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Rapids-Union Preview

Aug 13, 2010 - 2:37 PM By ZAC POWELL STATS Writer

Colorado (7-5-6) at Philadelphia (4-10-4), 4:00 p.m. EDT

After snapping a pair of skids in their last game, the Colorado Rapids look to win consecutive matches for the first time in nearly 2 1/2 months Saturday when they travel to take on the expansion Philadelphia Union.

Colorado (7-5-6) is fifth in the Western Conference, but only three points behind third-place FC Dallas. Last Saturday, the Rapids snapped an 0-2-5 stretch with a 1-0 victory over San Jose on an own goal in the first half.

The victory also was Colorado's first against San Jose since April 24, 2004. The Rapids had gone 0-6-6 against the Earthquakes.

"I don't care what it looked like or how we scored," Colorado coach Gary Smith said. "We finally caught a break, and my players will wake up (Sunday) feeling good about themselves because of it."

The Rapids haven't won back-to-back games since 1-0 home victories over Seattle and Columbus on May 29 and June 5, respectively. The win over the Eastern Conference-leading Crew was Colorado's last before the seven-game winless streak.

Colorado, which is 4-11-1 when facing a club for the first time, should have high-scoring Conor Casey back in the lineup. Casey missed the last two games with headaches and blurry vision when he took a blow to the head July 25 in a 2-1 loss at Seattle.

The forward leads Colorado with seven goals and three assists.

"I've been out for a couple of weeks but then again I've had probably about five months of work behind me, so I think by the end of the week I'll be ready to go," he told the Rapids' official website.

This match also will be a homecoming for Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, who grew up in suburban Philadelphia. Still, Larentowicz knows facing an expansion team doesn't mean an automatic three points.

"For us, at this point, every game is a game that we need to win just because of the way the Western Conference is looking," he said. "It's still a tough game, but it's a game that we can win and a game that we need to win."

Philadelphia has a quick turnaround after a 1-1 draw with defending MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. Danny Mwanga, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, scored his sixth goal in the eighth minute, but the Union dropped to 0-2-2 in their last four games.

"We controlled the game and the play, so there's nothing much to say about the effort," Union manager Peter Nowak said. They played with a lot of heart today ... The game on Saturday is going to be another fight. All these guys are going to do a better job."

Three of the Union's four wins have come at PPL Park.

Colorado is the only MLS team Philadelphia has yet to face.