COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Saturday’s match between the Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union pitted the MLS conference leaders of the West and East respectively, but by night’s end nothing separated either side in a 1-1 draw.
For Union head coach Jim Curtin, it was a fitting ending for two teams that have been noted for their striking similarities.
“First and foremost, Colorado has a very good team," he said after the game. "The table tells the truth and I believe that. They’re at the top of the league right now. Credit to Pablo [Mastroeni] and his team. They’re a very difficult team to break down. In a lot of ways our teams mirror each other a little bit. It looks dull to the eye but I actually like it because guys are breaking up plays and competing their tails off.”
For 87 minutes of play, it looked like an unstoppable force pitted against an immovable object, with neither side creating much offensively and the sides deadlocked in a 0-0 draw.
In the second half however, Curtin looked to step up the tempo with his substitutions, beginning with the insertion of midfielder Ilsinho in the 61st minute. It was the first action for the Brazilian after missing three games with a hamstring injury.
“I think Ilsinho is a special player,” Curtin said. “He’s played in Champions League; he’s played at the highest level. He’s a big time player. To get him 30 minutes was important.”
Ten minutes later, Curtin opted for the insertion of rookie Fabian Herbers for Chris Pontius, who suffered a laceration to the head in the opening minutes of the match. After the Union found themselves down a goal in the 87th minute following a goal by Colorado’s Sam Cronin, Herbers came through with a big time contribution for Philadelphia, assisting on captain Brian Carroll’s equalizer in extra time.
“He’s a good young player,” Curtin said of Herbers. “He comes in and leaves an impact on the game right away. It’s not an easy game for a rookie to go into. We finished the game with three guys who are new to the roster on the field and a rookie so I’m happy.”
With the draw, the Union remained atop the Eastern Conference table with 20 points following Saturday’s action. Following Philadelphia’s stretch of three games in eight days and back-to-back road games in which the Union have taken a point, Curtin remained satisfied the current state of his team.
“I’m happy for the resilience my group showed,” he said. “It’s difficult going on the road to Orlando on turf in the heat and coming [to Colorado] in the altitude. To get points in both places, it showed a lot of character and grit. We were in it for the full 90 minutes so I’m proud of them in that regard.”
