Conceding at home is becoming a problem.
An own goal right before halftime took the wind out of the Rapids’ sail and set the tone for what became an ugly 3-0 loss to the Portland Timbers at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night.
That’s six goals in two MLS home games this season now. A small sample size, but at least against Dallas on Matchday 2, the Rapids were able to salvage a point after conceding three in that game.
“Probably one of our worst home performances in a long time,” midfielder Cole Bassett said. “But we’re in a decent spot in the league table. So we’ve just got to flush it and move on to next week.”
Colorado came out swinging like the unbeaten team it was coming into Matchday 5. On a few occasions, they tried to catch the Timbers sleeping with some early, low and driven crosses. Rafael Navarro was inches from getting a foot on two, which on a different day might have led to goals.
Portland was stymied offensively and only got four shots (none on goal) in the first half, which was uncharacteristically few from a Rapids standpoint to give up. But it took one dangerous-looking attack for the Timbers to get on the board.
Driving across the byline in first-half stoppage time, new Timbers midfielder David Da Costa put in a low cross trying to find a teammate’s foot, but instead found new Rapids midfielder Josh Atencio’s foot. Though intentions were good, it almost looked like Atencio tried to fire something toward the goal, and it found the opposite side netting.
Down at halftime, the Rapids came out energetic in the second half but only rattled one quick shot before the Timbers scored their second of the night. Portland midfielder Antony, who has now scored four goals against the Rapids in as many games the past two years, fired a rocket past Rapids keeper Adam Beaudry’s outstretched fingers from the top of the box just three minutes into the second half.
“The whole game, we never took real control of it,” Bassett said. “I think we’ve had trouble with that this year, where it’s a lot of back and forth, or we’ve just been sitting in a low block defending. There’s not been enough rest on the ball, keeping it and pinning teams in (their defensive third) and tiring them out. We did a lot of that last year and it helped us.”
Beaudry, in his first career home game in Zack Steffen’s absence, had a couple of quality saves after he was beaten by Antony, but his night ultimately got worse.
In the 75th minute, Kevin Kelsy scored a third for the Timbers, finding the opposite lower corner on a one-touch shot on his first touch of the game.
“We know in this league, the margins are so thin that if your good stuff doesn’t show up on the night, you could get punished,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “There’s different ways you lose games, and tonight was one where we don’t finish the half strong. We give up (three) minutes after halftime, it’s another one and maybe it’s history right there.
“In the first half, you could see we have so many little moments that could turn into goals, but we just weren’t sharp enough in those little moments.”
The Rapids will return home to face red-hot Charlotte FC next Saturday, March 29, at 2:30 p.m.
