COMMERCE CITY — The Rapids turned a game with a lot of advantages into an evening of anxious moments Saturday night but held on for their second victory of the season, defeating short-handed Toronto FC 1-0 on a goal by Argentine forward Luis Solignac.
Playing with a man advantage for most of the game, the Rapids were put under heavy pressure by the visitors and their dynamic striker, league MVP Sebastian Giovinco, and there were several times late in the game when it looked like the Italian star was ready to equalize despite Colorado’s advantage in numbers.
It wasn’t just the game’s waning moments that kept Rapids fans nervous.
“I think the last 60 minutes were a bit tense,” said Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni.
BOX SCORE:
The visitors went a man down in the 13th minute when midfielder Benoit Cheyrou was given his second yellow card and sent off. Solignac scored five minutes later, his first MLS goal since joining the Rapids last May.
“I explained to the guys at halftime, it’s natural to your psyche to say, ‘We’re up a man, we’re up a goal, we’re at home, we’re at altitude.’ You start convincing yourself that you don’t have to keep sharpness,” Mastroeni said. “I think that’s what we lacked after we scored the goal.”
Toronto coach Greg Vanney, who thought Solignac was “close” to being offside on the goal, liked the way his team stayed in the game despite being a man down. Giovinco looked dangerous nearly every time he had the ball.
“I thought we fought valiantly with 10 guys,” Vanney said. “I thought at times we looked like the better team with 10 against 11.”
Solignac was in the lineup in place of Kevin Doyle, who was injured last week while playing for the Irish national team. Solignac took a beautiful little chip from midfielder Marco Pappa, brought the ball down deftly with his foot and put it past former Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin.
MORE:
“It feels amazing,” Solignac said. “I’m really happy that I could help the team to win. It’s tough to come in when one of your teammates is injured, but you want to help the team. I’m happy I could help with a goal, be dangerous, threaten the defense.”
Solignac contributed throughout the game, not just on the goal.
“Luis has been one of the best teammates,” Mastroeni said. “He came in last year and struggled through a bunch of injuries. He came back this year with a renewed desire to prove to everyone that he’s a very, very good player. He showed that on both sides of the ball. His hold-up play was great, his running behind the defense was fantastic, and the goal was of the highest level.”
PHOTOS:
Pappa played a big role too. An offseason addition to the club, he makes plays all over midfield and his assist on the goal was superb.
“He’s one of those players, if you see him on a day-to-day basis, that will never cease to amaze you,” Mastroeni said. “The things he does, his ability to see passes and make plays.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or @johnmeyer
Other MLS news from The Associated Press:
One goal fans fire’s victory
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Kennedy Igboananike scored early in the second half as the Chicago Fire beat the 10-man Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Saturday.
Igboananike settled a ball with pace from Michael Harrington in the 51st minute and slid a shot inside the far post.
Chicago (1-1-2) won for just the second time in 12 matches dating to last season, while Philadelphia (2-2-0) saw its two-game winning streak stopped. Chicago hasn’t lost to the Union in seven consecutive meetings — posting three wins and four draws.
Veljko Paunovic picked up his first MLS win as the Fire’s coach. He played 17 games for the Union in 2011. Philadelphia had two chances to score in the first half.
Highlights:
Justen Glad scored his first MLS goal, Luke Mulholland added another and Real Salt Lake beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1. RSL went up 1-0 in the 29th minute when Glad sprinted past the back line on Joao Plata’s free kick and headed it in.
Glad was a hometown signee in 2014. Mulholland made it 2-0 in the 79th minute. After two failed clearances and a giveaway on a RSL corner kick, Mulholland bent in a long-range shot. RSL (2-0-2) improved to 2-6-5 all-time at Sporting KC — snapping a seven-game winless streak at KC. Since 2010, the road team in this rivalry has won just two games in 13 meetings.
Tesho Akindele scored in the 77th minute to tie FC Dallas with the Columbus Crew 1-1.
The Associated Press
