The win clinched the Rapids’ first MLS Cup Playoffs berth since finishing atop the table in the Western Conference in 2021. Colorado (15-5-10) now sits in third place in the West with 58 points, five behind first-place L.A. Galaxy.

FC Cincinnati has six regular-season matches remaining to "get hot at the right time," as the cliche goes. But peaking at the most opportune moment in a season that lasts 10 months isn't easy to do, and wins alone don't point to achieving it.

After FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew played to a scoreless draw, Luciano Acosta contended, "we don't celebrate draws." But some measure of celebration was in order for FC Cincinnati, and the people in charge of the stadium's pyrotechnics obliged,