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Rapids, Whitecaps meet in West clash at DSG Park

Jun 27, 2014 - 11:16 PM Commerce City, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of Western Conference rivals will meet on Saturday as the Colorado Rapids return to league action following the World Cup recess against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

The teams are level in the divisional table with 22 points each. The Rapids had a three-game unbeaten run put to an end before the World Cup break in a 3-2 loss at FC Dallas.

Whitecaps FC resumed action after the break by extending their undefeated run to eight matches in a midweek scoreless draw with Canadian rivals Montreal Impact on Wednesday.

Colorado opened the scoring against FC Dallas in the 25th minute as Drew Moor nodded a cross back across the face of goal and Deshorn Brown reacted quickest to it, chipping FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez from inside the six-yard box.

The home side were level just eight minutes later when Jair Benitez hammered a free kick from distance and the ball took a deflection off FCD striker Andres Escobar and wrong-footed Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin on its way to goal.

FCD took the lead in first-half stoppage time, but the Rapids pulled it back again in the 52nd minute through Jose Mari, which set up Fabian Castillo for the winner in the 62nd minute.

"It's frustrating," said Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni following the loss. "But that's why you can't get too caught up in results, or at least I don't. I look at the big picture, I look at where we were four months ago, [and] I look at where we are today."

Vancouver, meanwhile, will be hoping for a better performance than a lackluster showing on Wednesday which saw the club earn a point against the struggling Impact at BC Place.

Montreal came close to taking the lead in the 76th minute when Maxim Tissot's looping effort crashed off the bar, and the woodwork came to Whitecaps FC's rescue again in the 83rd minute when Jack McInerney headed a free kick off the right post.

Vancouver also hit the woodwork when a rebound from a save by Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins fell to Jordan Harvey, and his shot crashed off the crossbar. Perkins was credited with four saves for the match.

"We have to make up two points somewhere along the line. We go to Colorado on Saturday, a tough place to go, a Western Conference team, and we'll go there and try to win and pick up four points in two games," said Whitecaps FC manager Carl Robinson. "Yeah, it's two points lost, but they're gone, and I can't get them back unfortunately, but we have to try to make them up somewhere."