COMMERCE CITY — They may have been wearing Toronto FC red, but that didn’t seem to matter to the Rapids faithful Saturday night..
Goalkeeper Clint Irwin and defender Drew Moor got a warm reception from the 10,772 who watched the Rapids outlast the 10-man Reds 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
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Moor and Irwin shook hands with their former teammates and lingered in the north terrace with the supporters who cheered them on last season and brought them each signs that said “We love you, Drew” and “We love you, Clint.”
“To be able to come back and give them a smile, give them a wave and obviously them giving me a sign was pretty cool,” Moor said.
In the back hallways of the stadium, Moor and Irwin paused to talk with their former coach, Pablo Mastroeni, who was all smiles after Colorado’s second consecutive home win.
When Moor signed with Toronto as a free agent in December, he said he felt the Rapids were lagging behind the rest of MLS and needed to make progress. Just down the hallway stood U.S. international player Jermaine Jones — a symbol of some of the progress the Rapids have made this offseason adding talent to their roster.
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“You look at some of the signings they’ve made, and it’s baby steps,” Moor said of the Rapids’ progress. “But there’s some clubs in the league that are model clubs, and everyone is starting to catch up to that.”
When Irwin was traded in January, he echoed Moor’s comments saying the Rapids were behind the shift in MLS.
When the Rapids announced the signing of U.S. international goalkeeper Tim Howard in March, Rapids VP of soccer operations Paul Bravo said Colorado had joined the Toronto FCs and Seattle Sounders of the world.
Irwin said the big signings were just one part of it, but also how the players feel when they come to work and the team’s values were also a factor.
“I haven’t been a part of that since I left, so it’s hard for me to say,” said Irwin. “But it seems like from what I’ve heard from the guys that things have changed a little bit.”
Irwin came up big for Toronto, making seven saves and keeping the shorthanded Reds in the game.
“Clint’s great. We’re thankful that Colorado was nice enough to send him to us,” Toronto coach Greg Vanney said after the game. “Today he came up with some good saves.”
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Said Irwin: “You feel valued as a player when you hear that.”
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or @danielboniface
