2004 Season in Review
In 2004, MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Joe Cannon and the Colorado Rapids’ stingy defense rode an 817 home record to reach the playoff s for the third straight year. During the season midfielder Chris Henderson passed Marcelo Balboa and Paul Bravo for first on the alltime appearances and poi nts lists. He also won the 2004 US Soccer Foundation’s MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award for his extensive work in the community. Jean Philippe Peguero led the team in scoring wi th seven goals and four assists despite missing 12 games throughout the year.
But there is no mistaking that this was Cannon’s year to shine; in addition to being named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, he was also named to the 2004 MLS Best XI and was one of three finalists f or the MLS MVP award, and won both the Rapids MVP and the Rapids Defensive Player of the Year awards.
The Rapids set a new MLS record for the lowest home GoalsAgainst Average over an entire season with at 0.53 by only allowi ng eight goals in 15 matches at INVESCO Field during the season, and never more than one in a single game. After Kansas Ci ty broke the Rapids’ MLS record 16game home undefeated streak on June 9th, the Black & Blue reeled off 11 more undefeated home games. On the year Colorado was undefeated when scoring more than one goal, a credit to the play of Cannon and the suffocating defense.
After hanging around the bottom half of the Western Conference for the first four months of the season, the Rapids rode a fivegame undefeated streak through parts of August and September to reach the top of the table. Unfortunately a 022 record over the final four games dropped the Rapids to third in the conference and a matchup wi th the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs. Colorado hosted LA in the first leg of the playoff series and took a 10 victory off a Peguero goal and five saves by Cannon in the first game. However on the return leg at the Home Depot Center the Galaxy struck twi ce in the first half and held on for a 21 aggregate victory to end the 2004 season for the Rapids.