March 30, 2008 5:43 PM

Rapids dissect Galaxy 4-0 in home opener

Terry Cooke registered a goal and two assists as the Rapids destroyed the Galaxy 4-0 in the season opener Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Cooke opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game. Attacking midfielder Christian Gomez blasted a shot off the post, and the rebound caromed to Cooke, who threaded a bullet of a shot between Galaxy keeper Steve Cronin and the right post. The fans behind the south goal at Dick's Sporting Goods Park know just how close Cooke's shot came to hitting the inside of the post.

Cooke's first assist came in the second half. In the 67th minute, Cookie sent a nice vertical pass through the L.A. defense to spring Omar Cummings alone on Cronin. Cummings tapped the ball to his right to elude Cronin's rush, and Cummings slotted the ball into the empty net from a fairly sharp angle.

Clark was credited with a second assist on Colin Clark's strong individual effort in the 80th minute.

The Rapids got their other goal from Gomez on a penalty kick in the 60th minute (more on that later ... ).

The Rapids did a few things to really key this victory.

First, was poise. The Rapids began with Cummings up front, Gomez directly behind him, Nick LaBrocca and John DiRaimondo at center mid, Facundo Erpen and Stephen Keel at center back and Bouna in net. Only one of those players in the middle of the field (Coundoul) was a starter with the Rapids a year ago, and three (DiRaimondo, LaBrocca and Keel) saw very little time with the full team last season. On paper, this seemed to spell trouble. But every Rapids player, particularly those in the middle of the field, refused to panic. They were aggressive, and they were determined to play in the Galaxy's half of the field.

And that reluctance to play on their heels was huge. It allowed the Rapids' attack to flourish, but it also kept the ball away from L.A.'s front three of David Beckham, Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan. Fine strategy, great execution.

Finally, the Rapids pushed forward vertically. Gomez's presence had much to do with this (more on that later ... ). Colorado was able to create chances from multiple spots on the field and didn't rely on crosses from the wings. They did get some nice crosses from Cooke and from newcomer Jose Burciaga Jr. But that was simply part of the offensive equation, as it should be.

This was a well-rounded effort from a team playing with heart.

CLASSIC VICTORY: I would list this among the three best games in the young history of Dick's Sporting Goods Park. It ranks with last season's victory over D.C. United in the first game at the stadium and the 2007 MLS All-Star Game.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Although Bouna needed only two saves to record the shutout, he often squelched the Galaxy before the players could shoot. For example, in the 18th minute, Beckham crossed the ball from the right wing into the mix in front of the goal. Bouna sliced through traffic and pulled the ball down easily, preventing any shot that may have developed in the scrum. ... Gomez was able to create scoring chances individually. He set up Cooke's goal with his quick shot off the post, and he essentially put the game out of reach with a solid PK. ... But the man of the match on Saturday was Cookie (more on this ... next).

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: I had the honor of voting for MLS player of the week this week, and I chose Cooke. It wasn't a difficult decision. No other player registered more than a point on Saturday or Sunday. Here were my comments from the voting: "One goal and two assists and a 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. The stats back up the selection, and his play on the pitch did, as well. Cooke was the best player on the pitch for the best performance by any team during the league's opening weekend."

THE VERTICAL GAME: In the 37th minute, Gomez freed the speedy Cummings with a sweet flick forward. The key word there is "forward." For YEARS this team has relied on playing the ball safely and unimaginatively to the wings and settling for a cross from the sideline. But if Saturday's game was an indication, Gomez has planted the seed with this team: It's a good idea to go straight at the defense sometimes. In the 42nd minute, Burciaga played an innocent ball forward to Gomez, who slanted it to Nick LaBrocca, who was speeding straight toward the goal between two defenders. The pass was out of LaBrocca's reach, but it was an example of the type of visualization of offense that the Rapids have been without since Carlos Valderrama retired.

OK, I'LL STOP WHINING: I know I did a lot of "sky is falling" worrying before Saturday's game about the possibility of Beckham not playing during the Galaxy's only visit to Colorado in the 2008 regular season. And, as it turned out, my concern was unfounded. Beckham started, played the full 90 and wore the captain's armband. He didn't play poorly; the Rapids just denied him the opportunity to play well.

YOUNGSTERS ON DEFENSE: Kosuke Kimura and Keel started on defense for the banged-up Rapids and played solidly. It's doubtful that head coach Fernando Clavijo would start either of the two ahead of Ugo Ihemelu or Mike Petke, but their performances proved that they're available when the need arises.

DEFENDER SIGNED: The Rapids signed defender Kelly Gray, who had been waived by Los Angeles, on Friday. Gray was selected by Chicago in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2002 draft and was with the Fire for the first three and a half years of his career, helping them win the 2003 U.S. Open Cup and reach the MLS Cup that year before being traded to San Jose in 2005. Gray remained with the Earthquakes after the franchise moved to Houston in 2006. He appeared in 18 games last season as he helped the Dynamo claim the MLS Cup. In 2007, Gray appeared in nine of the Dynamo's 14 games, collecting one assist, while starting four of his last five games with the Dynamo.

WHAT GRAY HAS TO SAY: Read Gray's blog on goal.com here:
http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=638284

OTHER ROSTER MOVES: The Rapids signed 2008 draft pick Scott Campbell and placed forward Conor Casey and defender Mike Petke on the disabled list. Casey and Petke will be available to return to the lineup May 10. The Rapids added Mike Graczyk as a league pool goalkeeper.

THE PK: Referee Abiodun Okulaja awarded a penalty kick to the Rapids after Abel Xavier fouled Cummings in the box about 15 minutes into the second half. Xavier, Beckham and Donovan protested resoundingly, but it was the right call. Xavier appeared to make contact with the ball; and Cummings, sensing a scoring opportunity, popped up quickly off the pitch after Xavier dumped him. But the problem was the Xavier tackled Cummings from behind. Cummings' speed and sense of balance gave the appearance that the play might not have been a foul, but Okulaja didn't let that deceive him. My 16-year-old son nailed it: "He tackled him from behind." It was a fair call and just another example of how the Galaxy defenders had no answer for the Rapids' attack.

EL PESCADITO: Did anybody else think Ruiz looked like he'd lost weight? He looked very fit.

FRUSTRATION? Did Beckham really tear off the captain's armband after the scrum in extra time? It sure appeared he did, and the game hadn't ended yet.

Posted by George Tanner at 5:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack