COMMERCE CITY — Before his team’s showdown on the road against league-leading FC Dallas Saturday, Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni spoke about the importance of playing the game with equal parts mind and heart.
“There’s a fine line between passion and reason, and there lies ‘Playing in the zone,’ ” Mastroeni said. “Too much passion, you don’t make the right decisions because you’re playing with too much heart. All reason, you’re thinking too much and you’re not winning the little bounces, the little 50-50 balls. It’s got to be the right blend of passion and reason.”
The Rapids practiced what he preached to great effect last Saturday, snapping a two-game losing streak and handing FCD its first home loss in more than a year with a 1-0 victory.