It’s Raining Goals! Colorado Rapids Feel Good win vs Lost LA Galaxy.

Commerce City, CO – The skid has come to an end. After 261 minutes, the Colorado Rapids finally scored again. Despite a two hour rain delay, the got a much needed win.

Wednesday night saw the Burgundy Boys host bottom-of-the-table LA Galaxy for Bark At The Park.

Chris Armas gave winger Calvin Harris his first start of the season. Colorado was again in the 4-2-3-1. Sam Vines was at left back. With Cole Bassett out due to an ankle injury, the rest of the lineup picked itself.

For the visiting LA Galaxy, only Riqui Puig was hurt. The Killer Ps of Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec were on the wings in a 4-3-3. First-year goalkeeper Novak Micovic was in goal. Brazilian Matheus Nascimento was at center forward.

The match was delayed right at 7:30 PM due to lightning in the area. After two hours, the cell moved east. Players came out for an abbreviated warm up at 9:15 and the match kicked off at 9:41 local time.

You would have expected both teams to start out cold given the rain delay. They did not. Just six minutes in, Pec cut inside and sent a curve ball just over the bar with Nico Hansen at full stretch. Two minutes later Djordje Mihailović scored on a one-two with Rafael Navarro, but Navarro was well offside.

Vines and Paintsil both had chances before Mihailović made good in the 24th. The ball went out wide to Vines who delivered a perfect cross to the captain’s forehead. Djordje bounced it past the keeper and in.

In the 28th, Harris scored the second goal by a Rapids winger of the year. Ted Ku-DiPietro found him just inside the box. He dances with his defender then threaded the ball into the far bottom corner. The half ended 2-0 with Navarro having a goal ruled offside in the 38th.

The second half saw Colorado mostly contain LA without much of the ball. Armas switched to a back five with Harris at right wing back at times. The 5-2-3 did well to neutralize Galaxy’s wingers, similar to the playoff game last year. Paintsil had a few moments. Vines and Reggie Cannon did great defensively. Harris hit the post in the 55th.

The 82nd minute saw substitute Kévin Cabral have a moment that summed up his season. There was a long diagonal ball to him into space. He couldn’t get a touch to the ball, it got past him, and out for a throw in. The match ended 2-0.

This was a much needed win! But consider the opponent.

Given Colorado’s recent form, they needed a result regardless of the performance. This team needed tonight in so many ways. Mihailović lead the way. The defense got a clean sheet and did its job. Navarro was a pressing monster. A few fewer steps and he’s onside to make it 3-0 or 4-0. A goal from an unexpected source.

Context does matter. The Galaxy are the worst team in the league. They have one win this season. Shut down their wingers and score first, you’ll probably win. Two wins in the previous ten games, who cares? Now build on this result.

“From the very start, we showed up in a big way tonight. Collectively the team handled that well by controlling transition moments. Reggie Cannon, it’s one of his best performances. I was really happy for Sam Vines with how he did. Tactically we stuck to it. Individually, guys carried their weight,” Armas said.

Did Calvin Harris earn a starting spot?

We have been clamoring for someone besides Mihailović to do something offensively. Finally, someone other than him, Navarro, or Bassett scored a quality and important goal. It was about time Calvin Harris had a moment. It was classic him. Dribble into space. Take on a defender. Create. We’ve been asking ‘who’s going to carry the boat?’ Harris carried the boat tonight. He has to start next time.

If KDP, Oli Larraz, Bassett, and somebody else start doing that every once in a while, it will be a big difference.

“I’m thrilled for Calvin. He’s worked hard all year, earned that start. Might have had two tonight,” Armas told Burgundy Wave.

“You get a hunch sometimes to go with a certain guy who’s been performing well in training. We’ve brought him off the bench in a bunch of games. The way we set up in the 3-5-2 with width, we wanted speed on the flanks. It made a lot of sense tactically.”

“It was a nice build up and a play from one side to the other. We spoke about me being a bit wider for when the ball comes to me. I squared up the defender and noticed that his legs were a bit open. Put it through,” Harris said of his goal.

Vines and Cannon kill the Killer Ps.

Sam Vines and Reggie Cannon were excellent against Pec and Paintsil in this game. Armas had the team in a back five at times in the second half to really shut them down. It was effective, just like the playoffs last year.

This was the closes thing to the 2021 Vines Back since his return from Europe. He was a two way fullback. Combined well with KDP. Paintsil had two or three moments. Otherwise, Cannon was stealing his lunch money. Tactically and individually, it was a good result and performance.

“We played against their wingers multiple times. We had a lot of help from the center backs and the 6s. They double teamed when we needed to. “We were able to get tighter to the guys out wide. I’m more of an attacking fullback. Getting into the attack helped me and helped the team. I can create more space for the team being in the middle. It helped me,” Vines said.

Vines was certainly helped by playing behind KDP who plays direct and inside. It was a nice change after several games of KDP and Cannon playing on the right together.

“Vines did a lot of rehab with me. I’ve played with him a lot. They (Vines and Cannon) are fighting over me right now,” Ku said.

“It was a job that was asked of me. I’m happy to do that if it means the team wins. My job was to stay with the fullback and he put me in that position. We defended really well in the second half. Killed the game,” Harris said of his second half role.

Colorado Rapids feel good! There’s still work to do this week.

This match was a big result. Colorado’s next match is Saturday at 5:30 PM MT at New England Revolution. The Revs have had an up and down season. They score goals. Carles Gil is still legit. That will be a better barometer test than LA was.

Armas still hasn’t nailed down a starting lineup or the formation, unless it’s the 4-2-3-1. It was more controlled and vertical in the attack. Improve on that and they will turn their form around.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken and John Babiak

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