COMMERCE CITY — First he doffed his shirt, which earned Alan Gordon an automatic yellow card, a price he was willing to pay in return for savoring the moment. For the second league game in a row, he had come off the bench late to score a game-winning goal. He tossed his shirt into the air and sprinted for the fans at the south end of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
They were jumping up and down in unison, so he did too, in tempo with them. They were rejoicing over a goal in the 89th minute that lifted the Rapids to a 2-1 win over Portland Saturday night, but also Gordon’s remarkable knack for scoring off the bench late in games.