Commerce City, Colo.- What a bad way to end the first half of the season. Head Coach Matt Wells’ sideline ban was the least of their problems. It was a Colorado Rapid double penalty frustration as they hosted FC Dallas in their final game before the World Cup break.
Matt Wells was suspended for the match for yellow card accumulation (three). Assistant Alastair Harris served as interim. Reggie Cannon made his 100th MLS start. Jackson Travis and Georgi Minoungou started as well, having been on the bench for the midweek Open Cup game. The lineup was otherwise as expected.
Petar Musa was already off for international duty for the World Cup so Logan Farrington started up top. Former Rapid Lalas Abubakar was on the bench as was breakout meme lord Sam Sarver.
The first half was high tempo, albeit sloppy. Colorado looked to play quickly up the middle. There seemed to be a set pattern of play with the team finding Wayne Frederick, who then threaded the ball into space for Minoungou.
Just 10 minutes in, Paxten Aaronson was called for a penalty on Farrington. He clipped the trailing leg with no attempt on the ball. Farrington smashed the ball in to make it 0-1 though goalkeeper Nico Hansen guessed the right way.
Aaronson would lead a Rapid response the minute after the goal. Rafael Navarro and Frederick linked up to unleash Minoungou. The Burkina Faso international had been working on his crosses all week. It paid off as he found Aaronson for the first time finish.
Colorado’s pattern of play and pressing led to chances. Navarro picked off Shaq Moore in the 41st and went alone but his shot was wide. While Colorado was the better side from the run of play, FCD took the lead into half. Another soft contact penalty was called on Minoungou on Ran Binyamin. Santi Moreno took this one and scored bottom right with Hansen diving that way. It was 1-2 at half.
The second half got even messier. Dallas time wasted. The crowd started a count for goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois taking his time on goal kicks. One count got up to 15. There were chippy yellow cards and chippy no calls. The crowd let Ismail Elfath know their displeasure. Wayne Frederick got a red card for dissent after being subbed off. The crowd applauded him as he went to the locker room.
Dallas stayed compact, which limited things. It was a savvy road performance, protecting a lead. Colorado were at their best on rare moments where they found and attacked space. They didn’t create enough till the final minutes. Navarro and Aaronson had chances. Aaronson had a bicycle kick set up by Darren Yapi that was saved off the line. On one of Paxten’s shots, the ball went off a defender’s elbow but the arm was tucked in.
The match ended 1-2.
The penalty calls were right. It wasn’t why they lost.
The two penalties were contact in the box with no attempt on the ball. Did the attackers go down easy after the contact? Even if they did, you can’t make contact on a trailing leg with the ball elsewhere. Once those penalties were called, VAR isn’t overturning them.
“Soft penalties but I also don’t like the challenges that we’re making in those situations. It was synonymous with how we were, certainly in the first half,” Wells told Burgundy Wave.
The gaffer described his time watching the game from a private room with no contact as a “thoroughly unenjoyable experience.”
“You cannot lose a game where the opponent creates 0.03 of xG outside of two really stupid penalties. That’s on us. That’s not the referee’s fault. That’s something we have to address.”
Not sure where Wells is getting the 0.03. FotMob had Dallas with 0.12 xG from the run of play, on three shots, all off target. In any case, Dallas did nothing offensively outside of the two spot kicks.
The second half was rightfully frustrating. Time wasting was allowed. Both teams started working the refs off the ball. Sarver got a yellow after Yapi rolled around on the ground. There was jeering for no-calls. These situations tend to favor the team that keeps cooler heads and playing with a lead.
Good teams are able to overcome poor officiating and control their emotions. Good teams take advantage of how the ref is calling games. Good teams cash in on the calls they get. The Rapids did not do that in this game. Dallas did. The reactions to the refs were fitting given Matt Wells was suspended for this game.
“You have to walk the line,” said Aaronson. “We can’t battle with the ref. We have to battle against FC Dallas. It’s about controlling our emotion”
Bad form going into the World Cup break:
Colorado started the season 4-3. In the eight league games since, they are 1-1-6. They’ve lost five of their last six games. It’s been a jam-packed schedule. They’ve had injuries. They’ve played six of the top eight teams in the Western Conference since the Miami game. That’s really tough. Of the 24 goals they’ve conceded, 8 have come in the final 5 minutes of first halves. That was an issue last season.
Wells thinks there’s underlying issues to address, regardless.
“Way too often this season, we’re passing the test… The stats back it up… They’ve lost… It’s just happened far too frequently. It’s something that we have to address.”
This game fits that description. So too does the Miami and St. Louis game. All three of their home losses. Wells had a real conviction about the team wanting and believing they can win MLS Cup. He’s looking to break that small club perception and the notion that just making the playoffs is a win.
“If we don’t find this winning mindset, this ability to change the course of games when we suffer adversity, if we can’t do that, how can we win the MLS Cup? We can’t. We can’t win the Open Cup.
“I didn’t see enough of that life, energy, passion, desire to win. When I reflect on it, I’ve seen that before.”
This team needs a two month break. Speaking of that…
What’s the plan for the World Cup break?
Colorado does not play again till Wednesday July 22, home to San Diego FC. The team will have a few weeks off. Wells joked he needs a vacation and this loss has already ruined it. They’ll then be back for several weeks to train. Baring Lucas Herrington making the Australia team and going on a knockout run, everyone should be back for that.
As discussed above, the system overall is working. There’s little details to clean up. There’s tweaks to be made so the results match the stats and level of football the team is playing. There’s a mentality trend for Wells to look into.
“From a footballing standpoint, we’re miles above it. I don’t think the results have shown it. We’re losing too much and I don’t think we deserve to lose. The big break will be good for everyone to reflect on,” Aaronson said in a closing statement.
Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. You can also make a one-time contribution via Tip Jar. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.
Spencer Baldwin 
Eamon Shaw 