E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Conor Casey's hat trick -- which included a 90th-minute game-winner -- helped the Colorado Rapids stretch their unbeaten streak to four games in a wild 5-4 win against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
More significantly, the three points keeps Colorado in the thick of the playoff hunt entering the final month of the season. Now with 34 points on the season, the Rapids leapfrogged Chivas USA by one point and sit in second place in the Western Conference standings, though their closest pursuers all still have matches over the weekend.
The teams combined for seven goals in the first half, one shy of the league record, before the Red Bulls pulled level with 16 minutes to play on Matthew Mbuta's first MLS goal. But Casey completed his hat trick in the final minute of regulation time to give the visitors the victory.
The visitors came out guns blazing against the Red Bulls, who entered the tilt tied for the second-best home record in MLS.
The Rapids opened the scoring less than three minutes into the match. The play began when Casey ran onto a through ball near the top of New York's penalty area. Seeing the danger, Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway raced off his line and barely managed to beat the former U.S. international to the ball. But the deflection fell right to Omar Cummings, who was lurking a few yards outside the box. With Conway off his line, Cummings was able to finish easily into the unattended goal.
It only took the home team just two minutes to answer. New York forward Mike Magee alertly pounced on a loose ball 25 yards from the Colorado goal, and after his first touch got him past the flat-footed Rapids rearguard on the right side, Magee picked his spot before coolly left-footing the ball past Colorado backstop Preston Burpo to knot the match at 1-1.
The early fireworks didn't come close to ending there.
In the 11th minute, Cummings played a clever short pass to Casey, who was charging up the center of the field. Casey collected the ball and muscled his way through two Red Bulls defenders before slotting the ball high over Conway's right shoulder to regain his team's lead.
Colorado continued to have the better of the play for the next 20 minutes and but squandered several chances to pad their advantage. Mehdi Ballouchy played a nice give-and-go with Cummings on the right side, but Ballouchy sent a weak shot straight at Conway after a nifty cutback onto his left foot.
An even better opportunity came off Nick LaBrocca's dangerous cross, which teasingly bounced across the top of the six-yard box. But none of LaBrocca's mates were there to tap the ball across the line.
Luck went against the Rapids again in the 34th minute when referee Baldomero Toledo awarded the Red Bulls a penalty kick after ruling that Colorado captain Pablo Mastroeni had handled the ball inside the area. Mastroeni and his mates protested vehemently, but Juan Pablo Angel potted the spot kick nonetheless, evening the match 2-2.
Then things went from bad to worse for the visitors in the 40th. Bulls midfielder Juan Pietravallo found Jorge Rojas near the left touchline, and Rojas delivered a brilliant first-time diagonal pass to speedy Jamaican international Dane Richards, who beat Burpo to the cross and easily rolled it home to give his team a short-lived lead.
The Rapids made it 3-3 when Red Bulls defender Gabriel Cichero badly misplayed a Rapids corner. Cichero's clearing attempt landed on the foot of an unmarked Mike Petke, and the former New York fan favorite had plenty of time to sidestep Conway and fire the equalizer into the roof of the net.
Moments later, Toledo awarded his second penalty of the match after LaBrocca was taken down by Pietravallo just inside the area. Casey stepped up and deposited his shot to Conway's left to give the visitors a 4-3 advantage, their third lead of the first half, heading into the intermission.
The MLS record for goals in a half is eight, set by Kansas City and Columbus on May 2, 1996; it was the fifth time seven goals had been scored in a half, but the first time in the opening 45 minutes.
Not surprisingly, the Red Bulls took the initiative in a less dramatic second half. But while the home team created the better chances -- mainly through Angel -- Colorado's defense was up to the test. They were helped by the fact that Richards was forced to leave the match with a hyper-extended right knee after colliding with Burpo, but the Rapids did not sit back completely -- both LaBrocca and Cummings went close in a five minute span at around the hour mark.
Colorado's back line finally cracked in the 74th minute when a pair of recent Red Bulls signees combined to level the score once again. Substitute forward Macoumba Kandji controlled the ball and carried it to the end line before driving a hard, low pass across the face of goal. Fellow sub Matthew Mbuta was in the right place at the right time to knock home his first MLS goal.
It looked like it would end 4-4 after that as both teams seemed tired and content to settle for a point. But then Casey stole all three with his strike at the death. Ballouchy sent a sharp cross into the area from the left flank and Casey volleyed it home inside the right-hand post.
The Rapids return home to Dick's Sporting Goods Park next Saturday, when they will play host to two-time defending MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo. The Red Bulls will look to once again solidify their playoff positioning with a home match against Toronto FC.
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