The 2008 Colorado Rapids season was the thirteenth season of the team's existence. Colorado began their season with 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy and ended a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake. They finished 4th in the Western Conference and 9th overall, 1 point behind the New York Red Bulls for the final Wild Card Playoff spot. In the U.S. Open Cup Qualifying, Colorado defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 before losing in Kansas City in a penalty shootout.
| 2008 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner |  Stan Kroenke | |||
| Coach |  Gary Smith | |||
| Major League Soccer | 4th in Western Conference 9th Overall | |||
| MLS Cup Playoffs | Did not qualify | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Did not qualify | |||
| Rocky Mountain Cup | Lost | |||
| Average home league attendance | 13,659 | |||
| Biggest win | COL 4-0 LA (3/29) COL 4-0 RBNY (7/4) | |||
| Biggest defeat | DC 3-0 COL (8/23) | |||
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Results by round edit
Friendly edit
| August 3, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 1–2 | Everton F.C. | Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City |
| 8:00pm EST | Conor Casey  48' |
Report | Mikel Arteta 6' Leon Osman 87' |
Attendance: 10,278 Referee: Jeremy Vehar |
MLS edit
March edit
| March 29, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 4 - 0 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Cooke 10' Clark 80' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 18,713 |
April edit
| April 5, 2008 | Kansas City Wizards | 3 - 2 | Colorado Rapids | Kansas City, Kansas United States |
| Conrad 52', 54' Sealy 87' |
Burciga Jr. 57' DiRaimondo 68' |
Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark Attendance: 8,731 |
| April 12, 2008 | New England Revolution | 0 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Foxborough, Massachusetts United States |
| LaBrocca 68' |
Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 8,309 |
| April 19, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 0 - 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| O'Brien 43' Kamara 61' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 14,919 |
| April 26, 2008 | Chicago Fire | 2 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Bridgeview, Illinois United States |
| Thorrington 53', 84' |
McManus 86' |
Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 14,251 |
May edit
| May 4, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 2 - 0 | D.C. United | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Peterson 53' Erpen 72' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 13,115 |
| May 10, 2008 | Houston Dynamo | 2 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Houston, Texas United States |
| Ching 43' De Rosario 87' |
Cummings 68' |
Stadium: Robertson Stadium Attendance: 15,024 |
| May 15, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 2 - 0 | Real Salt Lake | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Cummings 65' Gomez 83' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 11,414 |
| May 24, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 1 - 2 | Chivas USA | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| McManus 80' |
Marsch 45' Flores 79' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 14,619 |
June edit
| June 1, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 2 - 1 | FC Dallas | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Casey 7' McManus 72' |
Oduro 44' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 12,120 |
| June 7, 2008 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 3 - 2 | Colorado Rapids | Carson, California United States |
| Pires 4' Buddle 50' |
Clark 73' Gomez 82' |
Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 25,129 |
| June 14, 2008 | Toronto FC | 3 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Dichio 37' Ricketts 58', 67' |
Gomez 80' |
Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 20,135 |
| June 21, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 0 - 0 | Houston Dynamo | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 13,220 |
| June 28, 2008 | Columbus Crew | 2 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Columbus, Ohio United States |
| B. Schelotto 53' Ekpo 70' |
LaBrocca 60' |
Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 12,254 |
July edit
| July 4, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 4 - 0 | New York Red Bulls | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| McManus 24' Cummings 68' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 18,776 |
| July 12, 2008 | San Jose Earthquakes | 1 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Santa Clara, California United States |
| Johnson 62' |
Casey 69' |
Stadium: Buck Shaw Stadium Attendance: 9,107 |
| July 19, 2008 | FC Dallas | 2 - 2 | Colorado Rapids | Frisco, Texas United States |
| Cooper 49' Toja 64' |
Gomez 5' Casey 67' |
Stadium: Pizza Hut Park Attendance: 12,289 |
| July 27, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 0 - 2 | Columbus Crew | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Lenhart 21' Garey 75' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 10,647 |
August edit
| August 9, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 0 - 1 | Toronto FC | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Barrett 44' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 11,752 |
| August 16, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 2 - 1 | Kansas City Wizards | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Casey 11', 47' |
Harrington 44' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 10,609 |
| August 23, 2008 | D.C. United | 3 - 0 | Colorado Rapids | Washington, D.C. United States |
| Vide 45' Quaranta 87' |
Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 17,283 |
| August 29, 2008 | Real Salt Lake | 2 - 0 | Colorado Rapids | Salt Lake City, Utah United States |
| Espindola 23', 59' |
Stadium: Rice-Eccles Stadium Attendance: 15,257 |
September edit
| September 4, 2008 | FC Dallas | 0 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Frisco, Texas United States |
| Petke 60' |
Stadium: Pizza Hut Park Attendance: 7,140 |
| September 14, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 2 - 0 | Chicago Fire | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| 31' (o.g.)
Cummings 38' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 14,214 |
| September 20, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 1 - 1 | New England Revolution | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Clark 42' |
Mansally 50' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 12.223 |
| September 27, 2008 | New York Red Bulls | 4 - 5 | Colorado Rapids | East Rutherford, New Jersey United States |
| Magee 5' Mbuta 74' |
Cummings 3' Casey 43' |
Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 17,795 |
October edit
| October 4, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 1 - 3 | Houston Dynamo | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Casey 7' |
Ching 2', 9' Clark 19' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 12,496 |
| October 12, 2008 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 3 - 2 | Colorado Rapids | Carson, California United States |
| Buddle 36'
80' |
Gibbs 43' McManus 88' |
Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 27,000 |
| October 19, 2008 | Chivas USA | 1 - 2 | Colorado Rapids | Carson, California United States |
| Bornstein 72' |
Clark 67' Casey 85' |
Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 13,427 |
| October 25, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | 1 - 1 | Real Salt Lake | Commerce City, Colorado United States |
| Casey 19' |
Movsisyan 90' |
Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,047 |
U.S. Open Cup Qualifying edit
| May 27, 2008 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 0 - 1 | Colorado Rapids | Carson, California United States |
| Stadium: The Home Depot Center |
| June 4, 2008 | Kansas City Wizards | 2 - 2 (5 - 3 p) | Colorado Rapids | Kansas City, Kansas United States |
| Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark |
Standings edit
Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 2 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 3 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 5 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 6 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 7 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
Source: MLS
Overall
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Crew (C, S) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 57 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 51 | |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | North American SuperLiga |
| 4 | Chivas USA | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 43 | |
| 5 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | |
| 6 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | |
| 7 | Real Salt Lake | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 40 | |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Colorado Rapids | 30 | 11 | 14 | 5 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 38 | |
| 10 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 11 | FC Dallas | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 36 | |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 | CONCACAF Champions League[a] |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 |
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:
- ^ As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship