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As the season has ground to a halt, we here at Burgundy Wave are taking a look back at the 2014 season for the Colorado Rapids and more specifically where things went right and where things went wrong. For as bad as a 8-18-8 season is, it is very important to through and see what positives can be gleamed from this season. Also by looking back we may be able to find some solace that maybe things were not as bad as they seemed. This is a brief look at each match the Rapids played this year.
We are also going to look at some basic statistics for each match and compare them to the rest of the season which should give a good look, at least statistically, when things started to go down hill.
To kick this off, we are looking at the March 15 match at New York Red Bulls
The Stats:
| Shots | SOG | BS | TP | PA | Poss | Opponent Shots | Opponent SOG | |
| At New York Red Bulls | 18 | 6 | 6 | 367 | 79% | 47.2% | 11 | 2 |
| 2014 Season | 18 | 6 | 6 | 367 | 79% | 47.2% | 11 | 2 |
SOG: Shots on Goal. BS: Blocked Shots. TP: Total Passes. PA: Passing Accuracy. Poss: Possession
Brief Summary: Colorado Rapids traveled to Harrison, New Jersey for their first game of the season against 2013 Supporter Shield winners New York Red Bulls. It was an interesting match for the Rapids as it marked the head coaching debut of Pablo Mastroeni and the MLS debut of John Berner who was starting for injured Clint Irwin in goal. It was a back and forth affair with the Rapids coming away with a draw which was what was deserved for a team that generated triple the number of shots on goal.
Hero of the Match: Playing against the Red Bulls and an "announced" sell out crowd is a tough thing for any player, but making your MLS debut against a quality side like the Red Bulls is tough. But Berner was up to the task, making one save and the goal he did give up he was let down by poor marking by his defense.
Goat of the Match: For me it was Marvin Chavez, even though his actions led to the Rapids goal. Chavez was marginally fouled in the box and flopped in the box to the point that the referee called for a PK. Was there contact? Sure. But not nearly enough to warrant that kind of embellishment.
Thoughts: Most people saw this game on the calendar and immediately thought loss. But it was a hard fought game by the Rapids and they deserved the point that they got out of it, no matter how dubious the PK call was. The stats above show that the Rapids were good enough to grab a point and they did.