In a home match the Colorado Rapids could ill afford to lose the team got a 3-2 win over the expansion Montreal Impact thanks to a Southern wind and atrocious officiating on Saturday night.

Tied at 2 and down a man with the 61st minute ejection of Tyrone Marshall, the Rapids got the victory off an 83rd minute free kick that a strong wind kept the ball dancing along the crossbar until Jaime Castrillon headed it into the back of the net.

In a home match the Colorado Rapids could ill afford to lose the team got a 3-2 win over the expansion Montreal Impact thanks to a Southern wind and atrocious officiating on Saturday night.

Tied at 2 and down a man with the 61st minute ejection of Tyrone Marshall, the Rapids got the victory off an 83rd minute free kick that a strong wind kept the ball dancing along the crossbar until Jaime Castrillon headed it into the back of the net.

By ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, Calif. -- Championship seasons are riddled with season-defining moments that often propel a team from mediocrity to glory.

One such moment may have come for the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday when goalkeeper Josh Saunders stopped an Omar Cummings penalty kick in the 91st minute to preserve the club's 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids.

The Colorado Rapids already-strong front line just got deeper and more talented.

Colorado bolstered its forward corps Thursday, signing 33-year-old Brazilian striker Luis Eduardo "Edu" Schmidt to complement a group that includes Omar Cummings, Quincy Amarikwa, Andre Akpan and Conor Casey, who is close to returning from a long-term Achilles injury.

It's not a great day news wise for Sporting KC today, with two bits of bad news coming out today. First, Sporting KC's reserves, the Swope Park Rangers, took the field against the Colorado Rapids in reserve league play. From the beginning, KC was the stronger side, controlling the game and attacking consistently, but were unable to grab the lead.

The Colorado Rapids asked the question of whether it was possible on Saturday night to have a "good" home loss, and the answer appeared to be a definitive maybe.

The Rapids fell at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1. The loss was the third in a row for the Rapids and dropped them into the bottom three in the Western Conference with a 3-4-0 record.

The Los Angeles Galaxy looked like they had a win in the bag in Colorado when they took a 2-0 lead on the Rapids heading into the second half, but an Omar Cummings wonder goal and a 90th minute penalty call threatened the Galaxy's first road win of the season.

That's before Josh Saunders stepped up and saved a Cummings penalty, canceling out a highly-questionable penalty call against David Junior Lopes and handing the Galaxy a 2-1 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Philadelphia Union starting XI: Zac MacMath, Chris Albright, Sheanon Williams, Carlos Valdes, Porfirio Lopez, Brian Carroll, Michael Farfan, Keon Daniel, Gabriel Gomez, Danny Mwanga, Lionard Pajoy

Philadelphia Union subs: Chase Harrison, Josue Martinez, Roger Torres, Cristhian Hernandez, Zach Pfeffer, Chandler Hoffman, Danny Califf

Colorado Rapids starting XI: Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Luis Zapata, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Jamie Castrillon, Brian Mullan, Omar Cummings, Tony Cascio

Colorado Rapids bench: Steward Ceus, Tyrone Marshall, Scott Palguta, Ross LaBauex, Wells Thompson, Andre Akpan, Quincy Amarikwa

Before the game gets started, I recommend everyone read this post from Cartilage Free Captain on Fabrice Muamba.

Following the shortest offseason, Major League Soccer swings into action on Saturday and the Rapids face Columbus at home in Commerce City.

The March 10 first kick comes less than four months after the Los Angeles Galaxy claimed the MLS Cup title. Now the league and the Rapids begin their 16th season of play less than two weeks from the start of spring.

Following the shortest offseason, Major League Soccer swings into action on Saturday and the Rapids face Columbus at home in Commerce City.

The March 10 first kick comes less than four months after the Los Angeles Galaxy claimed the MLS Cup title. Now the league and the Rapids begin their 16th season of play less than two weeks from the start of spring.

We end this look at the coming season with the team that drives soccer in Colorado, the Colorado Rapids.

MLS Cup champions in 2010, the Rapids slogged through 2011. After the first month of the campaign, only a July dismantling of New York (4-0) and an August domination of Columbus (a 2-0 shellacking that looked like an 11-on-9 game) stood out.

We end this look at the coming season with the team that drives soccer in Colorado, the Colorado Rapids.

MLS Cup champions in 2010, the Rapids slogged through 2011. After the first month of the campaign, only a July dismantling of New York (4-0) and an August domination of Columbus (a 2-0 shellacking that looked like an 11-on-9 game) stood out.

Colorado spent 3,330 minutes this season defending the 2010 MLS Cup Championship, which put the team 180 minutes shy of defending its title.

Graham Zusi provided the services in the 28th and 76th minute as Sporting Kansas City recorded another 2-0 victory over the Rapids, giving KC a 4-0 aggregate win in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

Colorado spent 3,330 minutes this season defending the 2010 MLS Cup Championship, which put the team 180 minutes shy of defending its title.

Graham Zusi provided the services in the 28th and 76th minute as Sporting Kansas City recorded another 2-0 victory over the Rapids, giving KC a 4-0 aggregate win in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.

Photo by Patricia Giobetti/ISIphotos.com

For the second straight day, the Portland Timbers got the better of the Vancouver Whitecaps by a 1-0 scoreline.

After the Timbers' first team accomplished that feat in the debut of BC Place on Sunday, the Portland reserves did the same on Monday on the strength of an 82nd-minute goal from Bryan Burke and a clean sheet by Jake Gleeson.

So, yeah, about that whole post where I said the Rapids will be beat by Metapan and the roster selection was not great. Well Colorado proved me an idiot with a 3-1 win last night. The reserve squad, lead by Steve Guppy and augmented by Wells Thompson and Tyrone Marshall, pulled together in a tough environment and dominated the scoreboard.

The Colorado Rapids unloaded a month of frustrations on Isidro Metapan, beating the Salvadoran side 3-1 at home on Wednesday night.

In the process, the Rapids (2-2-1, 7 points) also threw a lifeline to a CONCACAF Champions League campaign that appeared dead after losing two matches at home by a combined 6-2 margin.

The Colorado Rapids unloaded a month of frustrations on Isidro Metapan, beating the Salvadoran side 3-1 at home on Wednesday night.

In the process, the Rapids (2-2-1, 7 points) also threw a lifeline to a CONCACAF Champions League campaign that appeared dead after losing two matches at home by a combined 6-2 margin.

On a day that saw MLS clubs go winless in CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage matches, the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas lost crucial home games on Wednesday night.

The Rapids were defeated 2-1 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park by Honduran side Real Espana on a pair of goals from Carlos Pavon.

Colorado 1 - Real Espana 2 Carlos Pavan had Real Espana up a goal 12 minutes in at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday night. Though Andre Akpan would bring Colorado level six minutes later, it would be Pavan again in the 33rd to take all three points. The result leaves Colorado bottom of Group B on a tiebreaker with Real Espana.

The Colorado Rapids season ended at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

The team will still play two more CONCACAF Champions League group stage games, four MLS regular season matches and one probable playoff game, but the disappointing 2011 season ended with the final whistle in Real Espana's 2-1 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The Colorado Rapids season ended at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

The team will still play two more CONCACAF Champions League group stage games, four MLS regular season matches and one probable playoff game, but the disappointing 2011 season ended with the final whistle in Real Espana's 2-1 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Isidro Metapan's Alfredo Pacheco (left), watches as Colorado Rapids Andre Akpan (top), uses the back of Pacheco's teammate Alex Escobar during the CCL opener, Aug. 17. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

The Colorado Rapids players have to stop thinking about the three points at home that got away in the 86th minute on Saturday and turn their attention to a Honduran champion.

Colorado Rapids Andre Akpan (center) is surrounded by Isidro Metapan Jorge Luis Moran (left), and Alfredo Pacheco during the CCL opener Aug. 17. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

With a Rapids squad in Honduras for CONCACAF Champions League play tonight, The Tuesday List takes a look at travel distances for the Rapids, and what the team faces in some away games that are truly far away.

Well, it took a number of years, and a couple dozen tries, but an MLS team has finally scored a victory south of the border in CONCACAF Champions League group play as FC Dallas defeated Pumas UNAM 1-0 in Mexico City. It shouldn't have taken this long, but sincere congratulations to Schellas Hyndman's side for finally breaking the ice.

The Colorado Rapids couldn't have gotten off to a worse start in their CONCACAF Champions League match on Wednesday night, surrendering an early penalty to go down 1-0 to visiting Salvadoran side Metapan.

The defending MLS Cup champions didn't buckle though, not even after a Matt Pickens blunder gave Metapan a 2-1 lead.

Isidro Metapan and the Colorado Rapids combined for five goals on Wednesday night, but it was a brace from Macoumba Kandji that made the difference in the home side's first CONCACAF Champions League match.

Kandji's goals, in the 16th minute and first-half stoppage time, rescued a discombobulated Rapids side and paved the way for Andre Akpan's second half winner at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Isidro Metapan and the Colorado Rapids combined for five goals on Wednesday night, but it was a brace from Macoumba Kandji that made the difference in the home side's first CONCACAF Champions League match.

Kandji's goals, in the 16th minute and first-half stoppage time, rescued a discombobulated Rapids side and paved the way for Andre Akpan's second half winner at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The Colorado Rapids have only four home games remaining in the MLS regular season, and as the dates dwindle, The Tuesday List takes a look at how the roster has changed since the team moved to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the 2007 season.

Looking at the 2011 roster, we go back in time to who was here in each of the previous seasons.

Photo courtesy of Sporting Kansas City/Taylor Allan

Soony Saad scored for the first time as a professional, tallying the lone goal in Sporting Kansas City's 1-0, weather-delayed victory over the Colorado Rapids in MLS Reserve League play on Monday.

Saad, a standout at the University of Michigan last year who landed with Sporting KC in a weighted lottery on July 5, took a pass from Teal Bunbury and found the back of the net on a shot from the edge of the area to give SKC (2-2-2) all the offense it would need in the third minute of the win.

Sanna Nyassi answered the question of who would score in Conor Casey's absence and delivered one of the best performances ever by a Colorado Rapids player on Wednesday night.

The midfielder-cum-forward scored three goals and got credit for an assist on the fourth as the Rapids eviscerated the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Sure, the Colorado Rapids hold the MLS Cup and got to meet President Barack Obama at the White House, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking they are a good team. They come to this match merely average, much as they were last year. Yes, they've had some injuries that have reduced their effectiveness, as well as having them count on Tyrone Marshall for 14 starts and Sanna Nyassi for 5 starts.

Two teams in red, the home side Portland Timbers and the visiting Colorado Rapids, put the throttle to the floor and did not relent for 90-plus minutes on Saturday night.

Finally, in stoppage time, the Rapids found a goal. Following two great saves from Troy Perkins, Drew Moor rushed in to deliver a dagger that finished the Timbers 1-0 and snapped an MLS-record of six ties.

Apologies for the delay in getting this live! There was some minor technical difficulties between myself and my SB Nation compatriot over at Burgundy Wave. Anyway, we were both able to get our respective questions/answers to each other just in time. The match thread itself will be posted right after this goes live.

It is disappointing that the Union did not beat the Rapids. At the start of this season I never thought I would be anything less than pleased to see the Union picking up a point at Colorado. So there is a silver lining to this disappointment. It means this team is capable of still more.

It is hard to ask for more from the Union's back four though.

Photo of cheater via FoxSports

Easing six goals into past the hapless Toronto defense is no way to prepare for the rough and tough Colorado Rapids. With a chance to earn their first two match road winning streak, Peter Nowak handed Jack McInerney his first start of the year and rewarded Gabe Farfan with a second straight appearance in the first team.

The 11th week of the MLS season brought us some major surprises, and also served to remind the league's 18 teams that there is no such thing as an un-winnable road trip.

Portland's Jeld-Wen Field and Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium were both considered impenetrable before last weekend, but both the Timbers and Real Salt Lake suffered shocking home defeats at the hands of D.

After pulling off a stunning stoppage time goal to steal a point in Houston, the Red Bulls came home for a mid-week tilt against the defending MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids. This was a side that was missing several players due to injury including Jamaican international striker Omar Cummings with a leg injury.

Jeff Larentowicz provided the offense and the Rapids produced just enough defense to escape from New York with a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night and a vital point on the road.

In a game that featured four goals in the span of five minutes, Larentowicz got the first and third tallies, putting in a rebound of his penalty kick and delivering a scorcher to the far post off another restart.

Jeff Larentowicz provided the offense and the Rapids produced just enough defense to escape from New York with a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night and a vital point on the road.

In a game that featured four goals in the span of five minutes, Larentowicz got the first and third tallies, putting in a rebound of his penalty kick and delivering a scorcher to the far post off another restart.