at the edge of the 6-yard box.
“His ratio of goals to games is quite phenomenal,” Gary Smith said. “I would think mostly it boils down to confidence. For forwards, when they’re hitting the back of the net, it breeds confidence. They feel and play with more freedom.”
Casey said that freedom comes from not having to think as much.
“You just go out and play, knowing you’ve been scoring,” Casey said. “I’ve been in positions where I haven’t scored for a long time too. You try not to overthink, but you do.”
A Casey header was saved by former Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the 68th minute, but Palguta, a defender, put away the rebound for his second game-winning goal of the year.
With midfielder Pablo Mastroeni sitting out a one-game suspension because of yellow-card accumulation, Casey wore the captain’s armband.
“He played like a captain,” Smith said. “There were times where we needed him to drop in a bit, we needed those lines to be a bit tighter — especially late on, when there was a bit of anxiety and frustration.”
Pablo OK. Mastroeni hyperextended a knee on the play at Kansas City on Wednesday that resulted in his yellow-card suspension, but he said the knee is fine.
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
