Fri Jul 4 23:50:34 2008

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Rapids roll to 4-0 win over Red Bulls

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Commerce City, CO (Sports Network) - Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark and Tom McManus each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Rapids rolled to a 4-0 win over Red Bull New York on Friday to snap a four-game winless streak.

Omar Cummings also scored for the Rapids in front of a record crowd of at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Colorado is now 5-2-1 at home this season.

Colorado (6-8-1) won for the first time since a 2-1 win over FC Dallas on June 1 and for just the second time in its last eight games.

New York (5-5-5) had its two-match unbeaten streak snapped and dropped to 1-4-3 on the road this season.

McManus opened the scoring in the 24th minute with his fourth goal of the year - which temporarily moved him into the team lead. Clark had the final pass on the play and set up an easy finish for McManus at the right post.

Ballouchy doubled the lead in the 36th minute with his first goal of the season in his first start of the year. Terry Cooke set the goal up with a cross from the right side and Ballouchy finished inside the right post.

Rapids goalie Bouna Coundoul made his only tough save in the closing minutes of the first half to stop a one-on-one chance from New York's Dave van den Bergh.

Clark then put Colorado up three goals four minutes into the second half on an unassisted goal, and Cummings moved into a tie with McManus for the team lead in goals in the 68th minute.

McManus and Ballouchy set up the goal to get assists and Cummings beat Red Bull goalie Jon Conway to the right post for his fourth goal of the season.

The four-goal win matched Colorado's biggest margin of victory this season. The Rapids also beat the Los Angeles Galaxy, 4-0, in their season opener.

Coundoul made just two saves for his fifth - and the team's sixth - shutout of the season.

The Red Bulls will try to bounce back Thursday when they visits the Kansas City Wizards. Colorado will try to build on its big win when it visits the San Jose Earthquakes on July 12.