MLS Western Conference leaders Los Angeles Galaxy lost yesterday at Toronto. Had the Galaxy won, they would have remained in first place in the conference, regardless of the outcome between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas. The loss by the Galaxy provided ample motivation for the Colorado Rapids as they beat FC Dallas 2-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. With the win, the Rapids are back in first place in the MLS Western Conference with 15 pts [5-5-0]. FC Dallas remains in third place with 13 pts [3-4-4].

The Rapids dominated the game and were it not for some key saves from reserve keeper Ray Burse, this game could have gotten away from FC Dallas. The Rapids tallied 16 shots with 8 of them on goal. FC Dallas had only 6 shots with 2 on goal.

Further adding to the drama is the heated rivalry between these two clubs, who have taken pleasure in knocking each other out of MLS Cup playoffs several times in the 13 year MLS history. FC Dallas also struggles to find its new identity after the recent sacking of Steve Morrow who won just 10 of 30 home games during his tenure. Last week, FC Dallas won their first game under interim skipper Marco Ferruzzi.

After their Tuesday Open Cup win at Los Angeles, Rapids Coach Fernando Clavijo returned to his familiar 3-5-2 formation and altered the starting line-up for the Rapids.

Rapids goal keeper Bouna Condoul was away for international duty and Brazilian Rafael Gomes received his first start in central defense. Strikers Omar Cummings and Herculez Gomez were replaced by a fit Connor Casey and recently acquired Tom McManus.

The move to insert Casey paid off early for the Rapids as he scored his second goal in all competitions 2008 [1 in US Open Cup].

In the 7th minute, Colorado midfielder Christian Gomez took away the ball at midfield and turned toward goal. Rapids striker Connor Casey made a run and Gomez distributed a weighted ball into open space in the Dallas penalty area. Casey ran onto the ball and outside the 6 yard box to fire a low shot on FC Dallas keeper Ray Burse. This was Casey’s first goal of the MLS regular season.

Both teams showed intensity during the remainder of the first half. Tactically, the Rapids attacked FC Dallas at every opportunity as they played man-marking defense in the midfield. Recently-acquired goal keeper Preston Burpo was not challenged by FC Dallas with the exception of a few set pieces. Both teams were whistled for off-sides a total of 8 times.

As the first half closed, FC Dallas began to build more pressure in their offensive third of the field. This pressure paid off as striker Dominic Oduro scored his fourth goal of the season.

The teams went into the locker room tied 1-1.

The first scoring opportunity in the second half fell to Rapids striker Tom McManus. After a blistering 50 yard run, Christian Gomez delivered a cross to McManus at the top of the FC Dallas penalty box. He ripped a low ball to the far post, beating Burse but just inches wide of the net.

McManus was pleased to contribute to the win when he said, “We’re glad to get three points off FC Dallas.” When asked about his first pairing with Connor Casey [like McManus who played overseas] he said, “Connor’s been injured but he’s definitely an asset to our team. He’s a good player with similar experience to mine. I think we will compliment each other as we play more together.”

Much of the second half was marked by intense play from both teams. It was end-to-end action with a lot of hard fouls and intensity on both sides of the ball. At one point, Christian Gomez performd an overhead kick to clear the ball from the Rapids penalty area.

In the 71st minute, McManus would give the Rapids a 2-1 lead when he scored third goal of season. Making a driving run into the FC Dallas penalty area. He headed the ball to himself and while falling next to a defender was able to beat Burse to the near post. This is McManus’s second goal in two MLS games. He won MLS Goal of the Week last week with his strike against Chivas USA and has shown quality in his play this season.

At half time, Omar Cummings replaced Connor Casey. In the post-game press conference, Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo said that, “Connor said he could go another 15 minutes, but we did not want to push him and risk injury, since he played 90 minutes in the US Open Cup win at Los Angeles.”

Cummings had a productive 45 minutes and nearly scored two goals. He had four scoring chances in the final 25 minutes.

The Rapids return to Los Angeles next Saturday to face their bitter rival. The Rapids opened the 2008 MLS season beating LA 4-0 in Colorado. Coupled with the Open Cup win earlier this week, LA will probably show intense desire to clobber the Rapids at home. LA expects the return of David Beckham from international duty with the England National Team. Landon Donovan still recovers from his groin injury is at this point is questionable for the game.

Connor Casey downplayed the revenge factor, “I’m sure they will want to win. But we have to stick together as a team to make sure we play well.”

Game Stats

Scoring Summary:
COL — Conor Casey 1 (Christian Gomez 5) 7
DAL — Dominic Oduro 4 (unassisted) 44
COL — Tom McManus 3 (Rafael Gomes 1) 72

Weather: Partly Cloudy and 83 degrees

Referee: Yader Reyes
Assistants: Craig Lowry, Rob Fereday
Official: Abiodun Okulaja

Colorado Rapids

Preston Burpo, Ugo Ihemelo, Rafael Gomes, Fecundo Erpen, Jacob Peterson [78 - Jordan Harvey], Christian Gomez, Nick LaBrocca, Pablo Mastroeni, Colin Clark [64 - Terry Cooke], Conor Casey [45 - Omar Cummings], Tom McManus

Substitutes: Chris Sharpe, Mehdi Ballouchy, Herculez Gomez, Stephen Keel

FC Dallas

Ray Burse, Drew Moor, Duilio Davino, Aaron Pitchkolan, Bobby Rhine, Pablo Ricchetti, Marcelo Saragosa, Juan Toja [83 - Ricardinho], Blake Wagner [76 - Brek Shea], Kenny Cooper, Dominic Oduro [71 - Arturo Alvarez]

Substitutes: Mike Graczyk, Eric Avila, Andrew Daniels, Michael Dello-Russo