The Colorado Rapids defeated the Charleston Battery in a hard fought match with the golden goal scored in the 98th minute by Scottish striker John Spencer. A bitter pill to swallow too as I use to watch Spencer play at Stamford Bridge and he was always one of my favorite Chelsea players. So now, since he knocked my team out of the Open Cup, I guess I will have to hate him. Just kidding Spency.
The weather on the night can best be compare to that of a sauna. It had been hot and extremely humid, with a heat index reaching over 110 F during the day. Even as the sunset, the humidity seem to worsen as what little breeze there had been disappeared.
The Battery started the match with an aggressive style, constantly pressuring the Rapids when they controlled the ball. The Rapids worked the ball nicely through the midfield but the Battery defense closed down any serious threats on goal. The Battery ended the half out-shooting the Rapids 5-2, including a long-range shot from former Rapid alumni Kevin Anderson.
Both sides were hungry for the win and came out playing well in the second half. Again the Rapids controlled the ball nicely through the middle and again the Battery shut them down. The Rapids took advantage of the wide pitch here in Charleston and switched the ball nicely to Rapid's midfielder Zack Kingsley again and again. Kingsley made a nice cross around the 70th minute that skipped across the goalmouth in front of the Battery keeper, Dusty Hudock, and just out of reach of Chris Henderson at the near post, John Spencer (damn him!) at the penalty spot and Carlos Valderrama at the far post. And the midfield battle heated up, as Battery forward Paul Conway and Pablo Mastroeni seemed to be talking trash to each other off the ball.
Battery Substitute, John Jones miss-kicked a cross from the penalty spot that should have put the Battery up on the scoreboard in the 84th minute of play. And on the last play of regulation time, Paul Conway had a great chance on another cross. He rose above the Rapids back line and hit a header, which beat Rapids keeper Scott Garlick but hit the top of the cross bar and bounced over the goal.
Both teams looked fatigued going into overtime. The Battery brought on some fresh legs in Raul Diaz Arce but he really didn't have a chance to get into the game before John Spencer (why did he have to leave Scotland?) put the ball past Hudock in the 8th minute of overtime after a scramble in front of the goal. A disappointing loss for everyone and you could have heard a pin drop after Spencer's goal.
A lot of credit goes to Colorado for not taking the stereotypical MLS route. They obviously came to Charleston to win and to give the U.S. Open Cup a serious go. They played well and took the Battery seriously. Even Valderrama seemed to take the game more serious than his usually calm self, often venturing out to the wings and back past the midfield to track back on players and passes. But the Battery must really feel disappointed because it was a winnable match and the team played well showing again the Battery are can compete against the best teams in America. Paul Conway was quoted in the local paper as saying, "They say the higher level you play, it all comes down to finishing. And that's where they were more effective tonight."
The win was especially sweet for former Battery Head coach Tim Hankinson.
"No question this was a special night coming back," said Hankinson. "I spent most of my time looking over my shoulder, at people waving that I haven't seen since I was here.
"And my son lives here, so it was great to win in front of him, against a team that I was very proud of at one time."
Another disappointing result for us Battery fans but holding a team with names like Valderrama, Mastroeni and Spenser to a 1-0 loss is respectable. Taking them into overtime is admirable. And out-shooting them 12-8 and winning 8 corner kick to their 2 is a damn well played game.
