Colorado Rapids coach Chris Armas doesn’t usually see a draw for what it is. To him, you either lose two points or win one.
Against his former team, he thought the point from a 1-1 draw to New York Red Bulls on a piping hot night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was well-earned.
“Sometimes (draws) feel like a win, sometimes they feel like a loss. This one feels like a point won in the end against a good team and being down a goal,” Armas said. “They’re a stingy defensive team and they put teams in difficult games. Most teams, when you watch them, don’t understand how to meet the demands of those games against the New York Red Bulls, but I think our guys did that.”
Those demands didn’t come solely from the opponent. In fact, perhaps the biggest demand was to stay hydrated in 90-plus degree heat. It’s rare to see scheduled hydration breaks take place in a game, but even more so for one that started at 7:30 p.m.
The allure of a cooled locker room and a break from play may have led to a defensive lapse at the very end of the first half, resulting in the Red Bulls’ lone goal.
In first half stoppage time, goalkeeper Zack Steffen sent out what he called a “shanked punt,” which had a little less distance than he would have liked. From the midfield, Red Bulls won possession and worked it up the left side, after which Dante Vanzeir found Lewis Morgan for an open shot from about 10 yards out.
Defender Keegan Rosenberry, who got stuck between covering two players, said the breakdown started as soon as Red Bulls picked up possession.
“I think it starts with the lack of challenging, somebody in the midfield or somebody else needs to go up (for the ball on the punt) initially and then I think it’s a chain reaction from there,” Rosenberry said. “We’ll look at the video and some things we can do better, but I think we’re most disappointed in that aspect.”
Former Red Bulls player and current Rapids winger Omir Fernández had a bit more to play for on the night with family from New York in attendance against his old team. He had a great chance in the 64th minute, when he drilled the left post in a play oddly reminiscent of when he hit the same post last week against St. Louis CITY.
But the luck bounced back in the Rapids’ favor just seconds later, when Rosenberry slotted in a dangerous low cross and Red Bulls defender Sean Nealis put it in his own net to tie it up in the 64th minute.
The best chance the Rapids had to take the lead was seven minutes later when midfielder Cole Bassett had a nice header to the low corner, but New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel got his hands to it.
A couple of minutes later, Fernández had to be subbed off after suffering an apparent lower leg injury at midfield. It added to an injury to winger Calvin Harris, who hurt his groin during pregame warmups. He was slated to come off the bench.
Armas said both of the injuries are minor and should not keep the two wingers out long term. But a sudden lack of depth at that position could be worrying given the road trip to the LA Galaxy, third in the Western Conference, on Wednesday and a home game against fierce rivals Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The Rapids could have another critical piece of the lineup back as early as Monday. Center back Moïse Bombito is set to return after operating as a crucial part of theCanadian Men’s National Team’sfourth-place finish in Copa America.
For Armas, the experience Bombito got will undoubtedly pay dividends going forward.
“Imagine what (Bombito) sees in live time: the speed of play and the intelligence he’s having to play against,” Armas said. “I like the fact that Canada plays with a similar philosophy and puts center backs in tough situations, covering ground and putting out fires.
“He’ll come back sharp, but he’ll also come back with a lot of confidence that only these types of experiences can give a young player.”
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Originally Published: July 14, 2024 at 12:45 a.m.
