COMMERCE CITY — Four goals. A penalty kick. A straight red card. The 14,013 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park were treated to just about everything Saturday night in a wild 2-2 draw with Minnesota United FC.
Everything but a Rapids win. Colorado (1-1-1) played up a man for the final 20 minutes, but could not find a late winner, and the expansion Minnesota United FC (0-2-1) earned the first point in its MLS history.
“Overall, it was a game that we kind of let slip away,” Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni said.
The Rapids got an early goal from Dominique Badji, and after conceding twice to open the second half, got an equalizer from winger to extend their home unbeaten streak to 19 consecutive league games.
“We never stop fighting,” Hairston said. “All last year, our whole motto was ‘keep fighting.’ We haven’t lost a game here at home, so that’s a big thing. We didn’t lose today. So to come back and get that tying goal was huge for us. We’re going to definitely look back on this game as a winnable game later in the season.”
Colorado’s best chance to grab a late winner came in the 86th minute when second-half sub Dillon Serna sent a free kick from the top of the penalty area just over the bar.
After taking a 1-0 lead into the locker room at halftime, the Rapids found themselves down 2-1 in the 58th minute after Christian Ramirez gave the Loons their first lead since joining MLS. He beat Rapids defender to the near post to head a Jerome Thiesson cross past . It was Ramirez’s second goal of the season.
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The lead didn’t last long. A minute later, Rapids fullback served in a perfect left-footed cross to the far post to find Hairston, who headed home the equalizer for his first goal of the season.
“I remember the ball going wide to Burchy, and I remember coaches saying all week that we need numbers in the box,” Hairston said. “(Kevin) Doyle was in there, Badji was in there with me also. I saw the ball miss Doyle and just fell right in front of me. Great ball and I did the easy part.”
Hairston’s night was over 11 minutes later when Loons defender Justin Davis got his cleats into Hairston’s leg. Davis was shown a straight red card and Hairston was subbed off for Alan Gordon.
After dominating possession in the first half, Colorado gave Minnesota a second life three minutes into the second half when defender , starting in place of an injured (hamstring), collided with Denver native Collen Warner just inside the penalty area.
“The midfielder, I think he didn’t see me and I came from the outside and stepped in front of him and he ran straight into me,” Williams said. “Referee thought it was a penalty so nothing I could do about it.”
Minnesota’s Kevin Molino converted the penalty kick for his second goal of the season to tie the match 1-1.
“All we needed to do in the second half was come out with this ruthless mentality,” Mastroeni said. “Ruthless. Breathing down the necks of their players and making it a scrap, and we just did not do that.”
Minnesota coach Adrian Heath made two changes on his back line a week after conceding six goals to Atlanta, sitting his captain Vadim Demidov and fullback Jermaine Taylor in favor of Brent Kallman and Davis, respectively.
However, 17 minutes in his new back line let him down again, as a poor giveaway in the back led to the Rapids’ first goal.
Badji came streaking into the center, collecting a poor backpass and slotting it home past Loons goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for his second goal of the season.
“We were just practicing all week to high press. Every time the ball goes back, we press,” Badji said. “And we just did the right thing, and the ball fell to my feet and I just scored it.”
Colorado dominated possession throughout the match, controlling the ball 61 percent of the time in the first half and 66 percent in the second half. The Rapids out-shot Minnesota 11-7 and put more balls on target 3-2.
“The positive is, the guys rallied and found a way to get back into the game and then almost won it at the death there,” Mastroeni said. “Unfortunately, life just doesn’t give you a pass to carry on last year to this year. You got to learn all the same lessons.”
