Colorado’s Lewis: Once goal-scoring drought ends “the floodgates will open”
Colorado Rapids winger Jonathan Lewis has been creating chance after chance. Yet, he only has one goal and one assist to show for it in the 2022 season.
He has every opportunity that came up empty in the back of his mind, and can list each of them off without missing a beat.
It’s no secret the Rapids (4-3-5, 15 points) have had a topsy-turvy start to the season. Lewis knows the cliché is true: All it takes is one goal to open the floodgates.
“There’s going to be one that gets to me and I know that I just have to keep shooting and it will go in,” he said. “Every shooter has this period of when they’re not hitting their shots. … I just have to get myself in the right spots and gamble a little bit more.”
Lewis has the team’s secondhighest expected goals total this season at 2.9, along with the second-most shots (20) and shots on target (11), but still has one goal, which came in the home opener in March.
He’s been able to unlock the back line against counter-attacking teams and has done well to beat players on the dribble, as well.
But, for a winger who made a habit out of always finding ways to score, a rut can be tough to go through when the ball isn’t going in the back of the net.
“I know we’ve got more in us as a group,” Lewis told The Post Thursday. “Since the acquisition of (Gyasi) Zardes, I’m starting to play significantly better. I feel like I am creating more chances. Now, I just need to start getting things to fall with goals and assists. … We’re almost there, and for myself, personally, once one hits the back of the net I think the floodgates will open, which wil help me be more creative in finding my teammates.”
The creativity will have to be more consistent, according to head coach Robin Fraser. He told Lewis following the loss to Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday that the last five games have been Lewis’ best stretch of the season so far. Last week after the home win against LAFC, Fraser put out a different challenge for the 8time-capped USMNT player: consistency for the long haul.
“It’s one of those things that I can almost tell in his first touch, that, he’s feeling it on the day,” Fraser said. “The challenge for (Lewis) now is to be that way every day.”
In order to topple the new kings of Concacaf, the Seattle Sounders (kickoff 6 p.m. Sunday at DSGP), Fraser spoke about the “consistency of engagement” on Friday and to not let levels drop over 90 minutes. That’s no easy task considering the team will be playing the last match in a brutal stretch of five games in 16 days.
Adding to the challenge, the Rapids will be without Auston Trusty and Lucas Esteves, both of whom are suspended after Wednesday’s red-letter affair against SKC.
Still, Lewis believes whoever is out there can deliver.
“I think for me, we have to treat Seattle as a win-or-go-home and we can’t take anything less than three points,” Lewis said. “… We have nothing to lose. Just go out there, put our best foot forward and play to win.”