This game started off horribly and didn’t let up after that. Only five minutes in, Matt Pickens managed to give up a bad penalty in his own box, giving Columbus what basically amounted to a free goal, and a great team like Columbus doesn’t give up momentum very easily after getting a freebie that quickly.
Colorado’s finishing was awful through the first 45 minutes, with Omar Cummings missing a wide open net after making a fine run through the defense, and Marvell Wynne smashing a rocket of a shot wide through a wall of people only minutes later. They managed to equalize after a quick perfect pass from Mehdi Ballouchy to Pablo Mastroeni, leaving the captain wide open in front of the net. He actually came only inches from missing the net on his shot, showing that even the Rapids get the luck every so often.
The second half opened badly with Matt Pickens completely misplaying a header from Marvell Wynne, allowing Jason Garey a free shot at an open net for the two goal lead. In the 65th minute Garey scored again, but the play was called back on an offside call, which was booed immensely by the home crowd and probably the wrong call watching the replay. It wouldn’t wind up mattering as Garey’s substitute Steven Leinhart put the final nail in the coffin at 80 minutes.
The finishing for Colorado never improved, even after Claudio Lopez subbed in for Ballouchy late in the game. Conor Casey was a non-factor the entire game and Omar Cummings seemed to be trying too hard most of the game, getting bad touches and not anticipating plays. His one good chance at goal was a horrible miss. A random 4th-of-Julyesque downpour during the second half didn't help the Rapids chances either.
Colorado hasn’t come back from behind to win a game in over four seasons, and performances like tonight show you why.