Revenge against the Rapids are the thoughts swirling around the minds of FC Dallas as they take on Colorado on Friday night, only fourteen days after their embarrassing defeat to Pablo Mastroeni’s men. On April 10 the Rapids and Dallas met for their first meeting of the season. Dallas was the favorite to take all three points from the match but when is the beautiful game ever a guarantee? Colorado ran rampant in Dallas, scoring four goals and earning themselves a clean sheet when all odds were against them to lose, prevailing 4-0.
Last week Dallas defeated Toronto FC 3-2 in a sloppy affair that was suspended for three hours due to a rain delay. Fabian Castillo put Dallas up 1-0 in the first minute and followed up with another goal in the 10th minute. Then Blas Perez scored in the 27th minute to have a commanding lead over Toronto. The three hour delay was a blessing for Toronto as Sebastian Giovinco scored a brace, but it was not enough for the Canadian side to get any points in Texas.
Colorado continues to sit rock bottom of the Western Conference as they slipped 3-1 to a good Seattle team who were desperate for points. Surprisingly the Rapids controlled a good portion of the match having 27 shots and 55% possession, but lacked in finishing and taking great opportunities. Of the 27 shots the Rapids attempted, only nine were at target, which is a 33% shot on goal rate. Lamar Neagle of the Sounders opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Gabriel Torres equalized in the 22nd minute, but that was cancelled out three minutes later by Neagle, to grab his second of the match. Obafemi Martins then scored in the 73rd minute on a beautiful turn and finish to put his side up 3-1 and on to victory.
For Colorado to get off the bottom of the table, for the time being, they need to win Friday night at home, or else their situation is just going to get worse as teams are expanding the gap between themselves and the Rapids in the table. This match is also huge for Dallas as they can potentially go top of the table with a win against the lackluster Rapids. Colorado is relying heavily on Dillon Powers who has been playing sensationally in the past couple of weeks in the midfield. The Rapids attack needs to be efficient in front of the net as well in order to hopefully secure a vital three points so early into the season. For Dallas, they are a much better side than Colorado. To win Friday night, they need to forget about what happened two weeks ago, control the match, and stay mentally with the match.
This writer's prediction for this match is a 2-0 for FC Dallas. Colorado will not be able to beat the Texans again and Fabian Castillo and Tesho Akindele will both score for the side.