Rapids-Chivas USA Preview
Deshorn Brown has been a bright spot during an otherwise dreadful season for the Colorado Rapids, but he won't be able to break the longest winless streak in club history by himself.
The Rapids try to win for the first time since late July on Saturday night when they visit a Chivas USA team that may be playing the franchise's second-to-last home game.
Brown scored the only tally in a 4-1 home loss to Seattle on Sunday that sent seventh-place Colorado (8-15-8) to a franchise-worst 11th consecutive game without a victory.
The second-year forward, who finished second in the MLS rookie of the year voting in 2013, has a team-best 10 goals heading into the final three matches.
Brown has two goals and two assists in four meetings with Chivas (7-18-6) after he provided the lone score in a 3-1 home loss May 11. He was sidelined due to injury July 25 when Colorado evened the series with a 3-0 win at Dick's Park.
"I'm getting plenty of opportunities in games, but I just need to relax more," Brown told the league's official website. "Sometimes I get four chances and score a goal when I should be scoring two or three. Consistency is what I'm working on."
Although they had higher expectations after reaching the knockout round last season, the Rapids currently have their fewest victories since 2001 and will miss the postseason for the second time in three seasons.
They've been outscored 34-11 during an 0-9-2 stretch since topping the Goats in late July, giving up three or more goals seven times over that span and allowing a league-high 58 overall.
Colorado should be able to make strides defensively against a Chivas team that has totaled a MLS-low 26 goals after Sunday's 1-0 home win over Real Salt Lake snapped its own 12-game winless streak.
Felix Borja scored off a miss by leading scorer Erick Torres in the 47th minute as the West-worst Goats ended a seven-game losing streak despite conceding 74.1 percent possession.
"Let's continue to believe, and keep on dreaming that we can get out of this position," said coach Wilmer Cabrera, who served as an assistant with Colorado from 2012-13.
Chivas, however, plays its final three matches amid reports the MLS-owned club will suspend operations after this season with a new ownership group planning to build a new stadium in the Los Angeles area and re-create the team's identity.
Torres, who ranks sixth in the league with 15 goals, had a goal and assisted on one of Marvin Chavez's two scores in the May victory at Colorado. Chavez was traded from Colorado to Chivas in the week leading up to that meeting.
The midfielder has four goals in his last three meetings with the Rapids dating to his time with San Jose, but missed the most recent matchup in July due to injury.
The Goats have been outscored 26-7 while going 1-9-3 in their last 13 meetings with the Rapids.