RAPIDS DROP 2-0 ROAD DECISION TO D.C. UNITED

Loss in First of Three Consecutive Road Games Drops Colorado Record to 6-6-1

WASHINGTON, D.C. - D.C. United continued their fine form at home with a 2-0 blanking of the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night at RFK Stadium. United, winless on the road (0-5-0) have attained all their points at in the friendly confines of RFK (5-1-1, 16pts). It was the third consecutive loss suffered by Colorado and only the second time the team has been shutout on the year in 13 matches.

In a game which seemingly needed a goal to enliven matters, D.C. United hit the back of the net first with a searing shot from defender Ryan Nelsen in the 17th minute. Right back Milton Reyes beat two Rapids players deep on the right flank, curling in a cross into the box. Rapids defender Robin Fraser headed the ball out of danger but it fell to the right foot of Nelsen near the top of the box. From nearly 18 yards out, the New Zealand international deposited his strong, right-footed volley into the low right corner of the goal. It was Nelsen's third goal of the season, tying him for the team lead on goals scored with Santino Quaranta.

Colorado struggled to react as United continued pushing forward during the half, earning several corner kicks. In the 24th minute a save by Colorado goalkeeper Scott Garlick prevented United from going up 2-0. A 35-yard missile fired by midfielder Petter Villegas bounced just in front of Garlick as he dove to the right post to make the save and knock the ball out for a corner kick.

In the Rapids' initial single-forward formation, striker Chris Carrieri worked hard to attempt to create scoring chances in the attack. However, he was regularly outnumbered in the United back line with only Carlos Valderrama in support.

The game did not change much in the second half as it was United which had the best opportunity of the half in the 54th minute. Forward Ali Curtis beat the Rapids' offside trap and made a 40-yard run at goal with the Colorado defenders hustling to backtrack. Garlick rushed off his line to challenge Curtis, forcing him to hesitate just long enough so that his ensuing shot was blocked for a corner kick by Fraser, who made the recovering run.

The Rapids' flank players attempted to get more involved in the attack in the second half but the runs by Mark Chung and Chris Henderson were often stopped well ahead of the penalty area. It was not long before Colorado Head Coach Tim Hankinson brought on Scottish forward John Spencer, the Rapids' leading scorer in 2001, who was seeing his first action since May 18 (due to left knee arthroscopy). Attacking midfielder Kyle Beckerman also came on at the same time in an effort to enliven the midfield.

Those changes still were not able to make a significant difference in the Rapids' offense. Colorado's most threatening plays came on a 67th minute Carrieri shot from a difficult angle which hit the right side netting and an 83rd minute scramble in front of Rimando's goal as the ball darted from end to end of the penalty area with none of the shots hitting the target.

In between the two Rapids offensives came the goal which put the game out of reach in the 72nd minute. United forward Jaime Moreno was awarded a penalty kick after Garlick was judged to have brought him down in the box. Garlick had rushed off his line in an attempt to stop Moreno who ran full speed onto a Marco Etcheverry through ball into the left side of the box. Moreno himself stepped up to convert the spot kick for his third goal of the campaign, joining Nelsen and Quaranta for the team lead (three goals).

Making his return to RFK Stadium in a D.C. United uniform was forward Roy Lassiter, who was claimed off waivers by United on Tuesday. MLS' all-time leading scorer last played for D.C. in its MLS Cup title year in 1999 and came on to a rousing ovation as he substituted Curtis in the second half. For the Rapids (6-6-1, 19pts), the match in D.C. was its first of three road matches in eight days. The club next heads to the West Coast to battle conference leaders San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, June 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

United (5-6-1, 16pts) leapfrog the MetroStars and New England Revolution with the win into third place in the Eastern Conference. The squad coached by Ray Hudson returns to MLS action on Saturday, June 29 when they host the Los Angeles Galaxy at 7:30 p.m. ET.

JUNE 19--D.C. UNITED 2, COLORADO RAPIDS 0 
                   1     2     F 
COLORADO RAPIDS    0     0     0 
D.C. UNITED        1     1     2 

Scoring Summary: 
DC --Nelsen (unassisted) 17 
DC --Moreno (PK) 72 

COLORADO RAPIDS--Scott Garlick, Rick Titus, Ritchie Kotschau, Robin Fraser,
Jeff Stewart (John Spencer 61), Wes Hart, Raul Palacios (Kyle Beckerman 61),
Chris Henderson, Mark Chung, Carlos Valderrama, Chris Carrieri (Zack
Kingsley 91+)

TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Valderrama 2, Chung 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Titus 1,
Valderrama 1, Spencer 1); FOULS: 21 (Titus 5); OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5;
SAVES: Garlick 5; CAUTIONS: Titus 41, Henderson 60, Beckerman 77; EJECTIONS:
none

D.C. UNITED--Nick Rimando, Milton Reyes, Brandon Prideaux, Ryan Nelsen, Ivan
McKinley (Orlando Perez 52), Petter Villegas (Bryan Namoff 85), Richie
Williams, Marco Etcheverry, Bobby Convey, Ali Curtis (Roy Lassiter 63),
Jaime Moreno

TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Villegas P. 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Convey 2, Villegas P. 2);
FOULS: 17 (Williams 4); OFFSIDE: 6; CORNER KICKS: 12; SAVES: Rimando 3;
CAUTIONS: Moreno 50, Prideaux 68, Lassiter 80; EJECTIONS: none
Referee: Rich Grady; Assistant Referees: Robert Fereday, Nathan Clement 
Attendance: 11,086; Weather: Clear, 77 degrees, 54% hum., Clear 

Next Up For the Rapids: The Rapids will play the second of three consecutive 
road games this Saturday, June 22, against the San Jose Earthquakes at 
Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.  Kickoff for the game, which will 
be shown live on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. 
The Rapids next home game will be the annual July Fourth fireworks 
extravaganza against the Chicago Fire.  For ticket information, contact the 
Rapids at 303-599-1599.

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