Colorado Rapids Vs. DC United: Caleb Folan’s Brace Leads Colorado To Dominating 4-1 Win

Three matches, nine points. Things are going about as well as the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids could hope as they dominated DC United in a 4-1 victory to pick up their third win in as many matches this season. Caleb Folan scored his first MLS goal and then added another one later in for a brace, Jamie Smith scored one and Omar Cummings added one late for good measure to cancel out Santino Quaranta’s goal for DC as the Rapids continued their run of impressive play.

Colorado dominated the first half and had 59% of the possession, but almost didn’t see that rewarded on the scoreboard. Six minutes from halftime though, Jeff Larentowicz spotted Folan making a run and chipped the ball into his path. Folan gathered in the box and eventually went to his left foot, curling in the match’s opening tally.

Quaranta equalized early on in the second half for DC, putting United on level terms despite the Rapid’s having the better of the play. Chris Korb’s long cross all the way to the far side found an unmarked Quaranta whose excelltn first touch volley beat Matt Pickens to level the match.

Not even two minutes later, Smith ran into the box as unmarked as Quaranta and got on the end of an Anthony Wallace cross to head the ball in, restoring Colorado’s one goal lead. Crosses and headers became the norm for the Rapids the rest of the way. Folan added his second on a Sanna Nyassi cross that he just had to nod home and Pablo Mastroeni’s deflected cross found a wide open Cummings just a few yards from goal, allowing him to easily head home a goal.

While the match may have been on level terms in the second half, Colorado was undoubtedly the better side. Larentowicz and Mastroeni were dominant in the center of the pitch and didn’t allow United to build anything through the middle. Without any way of building through the center, DC was pretty much anemic all match. it didn’t help that United, normally weak at striker, was running short on strikers thanks to Charlie Davies’ groin injury so they lacked a true finisher in the team. As it finished, Colorado showed the class of an upper-echelon team and walked away with a deserved three points over an overmatched United team.