Rapids Clinch Playoff Berth Against Timbers by Chris Brown
October 1, 2016 – 2015 Major League Soccer Champions Portland Timbers rolled Colorado looking for a crucial win against the Colorado Rapids.
Colorado and Portland also played on July 4th in Tim Howard’s first match for the Rapids, a 0-0 draw. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
The Timbers are currently out of the playoff picture as they sit in 7th place in the West on 41 points and needed a big result in Colorado to keep their playoff hopes alive as the 2016 regular season nears its conclusion.
The Timbers came into the match having yet to register an away win in MLS this campaign, having a record of 0-9-6 on the road in 2016.
The Rapids have yet to lose at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in any competition in 2016, their record at home has been 9-0-5 and their overall point total of 48 is good enough for second place in the Western Conference, five points behind first place FC Dallas coming into the match.
Portland came out the stronger side from the opening whistle, keeping possession and pressing the Rapids when they didn’t have the ball. Colorado struggled to string any passes together at all because Portland’s pressing didn’t give the Rapids any time to pick out a teammate.
Diego Valeri had an early shot in the sixth minute following some slick passing from the Timbers. The shot, from outside of the box, was a hard driven rocket and Tim Howard was forced to tip the shot over the crossbar.
Portland passed the ball well using the entire width of the pitch and Colorado began chasing shadows. Dominique Badji was booked early and several Rapids players received warnings as Colorado had to be physical to stymie Portland’s crisp passing.
Diego Valeri was the most dangerous man on the pitch for most of the match. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
As the first half went on Diego Valeri was clearly the most dangerous player on the pitch, combining well with teammates and consistently getting into threatening positions. In the 34th minute Valeri found himself with the ball on the edge of the box after Fernando Adi and Axel Sjoberg got tangled up fighting for a long ball. Valeri blasted a shot on goal and Howard had to tip the ball over the goal, again, for a corner.
Just minutes later Valeri had another great chance. Powell found Valeri in box and the midfielder turned and fired across goal. The ball struck off the inside of the post and rebounded right back into the six yard box only for Jared Watts to clear it. Had the shot been an inch to the right Portland would have taken the lead.
Sebastien Le Toux had a decent chance on goal for the Rapids as the first half wound down. A Marc Burch cross found Le Toux but the winger couldn’t keep his header down and the shot sailed over the bar.
At halftime the score was 0-0 but Portland should have been in the lead by at least a goal.
The second half started quite differently than the first. Colorado came out much brighter, passing well and finding space where they couldn’t in the first half. The Rapids began keeping possession well and keeping it in Portland’s half of the pitch.
The Timbers looked tired as the second half wore on and it seemed like a combination of the altitude, as well as the fierce pressing from the first half, were catching up to Caleb Porter’s team. The Timbers strategy seemed to change to fit that as Portland was happy to sit deep and then counter, conserving energy in the process.
The Timbers had a strong away fan base making noise all match long. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
In the 65th minute Colorado found a breakthrough. Marlon Hairston came down the right wing with the ball and beat Diego Chara and Vytas on the dribble to get into the box. Once inside Hairston had plenty of time and space to pick out a pass. Hairston squared the ball to Badji who touched the ball but let it run to Sebastien Le Toux who fired the ball home past Jake Gleeson to the bottom right corner of the goal.
Colorado are usually excellent when playing with a lead and even more so when they’re at home. Pablo Mastroeni’s men shut down the game after that and although both teams were able to create chances, Portland’s legs seemed to have disappeared after the goal. The Rapids could have added to their total but Jake Gleeson denied both Dominique Badji and Substitute Caleb Calvert from increasing Colorado’s lead.
The match got increasingly feisty throughout the evening and after the goal, in the 77th minute there was a bizarre scene where Portland’s Vylas and Rapids backup goalkeeper Zac MacMath got into a scuffle on the sidelines. MacMath was booked for his role in the dust up, the referee believing MacMath was delaying the game by holding on to the ball during a Portland throw in.
The referee was a big part of the match. It felt like the official was extremely finicky as he blew his whistle early and often, sometimes for almost no reason at all. It seemed like he was attempting to stay in control of the match, though he never really did. Eight players were booked in total, six Rapids and two Timbers.
Marc Burch being booked, one of eight players to see yellow in the match. (Photo Credit: Corbin Elliott)
After four minutes of added time the whistle was blown and the match ended 1-0 in favor of the Rapids.
The win clinched a playoff berth for the Rapids, their first since 2013, and it takes Colorado to 51 points on the season. 51 points is the most point Colorado has every gained in a season having done it once previously. That total should be exceeded as the Rapids still have three games left to play in the regular season.
For Portland, the loss puts the Timbers playoff hopes in even greater peril than before. A route to the playoffs is getting more difficult to imagine and the 2015 MLS Champions may not even have a chance to defend their title once the MLS Cup Playoffs begin.
These two teams will play one more time in 2016 but the venue will be Providence Park on October 16th.
