The doubters are devastated.
Zack Steffen, who has once again proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in MLS during the Rapids’ wild Leagues Cup run, was strong again in Colorado’s third penalty shootout of the tournament, this time in a crucial third-place match with a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on the line.
A collapse by the Rapids at the end of the first half was avenged by adjustments from Chris Armas and, fittingly, a first-class performance from Steffen in a 3-1 penalty shootout victory at Subaru Park on Sunday.
After securing a 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union in regular time, Steffen performed his penalty magic one last time to secure a place in the Champions Cup.
The veteran goalie saved the first two penalties from Daniel Gazdag and Tai Baribo, who both scored goals for Union, while watching Djordje Mihailovic and Cole Bassett sink their shots. Philadelphia never recovered.
“In the middle of the season (Steffen) had to endure a lot of criticism. There are a lot of critics who are now very quiet,” said Armas. “In the middle of the season, when a few goals don’t go in his favor, a lot of other things are ignored. I saw how important he is to our team from day one. The fact that he is being recognized on a stage with many eyes on him, perhaps even being called up to the national team, shows how good he is.”
Winger Calvin Harris opened the scoring for the Rapids in the 38th minute after a nice counterattack by the Rapids. Bassett, playing wide, found Mihailovic in the middle of the field. Mihailovic then took advantage of a miscommunication between two Union defenders and found striker Rafael Navarro. In a 2-on-1 situation, Navarro set up Harris perfectly, who calmly finished through the legs of Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
The lead came about unexpectedly and was only possible thanks to the Rapids’ strong counterattacks, which had not been so convincing in the last two games. But the lead did not last long.
In the 41st minute, Kai Wagner took advantage of a cross and headed the ball back in front of the goal to the unmarked Baribo, who had plenty of time and space to head the ball past Steffen into the goal from practically a very short distance.
Baribo, who missed Wednesday’s semifinal against Columbus, scored a second goal just three minutes later. A Philadelphia shot took a deflection that initially caught Steffen off guard and landed right in front of Baribo, who slotted it home without much resistance. In all competitions, Baribo has scored 13 goals in 13 games.
Union was the better team for much of the first half and the Rapids seemed to have given it their all and taken the lead at the end before conceding two goals from Philadelphia before halftime.
Philadelphia took control and “overloaded” the perimeter to stretch the Rapids’ defense, which worked for most of the first half. For Armas, the plan for the second-half adjustments was simple: pull the wingers back to help the fullbacks, then go full throttle in transition.
“We tried to pull our winger back to clear the wide spaces and at the same time provoke a different pressing, be more aggressive and put more players in a high press to change the rhythm and I think that worked,” Armas said. “I think it changed the rhythm and I think we had a good start to the second half and gained some momentum.”
The Rapids tied the game at 2-2 early in the second half, thanks to a volley by Oliver Larraz from the edge of the box off a reclaimed corner in the 49th minute. He’s been attempting that type of shot in about every other game for a couple of months, even in the first half against Philadelphia, and it finally worked.
According to Armas, the emotions in the Rapids’ dressing room were not as euphoric as they were after their victory against Liga MX champions Club América eight days ago.
“We’ve been on the road for ten days. The road here takes us through four Mexican teams, LAFC and of course this one. It’s a tough test for these guys,” said Armas. “Physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s a lot. So the mood was almost like relief and joy with exhausted faces. It’s hard to explain, but they’re happy.”
The next six days of rest, a well-earned break that is longer than any the Rapids have had in a month, will be crucial as Colorado prepares for its final eight games before the MLS playoffs, starting with an away game at FC Dallas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
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