Terry Cooke stepped onto the pitch in the 65th minute and bent a free kick in the net, a curling ball reminiscent of a more famous Englishman. After a massive mistake by Cory Gibbs led to a Wizards equalizer, Cooke sent a gorgeous outlet pass to Colin Clarke who hit a streaking Omar Cummings for the winning goal.

On a chilly (and under-attended night) at DSGP, it was a tale of two halves. In the first, the Rapids looked solid on defense, but were unable to muster  a single shot until minutes before half when Nick LaBrocca made a run from the back and hit a long, hard ball on goal. There was a glaring lack of quality balls from the midfielders to the forwards. However, the Rapids’ rusty attack began to roll in the last moments of the first half and kept that steam throughout the rest of the game.

The defense in the second half was not quite so stellar on the defensive side. Gibbs apparently lost the ball in the lights, turning a simple chip pass into a Michael Kraus’ goal over a helpless Pickens. Ihemelu also made a couple questionable choices, and to my eye Kimura continues to be the weak link at the back. Nonetheless, Pickens made some excellent first half saves to keep the game even, and I think the Gibbs/Ihemelu combination has great potential.

Gary Smith was typically blunt Englishman in evaluating his team’s performance. From the Denver Post

Smith minced few words when describing his team — a squad he said is not stout in defense, not flashy and not clinical up front. For the time being, at least, is the hope.

“I’m just disappointed,” said Smith, who earned his first victory as interim coach last season against the Wizards. “Even though we won the game, there were too many times we looked like we could give the game away. We have to be better than that.”

Moving into next weekend’s game vs the Galaxy, a couple thoughts:

• If Cooke is unable to play the full 90, I would rather see him play the first 60 rather than the last 30. Jacob Peterson made some excellent attacking moves, but the Cooke’s outlet passes are the best on the team
• I wasn’t a big Kimura fan going into the season, and through two games my opinion is unchanged. He has pace, but is good for a couple dangerously poor clearances a game. I wonder if Smith will consider a change.
• The thunder and lighting combination of Casey and Cummings up front is a delight to watch, and will hopefully produce a harvest of goals this year. Cummings ice-cold finish was delightful

What are your thoughts on the Rapids performance? Leave a comment below on what did and didn’t like about our performance on the pitch Saturday.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Colin Clark, Colorado Rapids, Conor Casey, Cory Gibbs, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Gary Smith, Kansas City Wizards, Kosuke Kimura, Matt Pickens, Nick LaBrocca, Omar Cummings, Terry Cooke, Ugo Ihemelu