The former Reading and Wolverhampton Wanderers striker scored both of Colorado’s goals as they beat the Earthquakes 2-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Thursday night.
Kevin Doyle was in fine form for the Colorado Rapids on Thursday night, netting a brace to keep his side on course for the 2016 Supporters’ Shield with a 2-1 home win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
The 33-year-old Irish striker was making his first appearance for the club since suffering an ankle injury in early September and promptly announced his return to the line-up by opening the scoring in the 38th minute with a spectacular diving header from Marc Burch’s cross.
So pretty. 1-0 @ColoradoRapids. #COLvSJ https://t.co/yHhSzNfUwv
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 14, 2016
San Jose eventually equalised shortly before the hour mark as Chris Wondolowksi buried a penalty past Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard after being brought down in the box by Eric Miller, but the hosts would be awarded a spot-kick of their own with 17 minutes remaining when Fatai Alashe was adjudged to have fouled Dillon Powers on a corner kick.
Doyle subsequently stepped up to convert the ensuing effort as Colorado went on to seal the win and moved into top spot in both the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shields standings on a franchise-record 57 points – one ahead of second-placed FC Dallas with just two regular season matches remaining.
Having finished with the second-worst record in MLS last term, Pablo Mastroeni’s men had gone into the 2016 campaign as one of the league’s most unfancied teams, but they are now already assured of one of the West’s top two playoff seeds and remain unbeaten at home with 11 wins and five draws.
“I think it was another fantastic performance; a fantastic result,” head coach Pablo Mastroeni told the club’s official website after their latest victory at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. “We grew into the game in both halves and I was really proud of the way we kept pushing the game, kept pressing the game.
“We’re so full of confidence and full of belief, that even when we find the rough patches in games, we find ways to persevere. It’s been a common theme and one that puts us in a great position moving into the last two games of the season.”
Doyle, meanwhile, has flattered to deceive at times in his first full season with the Rapids, scoring just six goals in 24 games, but the former Reading forward’s performance against the Earthquakes showed exactly why the club brought him over to the States from Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 2015.
Operating in an unfamiliar No. 10 position, the Republic of Ireland international took his new role with few problems and was deservedly named man of the match after recording two key passes, three dribbles and 55 touches to go along with the all-important goals.
“One of the reasons you want to look at him in the No. 10 is because he does a great job ghosting into the box when the ball goes out wide,” Mastroeni added on Doyle when speaking to coloradorapids.com. “His movement to get into that position was fantastic and he showed his class with the finish.”
Having secured their 15th league win of the season, the Rapids now travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Sunday before closing out the regular campaign the following weekend with a home game against the Houston Dynamo.
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