Omar Cummings turned out to be the hero for the night as Colorado walked away taking all three points in Los Angeles. In last year’s opener, the Colorado Rapids fell to a 2-1 loss when Chivas scored twice in the second half. This year, and this season look to be completely different.

The first ten minutes of the game seemed almost as if it was Colorado v. Chivas somewhere in Manchester as there were two very blatant missed calls. Apparently, Karma evened everything out since there was one a piece and neither team benefited.

Overall, in the first half, Chivas looked like a well-rounded team while Colorado looked they were in the midst of an experiment, starting players literally signed within the past 24 hours.

Omar Cummings had his first real opportunity in the 23rd, but it went wide right. Rapids got a corner, but did nothing with it and Chivas followed with a great breakaway. They got to the box, but completely miffed the shot, and the game remained 0-0.

A few minutes later, in the 28th, Chivas had a great opportunity with another corner kick, but Colorado Goalkeeper Matt Pickens was more than up for the task as he punched it out of the box.

The 38th minute saw Colorado pressing again as Omar Cummings took the breakaway and then saw him make a terrible shot to keep the game level. The first real bright spot of the game came in the 42nd when Conor Casey looked to be striking it home, but it went off the crossbar and back into play. The remainder of the half, it almost looked as if Colorado was afraid to pass the ball, but the game continued, and it was an even 0-0 half time score.

The second half started, and it looked as though all Colorado needed to play a real game was a half-time spanking from Coach Gary Smith. It became a completely different game.

The 57th minute was the deciding minute when what can only be described as a crazy goal was scored by Omar Cummings. This was one of those “why don’t we have replays” sort of goals, but nonetheless, Colorado took a 1-0 lead that eventually turned into a victory.

The 84th gave Chivas a chance to equalize, but Matt Pickens stepped up once again to keep the Rapids in front.

So First Kick turned out to be a great one for Colorado, but some will wonder if it was deserved. The first half still rubs me the wrong way, as it looked truly like an amateur team just getting to know itself versus a Chivas team that looked well-rounded and refreshed. At the end of the day, all that matters is the final score and the points that go to the victor. As Colorado’s new signings settle in, we may see a whole different season.

About Joshywa Schrader

I may not be your typical "soccer writer," but it's a love I have had since I can first remember seeing any sport as a child. I have a variety of favourite teams scattered throughout the leagues, and the teams I cover in the Bundesliga barely make a dent in all of the teams I love to watch and support. I love the German Bundesliga due to a sense of heritage, and simply due to the fact that I think the league has some of the most impressive players to watch.