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reprint of COLORADO RAPIDS NEWS RELEASE -- byline Andy Engel
NEWS RELEASE
DENVER -- On a slippery pitch at INVESCO Field at Mile High, the Colorado Rapids blanked the Kansas City Wizards 2-0 behind a goal and assist from forward John Spencer as goalkeeper Scott Garlick registered his league-leading fourth shutout of the season. Spencer has now tallied 10 career points (4g, 2a) in five games against the Wizards, including a current four-game point streak.
In a rematch of the season opener on March 23 at Arrowhead Stadium in which the two teams tied 1-1 in overtime, Colorado saw the first chance of the game in the opening minutes as midfielder Carlos Valderrama found forward John Spencer open at the top of the box. Spencer tried to pound the ball to the left side of the net, but Kansas City goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi made the diving save. Spencer was open again on a Valderrama pass in the ninth minute, but had his shot smothered by Oshoniyi.
Colorado took the lead in the 38th minute after a foul by Gutierrez on Rapids midfielder Chris Henderson in the penalty box. Spencer, the former Scottish international, stepped up and blasted the resulting penalty kick into the middle of the net as Oshoniyi dove to his right.
In the second half, Kansas City attempted a comeback in the 54th minute when a Gutierrez left-footed cross found midfielder Matt McKeon in the box. However, his header sailed wide left.
Kansas City's best chance of the second half came in the 66th minute when second-half substitute Chris Brown put a header on net that Garlick had to tip over the crossbar.
Henderson, a former Wizard, scored an insurance goal, his team-leading fourth goal on the season, for the Rapids in the 88th minute. Henderson collected a Valderrama pass and started a give-and-go with Spencer down the right flank. Henderson slid a diagonal right-footed shot from the right side of the box past Oshoniyi into the left side netting.
In stoppage time, the Wizards almost ruined the clean sheet for Garlick, as midfielder Francisco Gomez fired a shot from 40 yards out. Garlick made the save as he fell backward into the net, keeping the ball outside of the goal.
The Colorado Rapids (4-2-1, 13 pts) will next play on Saturday, May 18 in the MLS Soccer Saturday Game of the Week on ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) against the Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl.
El Pibe - Assist or No Assist? Entering Saturday night's 2-0 victory over Conference rival Kansas City Wizards, Rapids midfielder Carlos Valderrama stood on the brink of reaching a career milestone - his 100th Major League Soccer assist. In the closing minutes of the match, with Colorado holding onto a 1-0 lead, El Pibe sent a skillful back-heeled pass to midfielder Chris Henderson who quickly played a one-two ball with captain John Spencer before sliding home the insurance goal past an outstretched Bo Oshoniyi. Given credit for the assist, Valderrama celebrated with his teammates before being awarded the game ball and a special 'Valderrama 100' jersey after the final whistle. Unbeknownst to El Pibe and the 23,000 cheering fans at INVESCO Field, MLS officials were reviewing the 88th minute play during the post-game celebration and shortly thereafter stripped the midfield maestro of the assist, officially stating that Spencer was the lone recipient of the game-winning helper. Rapids officials are still working with the league to reinstate the milestone 100th assist for Valderrama.
Recent Rapids acquisition Raul Palacios of Chile made his MLS and Rapids debut on Saturday night in a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards, entering the rain-soaked game as a 65th minute sub for Wes Hart. Palacios played well behind Valderrama, acting as a ball winner and distributor and looks to contribute greatly in the place of missing-in-action midfielder Pablo Mastroeni who has joined Bruce Arena's national team squad in preparation for Korea/Japan 2002.
Rapids Present Media World Cup, Wednesday, May 15 at INVESCO Field For the seventh straight season, the Rapids will host 'Media Cup' - a chance for metro-area media members to play side-by-side and against their favorite Rapids players from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. at INVESCO Field. Following a World Cup style format in honor of the world's largest single sporting event in Korea/Japan from May 31 - June 30, members of the press will be 'drafted' to one of eight teams - the U.S., Canada, England, Scotland, Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia and El Salvador - which will be captained by Rapids players according to their places of descent. Prizes will be awarded to the winning side, followed by lunch and plenty of media-player interaction. For a more detailed time schedule or to cover this event at INVESCO Field, please call the Colorado Rapids Media Relations Department at (303) 299-1487 or (303) 299-1590. Game and lunch participation is based upon invite only.
The U.S. Men's National Team opened the "Nike Road to Korea" with a 2-1 win over World Cup bound Uruguay at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Sunda y. The win was the USA's fifth of the year against teams that have qualified for the 2002 World Cup. Playing in front of a boisterous crowd of 30,413 fans, the U.S. extended its undefeated home record to 8-0-1 in 2002. Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni came on as a substitute when Chicago Fire midfielder Chris Armas left the game in the 24th minute after injuring his right knee earlier in the half. Mastroeni played well for the remainder of the game, earning his 9th cap and further staking his claim for a possible starting role when the U.S. travels to Korea/Japan from May 31 - June 30. The "Nike Road to Korea" continues on Thursday, when the U.S. faces CONCACAF rival Jamaica at 7:30 p.m. ET (live on ESPN2) at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. From there, the U.S. heads north to Boston where they play a talented Holland squad in their World Cup send-off match on May 19 (Sunday) at CMGI Field in Foxboro, Mass., at 2 p.m. ET in a match that will be shown live on ABC.
Through Week 7 of MLS 2002, the Colorado Rapids are leading the league in attendance, averaging 27,237 fans per game after the first four matches of the season at INVESCO Field. With a total of 108,947 fans through the gates so far from March 30 - May 11, the Rapids are currently 3-1 at home - the second-best mark in the league. With a franchise-best start at 4-2-1 after seven games, the Rapids look to continue leading the MLS in getting fans through the gates.
In helping lead the Rapids to a 2-0 victory over Kansas City on Saturday night at INVESCO Field, Rapids goalkeeper Scott Garlick lowered his league-best GAA (Goals Against Average) to 0.70 after seven games this season. (Columbus Crew goalkeeper and A-League call-up Jon Busch boasts a 0.00 GAA after only two games.) Allowing only five goals in seven starts, Garlick now leads the league in shutouts with four on the season and closes to within one victory (68) of all-time MLS win leader Zach Thornton of the Chicago Fire (69).
The Colorado Rapids (4-2-1, 13 pts) will next play on Saturday, May 18 in the MLS Soccer Saturday Game of the Week on ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) against the Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl. The match will mark the second time in 2002 that the Rapids have been a part of the MLS weekly showcase on ESPN2, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on April 27 at the Rose Bowl. The Rapids have not lost at the Cotton Bowl since May 16, 1998. Since that time, Colorado is 4-0 in Dallas.
Injury Report: None to report Training Schedule: Tuesday, May 14 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility 12:00 p.m. Weekly Media Luncheon at Westminster Wednesday, May 15 - Media Cup at INVESCO Field, 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thursday, May 16 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility Friday, May 17 - 9:00 a.m. at INVESCO Field / Bus departs for airport 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 18 - 2:00 p.m. (MT) at Dallas Burn (Cotton Bowl) (MLS Soccer Saturday Game of the Week on ESPN2) Western Conference TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Jose Earthquakes 8 5 2 1 16 12 8 Won 2 5-2-1 Los Angeles Galaxy 7 4 1 2 14 9 6 Won 2 4-1-2 Colorado Rapids 7 4 2 1 13 8 5 Won 2 4-2-1 Dallas Burn 7 2 2 3 9 7 9 Lost 1 2-2-3 Kansas City Wizards 6 1 3 2 5 6 8 Lost 2 1-3-2 Overall Standings TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Jose Earthquakes 8 5 2 1 16 12 8 Won 2 5-2-1 Los Angeles Galaxy 7 4 1 2 14 9 6 Won 2 4-1-2 Colorado Rapids 7 4 2 1 13 8 5 Won 2 4-2-1 MetroStars 8 3 4 1 10 10 11 Lost 2 3-4-1 Chicago Fire 7 3 3 1 10 10 7 Lost 1 3-3-1 Dallas Burn 7 2 2 3 9 7 9 Lost 1 2-2-3 Kansas City Wizards 6 1 3 2 5 6 8 Lost 2 1-3-2 N.E. Revolution 5 2 2 1 7 8 7 Won 1 2-2-1 D.C. United 7 2 5 0 6 6 11 Lost 2 2-5-0 Columbus Crew 6 2 4 0 6 5 9 Lost 1 2-4-0
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