The Mile High Stadium locker room in 1997 was a lot bigger than the changing room at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, so it accommodated many more people. With friends, wives, reporters, and girlfriends joining the champagne showers at Mile High, team owner Philip Frederick Anschutz made an announcement. The room fell silent. He was buying [...]

With a combination of gritty defense and relentless attacking, the Colorado Rapids notched a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night to reach the MLS Cup Final in Toronto next week. Central defender Drew Moor cleared the ball with his head 17 times during the game for [...]

ASN’s Carmina Besson was at the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 defeat of the Colorado Rapids on Saturday (right) and filed these photographs.

ASN caught up with Colorado Rapids head coach Gary Smith over the offseason. Amid discussions about the team, talk turned to the level of play in Major League Soccer, where the former Fulham man was quick to defend the U.S. league. “Even in the past two years I’ve been here, you can see tremendous improvement in our organization and throughout the league,” he said. “The players are performing at a very high athletic level.”

Despite Conor Casey‘s franchise record of 16 goals in a season, an incredibly productive year for Omar Cummings (eight goals, 12 assists), and a full complement of attacking defenders who didn’t send the ball into the stands every other play, the Rapids limped through the final games with insufficient ammunition when the stakes were highest. They maintained a shot at the playoffs all season long. Then they lost all their creative players on the wings, tied four of their final seven games, and lost the other three.

In the second annual installment of an interview with three Major League Soccer players, ASN’s Dallas beat writer (with the help of his two kids) came up with 20 questions not really related to soccer to get to know them a little better.First up, Colorado Rapids defender Drew Moor.

ASN’s ace photographers Mike Murphy and Nick Murphy were at DSGP Saturday night gathering photographic evidence of the Rapids match with the New England Revolution. Here are some of their favorite shots:

ASN’s ace photographers Mike Murphy and Nick Murphy were at DSGP Wednesday night gathering photographic evidence of the Rapids match with the San Jose Earthquakes. Here are some of their favorite shots (as previewed on ASN’s Facebook page):