Houston Dynamo’s Andrew Tarbell impresses, Rapids defense collapses again in defeat – The Denver Post

On a night when a backup goalie ties a franchise record for saves in a single game, there’s not much you can do other than tip your cap.

Regardless, the Colorado Rapids are winless in their last three games, allowing 11 goals in that span. Three of them clashed in Houston on Wednesday night, with the Dynamo taking a 3-1 home win over a Rapids team that has had its ups and downs over the past month.

Thanks to a career performance from Dynamo backup goalie Andrew Tarbell, who made 10 saves that night, Houston won its second game in its last eight tries.

Defensively, the Rapids will be scratching their heads at the number of goals allowed in recent weeks, with a total of five goals allowed below the figure of 29 in just 16 games so far this season.

The icing on the cake was an 80th-minute strike from outside the box by Sebastian Kowalczyk, spurred on by a counter-attack and assisted by Ibrahim Aliyu. Transition plays have been a focus of defensive struggles lately, and it showed when Houston put the game away with its third goal of the night.

Here are three takeaways from a disappointing loss to Dynamo:

Defensive concerns persist

Only three MLS teams have allowed more goals than the Rapids this season, and only one has allowed more than the Rapids (14) over the last five games (Montreal, 15).

Coach Chris Armas felt the team did a good job of limiting what stars like Hector Herrera and Griffin Dorsey were capable of doing. But he knows that even if star players struggle, a team like Houston can wear you down playing “on their terms,” ​​he said.

“There are a lot of things that go into conceding goals,” Armas said. “We always look carefully at the pieces, we keep our eyes open and we think.

“We are a work in progress and I said we are going to make mistakes. We have a fairly young team.

Armas shuffles rotations amid three-game week

The Rapids didn’t shuffle their lineups too much the last time they played three games in a single week. On Wednesday evening, they did so in several areas.

Connor Ronan got his first start since March in a double pivot with Jasper Löffelsend, who got his first start in a Rapids jersey, leaving Cole Bassett wide on the left to partner well with central midfielder Djordje Mihailovic and l left back Sam Vines. Additionally, Sebastian Anderson replaced captain Keegan Rosenberry.

For the most part, the changes were about keeping the legs fresh and trying to mix things up. There were a few moments where Bassett seemed much more comfortable in a more offensive role, sometimes finding himself on the completely opposite side of the court to facilitate the offense.

For Armas, it was nice to see Ronan return healthy enough to play more than 45 minutes, his style of play complementing the team on both sides of the ball. But what intrigued him the most was Anderson, who did very well to keep Aliyu at bay apart from his assist.

“Seb had a very good match. It’s so impressive to me how he showed up that night,” Armas said. “I think some of those changes and the way the guys showed up that night gave us a real chance to be in the game and maybe win.”

The Rapids struggle in front of goal

Rapids poacher Rafael Navarro had the chance to tie the franchise record of six straight games with a goal from the spot, but was denied a penalty goal for the second game in a row. Tarbell delivered the ball straight to Mihailovic, who timed a run well and found himself in the right place to follow up and put it away for the Rapids’ only goal.

Other than that, 16 shots of the Rapids hardly tell the story. In many cases, the Rapids would get into the final third or Houston’s penalty area and rush a bad pass or not pass at all, which was just one of the ways Houston played the game on its own terms: by clogging the box and speeding up the decision-making of the Rapids.

For Mihailovic, who has placed himself in prime positions so that layoffs are played to him only for a pass to be errant or not come at all, the Rapides attackers just need to demonstrate a a little more composure.

These things will be put to the test on the road against a better Vancouver Whitecaps team on Saturday.

“When you get to the final third, it’s almost about trying to slow things down,” Mihailovic said. “That’s when everyone gets a little anxious and that’s normal. But it’s about recognizing that you have a lot more time than you think.