Rapids get confidence-boosting 3-0 win over Austin FC – The Denver Post
COMMERCE CITY — Coming off of four-straight draws in which they totaled just four goals, the Colorado Rapids needed a confidence boost.
With the last place team in the Western Conference in town, they got exactly what the doctor ordered.
Jonathan Lewis, Nico Mezquida and Auston Trusty all scored as the Rapids dominate their way to a 3-0 victory.
“I think it was a big game for us,” William Yarbrough said. “We’d come off of two home draws and we knew that we needed to do something different. We needed to change the gear and try to get a good result at home with our fans and keep putting ourselves in a good spot in the league and I think today, we saw that. Everyone was mentally locked in.”
It was the first time the Burgundy Boys scored three goals in a match since August 14 when they beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1.
“To get a win and get back that winning feeling and feel like you’ve really spent yourselves and you’ve played at the appropriate pace and you’ve pushed yourselves,” head coach Robin Fraser said. “To do all that to get a win, I think it can only strengthen the team’s confidence and, and, and self-belief.”
Captain Jack Price has been producing throughout the season and he showed why he’s been one of the Rapids’ most consistent players on Wednesday night. He finished with two assists on a night where he was once again all over the pitch.
“Everyone looks at the assists which are fantastic and his set piece delivery is literally second to none in my opinion,” Fraser said. “But things that you don’t talk about are the unselfish moments where he runs to cover or defend or runs through the land beyond the defenders because it’s just what has to be done. Or the times he will take the ball in very difficult places with lots of people around and because of his awareness he’s able to find the right path to not only get us out of that but to actually start the attack. There’s so much to his game that makes him an excellent player.”
The Rapids picked up their 11th clean sheet of the season which is tied for first in MLS and leads the Western Conference. The goalkeeper, Yarbrough, has started every game for the Rapids and has been a stronghold for them between the pipes but he believes the clean sheets have been a team effort.
“It’s not only the defense getting the clean sheets, it’s the work of the entire team,” Yarbrough said. “The attention to detail and training sessions and the work everyone puts in during the 90 minutes of games. It starts with the forwards all the way to the keeper and I think it just shows the chemistry this team has and the understanding we have of what Robin asks of us.”
The 11 clean sheets is a new club record for most by an individual keeper in the season. Yarbrough went down with a knee injury in the second half — a scary moment for the club and its fans — and was able to finish out the game.
“I’m doing alright,” Yarbrough said. “My knee is a bit swollen and feels kind of tight but I wanted to stay on the field man and and help my teammates get this win.”
The Rapids not only needed a win but they needed to see some goals in the back of the net to gain confidence as they will visit the first place Seattle Sounders on the weekend. They currently sit three points behind the Sounders with the same amount of games played.
It’s a tall task for any team in one of the toughest places to play in MLS, but if the Rapids can find a way to squeeze out three points they might find themselves atop the Western Conference standings by Sunday.
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