A Diego Rubio penalty kick in the 41st minute enabled the Colorado Rapids to tie the Columbus Crew 1-1 in Commerce City, Colo., on Saturday.
Cucho Hernandez gave Columbus (8-6-10, 34 points) the lead in the fifth minute before Rubio’s goal extended the Rapids’ unbeaten streak to two wins and a tie.
Columbus is 5-1-6 in its past 12 games.
The Crew have three wins and three ties in their past six road games. They have gone unbeaten in six or more straight road games in a season once before, going nine in a row without a loss in July-October 2004 with the last of those a 1-1 draw at Colorado.
The Rapids (8-9-7, 31 points) are 7-1-2 in the past 10 home games versus the Crew.
Hernandez scored his sixth goal in seven games since joining the Crew on a transfer from Watford in England.
The play began with Darlington Nagbe switching the point of the attack to the left wing. Pedro Santos took the pass from him and whipped a ball to the far post where Hernandez snuck behind the defense to score with his right foot.
Columbus went for the jugular and eight minutes later, Lucas Zelarayan smacked a shot from outside the penalty area that William Yarbrough overplayed but recovered to make the save.
In the 25th minute, former Crew forward Gyasi Zardes had the tying goal disallowed because he was offside. It was his first game against the Crew since being traded to the Rapids on April 25.
The equalizer came from Rubio after Stephen Moreira was called for a handball off a header by Jonathan Lewis. Rubio converted his third penalty kick in as many tries this season even though Eloy Room guessed correctly and dove toward the left corner.
Rubio has been involved in a goal in eight straight matches. He has five goals in the past seven matches and his 12 goals for the season are a career high.
Yarbrough made four saves, while Room recorded two.
–Field Level Media
