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Sounders, Rapids gunning for positive result

Apr 21, 2011 - 8:24 PM Commerce City, CO (Sports Network) - The Colorado Rapids host Seattle Sounders FC on Friday night in Major league Soccer action aiming to rebound from two- straight shutout losses.

After starting the season with three wins in their first three games, the Rapids (3-2-0) have been outscored 4-0 in their past two, with the latest setback at Rocky Mountain rival Real Salt Lake on April 13.

"It kind of hurts right now," Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens said after the hard-fought loss 1-0 at RSL. "I think that what we are going to take out of it is a good road performance for us. I felt like we should have got something out of that game. We came here and we played, unlike [April 8 against Dallas]."

The Rapids could get a boost with former Sounders defender Tyrone Marshall, would will be facing his old team.

"It's always motivating when you play against your old club," he told mlssoccer.com. "But after the two defeats and playing at home, it will be even more motivating to get the W."

And while the team is coming off a loss, it feels it played much better than two weeks ago, when it lost to Dallas by three goals.

"It was unfortunate we lost that [RSL] game but I thought, overall, that our dedication was very good," Marshall said. "Coming off the defeat against Dallas, we needed strong minds. Salt Lake is a tough place to play and we did well."

The Sounders (1-2-3) are also trying to get on track after winning just one of six games to start the season. The team started with two straight losses, but is unbeaten in its last four, which is something to be optimistic about.

Seattle's most recent fixture was a 1-1 draw at first-placed Philadelphia. The game was dramatic in that it was a late Alvaro Fernandez goal that earned the Sounders a share of the points.

"Great result to be able to come back and get that late goal," Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller told his club's website. "Such a great feeling when you can keep a run alive and get a late goal for your team."

"He and I talked this week and I tried to be very clear as to what I need from him and what I was looking for," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said of Fernandez. "He responded well in training and I said if the opportunity presents itself we'll get him in and he came up huge for us. It was a big goal."

The Sounders are relatively healthy heading into the Friday fixture, with Pat Noonan expected to be available with a minor quad strain.

The Rapids will be without forwards Quincy Amarikwa and Macoumba, while forward Conor Casey is questionable and midfielders Pablo Mastroeni and Sanna Nyassi are probable, all with injuries.