Chester, PA – The Colorado Rapids snapped the Philadelphia Union’s five-match unbeaten run Friday night, as the Rapids defeated the Union 2-1 at PPL Park.
Keon Daniel nearly opened the scoring for Philadelphia in the 26th minute.
Sebastien Le Toux earned a free kick just outside the box after he was brought down by Tyrone Marshall. Daniel took the ensuing kick and skimmed a shot off the top of the crossbar.
The Union defense switched off momentarily in the 35th minute and Pablo Mastroeni took advantage.
The Colorado captain collected a throw-in and turned towards goal. He cut the ball sharply into the box, easily slipping past Carlos Valdes before curling a beautiful shot with his left foot towards the far post and past All-Star keeper Faryd Mondragon.
Colorado’s forward combination of Sanna Nyassi and Omar Cummings is proving to be a deadly partnership as the two strikers linked up to double the lead for the Rapids just before halftime.
A well-timed run from Nyassi and a perfectly weighted pass from Cummings carved open the Union defense. Nyassi found himself one-on-one with Mondragon and promptly buried a shot past the Union keeper.
Philadelphia had a golden opportunity to pull one back at the start of the second half. Michael Farfan cut into the box from the right side of the field, beating two Colorado defenders in the process, but chipped his shot well over the crossbar.
The Union continued to apply the pressure to the Rapids as Valdes connected on a cross in the 61st minute to force a save from Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens from point-blank range.
Sheanon Williams made the match much more difficult for his team as he was sent off in the 65th minute after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent.
Le Toux worked tirelessly to get the Union back into the game. He followed up a shot from Roger Torres in the 83rd minute, but Pickens denied Le Toux’s effort with a brilliant one-handed save.
Torres eventually pulled a goal back in injury time after a good bit of skill in the box. He beat three defenders before ripping a shot towards goal. Pickens got a hand to it, but could not keep it out of the goal.
Valdes nearly scored a tying goal with the last play of the game as he headed a powerful shot on frame, but it was placed directly at Pickens.
The final whistle immediately followed, as the match finished 2-1 in favor of the Rapids.
Colorado (8-6-10) will travel back home to host the Columbus Crew on August 5th, while Philadelphia (8-5-7) will head to Toyota Park for a midweek tussle with the Chicago Fire on August 3rd.