May 3, 1997
The Colorado Rapids finally lucked out and won a game! Lucky for them, Carlos Valdorama was missing. He was playing for Columbia in its World Cup Qualification game.
The greatly improved Rapids team was struggling on Defense in the first half. The hole was plugged when Coach Myernick subbed Amaya out in the 41st minute.
Rapids Midfielder, Adrian Paz, was playing very hard, demonstrating his fine ball skills. However, Paz loves to dribble, holds the ball too long, and misses numerous passing or scoring opportunities. He is an entertaining, exciting player, who was a great addition to the Rapids lineup. Once he decides to be a team player, and pass the ball, the team attacks can be more productive. On the other hand, Chris Henderson, an even more exciting player, was not receiving many balls from his teammates. In frustration, Chris had to go to the center midfield area to win the ball, and start the Rapids attack. He makes things happen!
Rapids Midfielder, Tote Castaneda, demonstrated his exceptional ball skills by making one beautiful pass after another. He also was a good addition. There were many exciting moments during the game. Both teams had close misses with Rapids Defender, Trittschuh's header, and Mutiny Midfielder McKinley's shot that barely missed the right post.
Rapids' "Marquee" player, Roy Wegerly, continues to demonstrate that he is anything but that. In his 2nd year with the Rapids, he is still a waste of space and money. When Coach Myernick replaced him with Paul Bravo, this mended the earlier holes, and the quality of play improved almost instantly.
The addition of Peter Vermes was an excellent move by Coach Myernick. Vermes is a steady, dependable, and intelligent player.
In the 62nd minute, Steve Trittschuh scored a power header goal from a precision pass delivered by Chris Henderson. This put the Rapids ahead 1-0. The pace of the game and the fouls increased. Mutiny players seemed to panic. Referee Refugio Ramirez was having some difficulty controlling the game, with inconsistant calls. In addition, his Jr. Linesman, Val Lieboldt made two obvious mistakes. He did not call two offsides, which aggravated both the players and the spectators.
In the 76th minute, Chris Henderson crossed the ball to Wolde Harris. He flicked it to Paz who volleyed it into the net for the Colorado Rapids' 2nd goal. The game ended with the Rapids winning 2-0 in front of a reported crowd of 10,742.