Rapids miss playoffs on heartbreaking goal in 90th minute
Pat Rooney, Special to the Rocky
Published October 25, 2008 at 10:34 p.m.
David Zalubowski © AP
Rapids defenseman Kosuke Kimura sits on the field after the Rapids' 1-1 tie with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. With the tie, Real Salt Lake advances for the first time in team history to the first round of the MLS playoffs next week and Colorado's season comes to an end.
Photo by David Zalubowski © AP
Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman, top, is hoisted in the air with the Rocky Mountain Cup by teammate Javier Morales after a 1-1 tie with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City. With the tie, Real Salt Lake advances to the first round of the MLS playoffs next week for the first time in team history and Colorado's season comes to an end.
Scores and statistics
FC Rocky blog
COMMERCE CITY — It was a somewhat fitting, though heartbreaking, end to the Rapids’ season.
After scratching and clawing down the stretch in order to climb into postseason contention, the Rapids were minutes away from securing a playoff berth that seemed completely unlikely when Gary Smith took over as the team’s interim head coach two months ago.
But with just one late defensive miscue, all that hard work amounted to nothing.
The Rapids settled for a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, watching their playoff hopes disappear when Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan scored the equalizer in the 90th minute.
The Rapids, who needed a victory to leap past RSL to take the final automatic berth out of the Western Conference, finish the year at 11-14-5. Real Salt Lake claimed the third seed out of the West and will play CD Chivas USA in a home-and-home first-round series.
Real Salt Lake also retained the Rocky Mountain Cup the regional rivals compete for.
“It’s completely deflating for everybody,” Smith said. “There isn’t a player in that (locker) room who hasn’t given every ounce of energy, of their heart and soul. I thought we had enough. I’ll look at the DVD and it will hurt even more that we continued it to the 89th minute. Maybe that mountain was just too steep to climb.”
Rapids forward Conor Casey gave the Rapids an early lead, scoring his 11th goal of the season in the 19th minute by controlling a perfect lead pass from defender Jordan Harvey and tapping the ball over charging Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Casey’s tally gave him goals in the final four games of the season, he scored six overall during that span.
The Rapids, though, could not produce another goal and had shifted to a more defensive lineup by the time Movsisyan blasted home his unassisted equalizer.
The loss leaves the Rapids without a playoff berth in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history. It also leaves in question the status of Smith, who led the Rapids to a 5-4-2 mark and took the team to the cusp of the playoffs despite inheriting a team that was reeling at midseason.
Smith indicated there was no timetable regarding the resolution of his status.
“The situation I came into was to try and put a team together that was lacking confidence and losing games . . . and I think I did that,” Smith said. “I think I steadied the ship. I gave a bit of confidence back to players that were maybe lacking it a little bit, that were maybe frustrated and disappointed.”
Real Salt Lake 0 1—1
Rapids 1 0—1
Goals — Casey, Colo (Harvey), 19th minute; Movsisyan, RSL (unassisted).
Shots on goal — RSL, 2-2—4; Colo, 3-3—6. Saves — RSL (Rimando 5); Colo (Coundoul 3). Corner kicks — RSL, 1-3—4; Colo, 2-2—4. A — 16,047.
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October 25, 2008
10:42 p.m.
Suggest removal
three11stu writes:
Way to go RSL!!!!. Hey you Crapids fans, I loved seeing your head coach crying after the game. Great victory, Rocky Mountain cup stays in Salt Lake where it belongs, and for the second year, you guys are staying home because of us. So you guys can watch us, Saturday 4 PM from Rio Tinto on Fox Soccer Channel. You guys can watch a quality team play for once.
Great Game!
October 27, 2008
7:52 a.m.
Suggest removal
The_KIMN_Chicken writes:
Classy fans in Utah. Not sure why they all seem to have a chip on the shoulder with just about everything. Jazz fans are just as bad. It must be all those wives nagging them all the time I'd be pretty salty too dealing with that I guess.