COMMERCE CITY — It’s been a Rapids refrain over the past year: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park needs to become a fortress for Colorado to have success in MLS. But after tying a dubious league mark of 10 consecutive games at home without a win, it’s clear the Commerce City stronghold has been anything but Fort Knox.
Winless in the state of Colorado since July 25, 2014, the Rapids tied the 2011 Chicago Fire’s 10-game, MLS record for home futility with a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas two weeks ago. Despite the drought, the Rapids have been tough on the road this season, going unbeaten in five matches (1-0-4).
“I don’t know enough about the universe to explain how it works,” coach Pablo Mastroeni said this week when asked about the discrepancy between the Rapids’ home and road results. “What I do know is, if you consistently keep doing the right things you will be rewarded for it at some point in time.”
RAPIDS MAILBAG:
The last-place Rapids (1-2-6) will try again Friday against the San Jose Earthquakes (4-4-1), the fifth-place team in the Western Conference. Despite having flown nearly 5,000 miles last week, recording draws in the New York and Los Angeles areas, the Rapids won’t be the road-weary team. San Jose will be playing its third road match in eight days. After a trip to Salt Lake City last Friday, the Earthquakes flew back to San Jose for the weekend, then jetted to Houston on Monday, all part of a 4,600-mile trek over the past eight days.
While the Rapids were recovering from their hectic road trip with a light training session Tuesday, San Jose was in Texas wrestling away three points from the Dynamo on the strength of an Adam Jahn set-piece goal and a 1-0 win.
After an extra day of rest in Houston, the Earthquakes flew to Colorado on Thursday. At altitude, Colorado knows it must take the game to the Earthquakes, who are sure to have tired legs, and put them on their heels.
“Picking up three points on Friday is just crucial,” Rapids center back Shane O’Neill said this week.
The Rapids insist they have been competitive at home this year, and Mastroeni emphasized that it’s all about staying the course.
“There’s a balance to be had,” Mastroeni said. “And what I mean by that is not feel desperate to go out and get the win. Don’t play out of character to achieve something.”
The Rapids lead MLS in stalemates with six. With three home games this month, they know they need to get rolling.
“We’ve just got to start turning these draws into wins,” O’Neill said. “The home games are huge for us. As a team we can’t drop points at home — especially not losses.”
Got a Rapids question?
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or danielboniface
Rapids Game Day
SAN JOSE AT COLORADO Friday 8 p.m., Univision Dep.; 94.1 FM, 1650 AM
Spotlight on Gabriel Torres: The striker is having his best run since joining Major League Soccer in 2013. The Panamanian international has a Rapids-leading four goals, and an assist, over the past five matches. “He’s changed his life from the player I met last year to the player he is now,” coach Pablo Mastroeni said this week. A year ago the Rapids placed Torres, 26, on a workout regimen to hone his fitness. This week, Mastroeni called Torres one of the fittest players on the team.
NOTEBOOK
Rapids: Colorado (1-2-6) enters Friday’s match looking to snap a 10-game home winless streak that has tied an MLS record (Chicago Fire, 2011). The Rapids had a 1-1 draw on each coast last week, against the New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy. “I’m really pleased with the spirit of the group — the intangibles, not the numbers, not the stats, but the feel of the group is right,” Mastroeni said. “Having been a captain for many years, you can sniff out a locker room in no time.” Former Earthquakes midfielder Sam Cronin will play against his former team for the first time in a league game since joining Colorado.
Earthquakes: San Jose (4-4-1) is playing its third road match in eight days, including a 1-0 victory at Houston on Tuesday. Former Rapids players Marvell Wynne and Sanna Nyassi reunited in San Jose this year on the right side of the Earthquakes’ formation.
Footnote: These teams tied all three times they met last season, with each club scoring only one goal apiece. Daniel Boniface, The Denver Post
