COMMERCE CITY – The moment was electric. Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard stood between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Western Conference finals. An army of burgundy-clad fans in full voice behind him, waving flags and pounding drums, waiting to erupt.
With both teams on fumes after 120 minutes of play, the Western Conference semifinals had come down to this: a best-of-five penalty kick shootout. And the Rapids had arguably the best American goalkeeper in history on their side.
Leading 2-1 after two rounds, Howard dove to his right to deny Galaxy defender Ashley Cole, and the sellout crowd at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park went wild.
After Rapids midfielder Marco Pappa put Colorado up 3-1 after three rounds, former Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz had to score to keep the Galaxy’s season alive. He powered a low shot toward the corner, but again Howard dove right and batted the ball away. The crowd went crazy.
For the first time in five tries, Colorado had defeated L.A. in a playoff series.
“I rolled around a couple times, I didn’t realize that it was over. I was kind of thinking that it was over, but I was just making sure the guys were running toward me,” Howard said. “It was a long day. A long build up. You go extra time, penalty kicks, there’s a lot of drama because the game can change minute by minute.”
The Rapids entered the shootout oozing with confidence. Striker Kevin Doyle, who scored the Rapids first penalty, said the team believed all week they would win and weren’t nervous at all when the game went to penalties.
“We said that Tim is gonna save a couple and he did,” Doyle said.
Howard said many teams use technology to prepare for penalty shootouts. He didn’t. Instead he made good reads, got good jumps and had a little luck, too.
“Penalties after 120 minutes are different than penalties during the game,” Howard said. “Guys are tired, they’re cramping up. It’s hard to go with a ton of power. It’s good to be lucky.”
Shortly after the match, U.S. national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann announced Howard will start in goal Friday against Mexico in a World Cup qualifying match while the MLS Cup Playoffs go on hiatus for international play.
“Week in and week out he proves that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni said. “What he exudes as a human being has been transformational for the group.”
When Howard signed this year for a club record $2.57 million annually through 2019, it raised some eyebrows. Most MLS clubs invest big money in goal scorers, not goalkeepers.
“They have a very experienced goalkeeper and we don’t. Maybe the difference, it’s the goalkeeper today,” Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said. “Maybe it was a good investment bringing Tim Howard in here.”
Penalty kick shootout recap
| Round | Los Angeles | Result | Colorado | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Gerrard | Goal | Kevin Doyle | Goal |
| 2 | Giovani dos Santos | Miss | Sebastien Le Toux | Goal |
| 3 | Ashley Cole | Save | Marco Pappa | Goal |
| 4 | Jeff Larentowicz | Save |
