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The Colorado Rapids July 19 trip to Portland, Oregon is a match that I had circled on the calendar as one that would tell a lot about this young Rapids team. The Timbers team were an outfit that had their ups and down in the 2014 season, but it was a club that I felt would be a good barometer for the Rapids. Win in Portland and the Rapids would be truly able to make a run to end the season. But lose...well you know how the season went. The 2-1 defeat was a puzzling one as the Rapids generated enough offense, but were unable to get points on the road.
Here are the relevant statistics for this match:
| Shots | SOG | BS | TP | PA | POSS | Opponent Shots | Opponent SOG | |
| at Portland Timbers | 17 | 8 | 6 | 338 | 70% | 38.8% | 12 | 6 |
| 2014 Second Half Averages | 16 | 6.5 | 4 | 412.5 | 77% | 50.95% | 11.5 | 6 |
| 2014 Full Season Averages | 13.4 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 427.2 | 79% | 51.31% | 10.9 | 4.2 |
SOG: Shots on Goal. BS: Blocked Shots. TP: Total Passes. PA: Passing Accuracy. POSS: Possession
Record after 19 matches: (7-6-6) 27 Points
Hero of the Match: Deshorn Brown. 24 minutes played, 3 shots and all on target. The dude was terrorizing the Timbers and I am convinced that if Brown stays healthy, the Rapids at least get a result out of this match.
Goat of the Match: Pablo Mastroeni. Pablo got the big decisions wrong in this match. The Rapids were playing quite well, generating chances and putting shots on frame through the first 24 minutes of the match. The injury to Brown really hurt the club, but what hurt the Rapids more was Mastroeni's inexplicable substitution for Brown. Bringing Danny Mwanga on was the wrong decision especially when you have your Designated Player on the bench in Gabriel Torres. It was one of the many mismanagement issues that plagued Mastroeni's first year and this substitution was a sign of poor decision to come from the Head Coach.