COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – For 82 minutes, it looked as though the Colorado Rapids would reclaim a spot atop the Western Conference and Supporter’s Shield standings.
But a late equalizer by FC Dallas midfielder Victor Ulloa put those plans on hold as the top two teams in MLS each took a point from Saturday’s 1-1 draw.
“Today we had a lot of opportunities and feel hard done by not being able to get all three points here tonight,” said Rapids midfielder Marlon Hairston, who gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute. “It’s not going to be an easy rest of the season. We’ll have to continue to go tit for tat with [Dallas]. We’ve got a couple games in hand so we’ll have to keep our heads up.”
While disappointing, Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni saw the result as a bit karmic in a pairing of the top two teams in the table as his side extended their unbeaten streak to 15 games.
“Overall, I think it was a fantastic effort and a good display of football from both sides,” Mastroeni said. “I think that’s how it goes. You’re trying to get to the top of the table against the team that has the most points in the league, so that’s what you get.”
After controlling the pace of the game and producing quality chances in the first half, including Hairston’s opening goal, Colorado found themselves weathering a more aggressive Dallas side in the second 45 minutes, despite controlling the game’s possession.
“I thought the first half we put the pressure on them and dictated where we wanted the game to be played,” Mastroeni said. “In the second half, they started taking some risks, leaving their players in advanced positions when we had the ball. Tonight, they did a good job of countering. We had a lot of the ball, but that’s as dangerous as not having the ball at all.”
The high pressure from Dallas led to Ulloa’s eventual equalizer in the 82nd minute. The visitors could’ve pushed for more, if not for an otherwise solid performance from Tim Howard in net, who ended the night with five saves, including three in the second half.
“I think he was world class,” Mastroeni said. “If he has to come up like that, we’re not doing a good job in front of him. Tonight wasn’t our best performance or our most organized performance.”
All in all, the Rapids manager ultimately saw Saturday night’s clash of the league leaders as a teaching experience for the remainder of the season.
“I’m pleased with the performance from an effort perspective,” Mastroeni said. “There are some things that we have to continue to get better at. Too often tonight, we labored possession, didn’t look forward enough and there wasn’t enough of a change of pace in the attack.”
