That was fun.
From the opening whistle to the 90th minute goal, something clicked against the Galaxy. I don’t know if it was the formation, the opponent or the raucous crowd. Maybe it was a combination of all three? Who knows. In any case, the Rapids were on the front foot early in the first half and should’ve had a goal to show for their efforts after the first 45 minutes. After a missed clearance led to LA’s goal in the 33rd minute, you’d figure some heads would hang and the Rapids would regroup at halftime. But the opposite happened. The home side pushed, and pushed hard, for an equalizer. They didn’t get it before the break but seemed destined to find one later in the match. Kellyn Acosta, playing in his first home MLS match at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, rewarded the fans with a brilliant turn-run-finish combo just five minutes into the second half. It electrified the building and sent a message to LA: we’re not going down without a fight.
“We sort of have to create our own belief," Anthony Hudson said. "We have to really work for our own belief. When we actually back ourselves and play and we’re positive and aggressive and I think most importantly we played as a team tonight. I think when we’re like that, we give ourselves belief. I think that’s what we got tonight.”
Credit to coach Hudson – he had the guys ready to play tonight and they put forth an entertaining and gritty performance worthy of three points.
Sam Nicholson was my Man of the Match.
Kellyn will take all the headlines. Rightfully so. He was brilliant and is worth every penny charged for admission. Seriously. Guy is unreal.
But against the Galaxy, the character, versatility, effort and sheer will from Sam were amazing. Here’s a guy that already in 2018 has played wingback, midfield and is now playing as a second striker. You know why the coaching staff is comfortable playing him in all those spots? Because he causes problems for opposing teams with his pace and creativity when he’s got the ball. He’s also got a great soccer IQ.
Against LA, #28 made endless runs in the attack that created space for his teammates, he closed down defenders in the press and generated more than a few chances on goal. He was all over the place (in a good way) and set the tone for his teammates all game. As he usually does, he took a physical punishment doing so. So, with time winding down, it was great to see Sam on the end of a BEAUTIFUL build-up from Nana Boateng to Eddie Castillo for the finish. It was a goal deserving of the effort put forth.
