Cummings keeps up scoring form in Rapids’ draw
NEW YORK CITY, USA (CMC) — Omar Cummings struck his 14th goal for the Major League Soccer season, but the Colorado Rapids were stunned when Real Salt Lake scored twice in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
The Jamaican forward gave the Rapids a 1-0 half-time lead, and the home team appeared to have the match sewn-up following Connor Casey’s 13th goal for the season.
But Alvaro Saborio capitalised on a gaffe from Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens, and then converted a last-gasp penalty to allow RSL to walk away from Dicks Sporting Goods Park with a share of the spoils.
The result, however, did not affect the postseason claims of the two sides, since both were already assured a place.
The Rapids face Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, and RSL were awaiting yesterday’s result from the final regular season match of the Los Angeles Galaxy, whose line-up includes Jamaican net-minder Donovan Ricketts, to know if they progress as the Western Conference champions or runners-up.
Cummings completed a sweeping left-footed cross from Anthony Wallace with a well-struck, left-footed volley to the back post in the 16th minute.
His goal stood between the two sides until Casey got his head to a cross from defender Kosuke Kimura in the 51st minute to put the Rapids ahead 2-0.
Saborio, however, made the Rapids lead vanish in the thin air of the Rocky Mountains, when he challenged Pickens on a seemingly harmless clearance, deflected the ball off the crossbar, and thumped an item in the first minute of stoppage time.
The Costa Rican striker then burst the nets with a penalty kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time, after Colorado midfielder Brian Mullan brought down RSL’s Jamison Olave in the box, following a free kick.
The MLS play-offs start on Thursday with the first leg of the Conference semi-finals.