Surprise finalists Dallas, Colorado seek MLS title

FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids, unlikely contenders each seeking a first crown, meet in Sunday’s Major League Soccer Cup final after shocking big-name stars such as David Beckham.

The Rapids, 12-8 with 10 drawn, and Dallas, 12-4 with 14 drawn, played to a pair of draws in the US league’s regular season, both coming during an MLS record-tying run of 19 matches without a loss by Dallas.

“They are very competitive at all levels,” Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. “They are the type of team that’s going to be competing for second balls and we have to make sure we match that.”

Dallas ousted English star midfielder Beckham and his Los Angeles Galaxy team-mates in the semi-finals after earlier dispatching defending champions Real Salt Lake, who denied Beckham’s title bid in last year’s MLS Cup final.

Colorado, only seventh-best in the league’s regular season, knocked out San Jose in the other semi-final after the Earthquakes had eliminated the New York Red Bulls and their French striker Thierry Henry.

The Rapids beat Columbus in the first round.

“Colorado, they are very similar to us,” Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. “I don’t think either team really got the respect from the media or from people in the soccer world to be in the MLS Cup final.

“But when it comes down to it, both teams have played with a lot of character and a lot of heart.”

The Rapids lost only three of their final 14 matches, boosting their belief in a first-time title with every triumph.

“Form is confidence,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “It’s confidence not only in your own game, but in your team-mates as well.

“All in all, we’re in a very nice place. I think we deserve to be here. We’ve been competitive when we needed to be. We’ve shown good resilience.”

Dallas players have something to prove as well and lifting the champion’s trophy would achieve it.

“There’s a little bit of a motivating factor for some of the guys that want to disprove the naysayers,” Hartman said. “But the reality is, we think we deserve this.”