COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) Kortne Ford scored his first career goal and Tim Howard made it stand with his 24th MLS shutout in the Colorado Rapids’ 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
Ford got his head on Shkelzen Gashi’s free kick into the box, guiding it into the corner in the 11th minute.
Howard made just one save for his second shutout of the season and ninth in two seasons with Colorado (3-8-1). The U.S. national team star had 15 shutouts with the MetroStars before playing 12 years in the English Premier League.
Sporting KC (6-4-4) had a 25-6 shots advantage but couldn’t find the target. The last disappointment came when Seth Sinovic skimmed a shot off the top of the cross bar in the second minute of stoppage time.
Ford, a homegrown defender who attended a nearby high school and played for the University of Denver, was playing in just his fifth game. His goal was just the 10th allowed in 14 games by the league’s stingiest defense.