COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The left side of Colorado Rapids defender Drew Moor’s face told the story of Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Silverbacks in the fifth round of US Open Cup action.
Gashed by a scar, the inch-wide cut ignited a 64th-minute firestorm, resulting in four ejections (three for the Silverbacks, one for the Rapids’ Marc Burch) and one unbelievable five-minute fight that also saw both head coaches ejected.
And ultimately and most importantly, it resulted in a Rapids defeat.
Asked to label the game in a single adjective, Colorado Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni could’ve described the game as bizarre, wild or simply head-shaking. But the first-year head coach went down a different path – a more game-focused one.
“Not good enough,” Mastroeni said, simply, when asked.
The Rapids conceded two simple, over-the-top goals, frustrating Mastroeni and allowing them to crash out in the US Open Cup despite a two-man advantage for half an hour at home. It was a performance that no doubt will be remembered for non-game antics, but the Rapids carefully sidestepped questions about the melee at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park when asked about it postgame and chose instead to focus on Tuesday night’s failure on the field.
“It’s something I didn’t see,” Moor said postgame of the fight-inducing incident, where Silverbacks striker Kwadwo Poku appeared to stomp on the Rapids’ captain during a 64th-minute challenge. “This is a game that we lost tonight. It had nothing to do with Atlanta. It had nothing to do with the referee. We didn’t come to play the way we should’ve tonight.”
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
