Colorado Wins Interim Bowl as Rapids Supporters Walk Out

COMMERCE CITY – Saturday night at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park was anything but predictable. Colorado Rapids hosted New England Revolution on Saturday night in the Interim Bowl. Two goals and a Rapids supporters walk out later, the MLS Script Writers went all out with the misdirect.

Colorado interim manager Chris Little restored the Rapids 4-4-3 formation. Moïse Bombito was in at center back. Kévin Cabral was at left wing next to Rafael Navarro.

The first half had few moments of excitement. Former Rapid Mark-Anthony Kaye hit the crossbar on a header off a free kick six minutes in. Kévin Cabral had a few half chances that he did little with. Carles Gil hit the post from outside the box in first half stoppage time.

The story of the first half however was the supporters protest. Centennial 38 chanted “Kroenke Out,” “Fire Pádraig”, and other dissonant chants. They encouraged their members and other fans to wear black in protest. Then in the 20th minute, they walked out. Sidnei Tavares was subbed off on the half hour for an injury for Ralph Priso.

Section 117 was completely vacated with other parts of the south stands thinned out as well. The stadium nose noticeably died down.

“Tonight is about voicing our frustration with ownership over the last few years. It is by no means a statement against the players on the field. It is a unified statement about the indifference of ownership towards the success of this club,” C38 President Dave Wegner told Burgundy Wave.

Whatever Little said at halftime worked. Three minutes into the second half, Cole Bassett headed in a Conor Ronan free kick.

Calvin Harris opened his Rapids account and scored his first first team goal in almost a year in the 62nd. He had a great individual effort to get space in the box and bend the ball into the bottom corner. Harris sprinted to the bench to celebrate with assistant coach Wolde Harris.

The Revs had their moments. Marko Ilić made one of several good saves in the 76th on Nacho Gil on a corner from point blank range. Rafael Navarro had several chances to score. The best was on a breakaway in the 66th which he wasn’t able to finish.

New England could not complete the comeback as the match ended 2-1. Omar Gonzalez scores in stoppage time with a header on a corner.

A Night of Firsts:

This game was weird on and off the pitch. It was 5-4 win over RBNY weird. Bassett’s first goal since May. Harris with his first goal for the club and first in almost a year at the first team level. First win since July 15. Just the fourth league win all year. All with Little’s humility and new energy.

“Relief and delighted to get the win. Just delighted for the players,” said Little.

“Marko, the whole backline, and really the whole team in general defended well. They were committed to the result. Disappointed to not get the clean sheet. New England had chances. That’s something we’ll continue to work on.”

Harris thanks Assistant Coach Wolde Harris:

Calvin Harris scored and immediately ran to the bench to embrace assistant coach Wolde Harris. What a moment for a player who had to patiently work his way into the lineup this year to get a winner in a game like this.

“For me personally it was a great feeling to get my first goal tonight. It’s been a tough season. Lots of ups and downs. Today is an up. Just enjoying it,” said Harris.

“Wolde said before the game that I’m going to score. He called it. I showed my acknowledgement to him. Throughout the year, he’s shown his trust in me. He’s been a great help to me.”

Little added “The goal gives confidence. We changed the point of attack. You could see the confidence in the players grew.”

Rapids Supporters Walk Out

The story of the night off the field was the turmoil of both clubs. The Revs are still moving on from Bruce Area. They look like a team that had distractions and did not fully train.

On the other side, the disconnect between Colorado’s front office and ownership with the supporters has reached a breaking point.

The second half atmosphere was weird with no supporters chanting. C38 continued the parking lot tailgate with the gate streamed on large projectors.

“It’s a tough situation. It doesn’t seem to be between us and them. All we can control is what happenes on the field. Play for the badge, just like their message in the stands. They care about the club and they care about us. I’m curious to see what happens,” Bassett told Burgundy Wave.

“We take accountability for the season. If there was a message to them, hopefully they see that we’re trying to rectify things. We’ve let the fans down. I hope you’ll see today the players care,” said Chris Little.

Fans chimed in as well. Juan Carlos, a prominent C38 member told BW “This is euphotic. The amount of people here is a testament to the deep passion that everyone exudes for this team. Personally speaking, a clean house of the front office. I need a big move towards a new project.”

BW contributor Liam Hopkins added “The protest was a great statement from C38 and it was executed really well. I think it’ll be really hard for the club and Kroenke to ignore this. The only thing that will fix this is serious investment or change from the ownership, and not real estate development, but stadium improvement and more investment in the squad.”

Other fans are torn with how they express their frustration but also support the players. As Bassett said, the players and coaches know the fans’ beef is with those above them. But some fans are conflicted with how they square this circle. They’ve already paid their for their tickets. KSE already has their money. Can one protest KSE (by wearing black, or otherwise) while also supporting the team?

Original STM since 1996 Mark Johnson thinks so.

“It’s not my decision. I paid money for my seat. I came to cheer for my team.”

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken.

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