COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It was a win gift wrapped for Pablo Mastroeni.
On the Rapids head coach’s 39th birthday, his side earned another result at home Saturday night, defeating Sporting Kansas City 2-1 to extend their current win streak to three straight games.
“This is a very great birthday present and one of the best presents I’ve gotten in a long time,” Mastroeni said post-game. “Tonight the guys played the type of football that is needed for where we’re headed in the final stretch of the season. Games are chippy and they’re tight. The guys did a fantastic job of finding ways to win these games and I’m very proud and excited.”
“Afterwards, he got a nice tunnel of love and a few kicks from us,” joked Rapids star forward Kevin Doyle, whose 75th minute goal proved to be the game-winner. “He told us it was the best birthday present he ever saw.”
It was Vicente Sanchez who looked most generous on Saturday night, however, dishing out assists on both Rapids goals.
“It was a real workman-like performance for Vicente on both sides of the ball,” Mastroeni said of Sanchez, who created seven chances on 37 touches. “He just needs a moment and tonight he created quite a few moments that are just goal dangerous. He really puts a team on its heels.”
The 35-year-old attacker continued to look spritely for Colorado, despite logging over 150 minutes in the past two games for the club.
“Vicente is a guy that has it for 90 minutes. The only problem is he has more max velocity runs than any guy on the team. When he’s running, he’s not jogging, he’s sprinting,” Mastroeni said of managing the Uruguayan’s minutes, adding, “Vicente has really shouldered a lot of the responsibility and understood that his minutes need to be managed for us to get the most out of him. I’m extremely pleased with the way he’s conducting himself.”
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With the Rapids' manager himself a year older, he explained how the final stretch of games for Colorado will continue to be both a learning and maturation process for his team; one which has earned nine points in the Western Conference table over the past eight days.
Said Mastroeni, "I think it’s a process. When did you become an adult? For me, it was somewhere between 30 and 39. You have to learn and lose. But these games validate the work we’ve put in as a group.”
Marco Cummings covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
