COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Calvin Harris scored two goals, his first multi-goal game in Major League Soccer, to help the Colorado Rapids beat CF Montreal 4-1 Saturday night.
Colorado (8-7-4) has won three consecutive games and has conceded just one goal in that span.
Harris drew a foul conceded by Montreal's Raheem Edwards just outside the area and then had his header off the free kick by Djordje Mihailovic parried by goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois but headed home the putback to make it 1-0 in the 28th minute.
On the counterattack, Mihailovic — who spent two seasons with Montreal — played a perfectly placed through ball to Harris, who tapped a roller from the centre of the area into the net to give the Rapids a 2-0 lead moments before halftime.
Lalas Abubakar redirected a cross into the net for an own goal in the 53rd minute that cut Montreal's deficit to 2-1.
Mihailovic, who had a hat trick in a 3-0 win over St. Louis City on Wednesday, converted from the penalty spot in the 90th minute and Rafael Navarro capped the scoring in the second minute of stoppage time.
“The players were not tired. We lacked the collective personality to play our game both in defence and attack. We didn't do what we wanted to do," said Montreal coach Laurent Courtois.
"The little we tried was too timid and poor in quality. I can't explain the first half. The lack of discipline on set pieces was also difficult. I hope the players will be more accountable for their individual actions in the future."
Montreal netminder Jonathan Sirois said his squad wasn't aggressive enough and gave the Rapids too much respect.
“It is difficult to explain tonight. We can all be disappointed. Too often they (Rapids) managed to get into our defensive third. We reacted well after the break, but it's a shame. … From a collective point of view, we all need to assume our responsibilities and know our roles, especially when it comes to free-kicks.”
Mihailovic (nine goals and eight assists) became the fourth player in franchise history to produce at least 15-goal contributions in the club’s first 20 games of a season, and the first since Omar Cummings in 2009.
Mahala Opoku and Mason Toye both earned their 50th MLS start for Montreal (4-8-7), which had its five-game unbeaten streak snapped. Sirois made his 50th MLS start for CF Montréal.
CF Montréal will be back at Stade Saputo on Saturday to host the Philadelphia Union.
---
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport
The Associated Press
