COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Ray Burse kept FC Dallas in the match when the Colorado Rapids easily could have buried the club with a barrage of goals early.

The first-half exploits of FC Dallas' goalkeeper allowed time for Kenny Cooper and David Ferreira to work a little magic at the other end of the field. And while a late goal by Rapids forward Omar Cummings forced FC Dallas to settle for a 1-1 tie and one point instead of three, the club still has the look of a team on the upswing after a frustrating start.

FC Dallas took control early on Ferreira goal's in the 37th minute and was within minutes of its second consecutive win Wednesday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. After beginning the season 0-4-1 on the road, FC Dallas is unbeaten in its last two road matches and is 2-1-4 in its last seven matches overall.

The club's mini-surge may not have continued without the early work of Burse, who made three impressive saves in the first half to keep FC Dallas (3-7-5) in the match before Cooper and Ferreira put the club on the board late in the frame.

"To come in here, a team that hasn't lost at home, and to keep them that close up to 80-whatever minutes with the amount of pressure we took, I think it shows a tremendous amount of character," FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said.

"It's not easy to play here. At the same time, we've got five guys who are normal starters that are out with injuries. I think we're going in the right direction. We need more wins, and we need more points so we can get back in the middle of the group."

On two occasions in the first half, Burse thwarted shots by Rapids midfielder Nick LaBrocca from the right side of the box, helping offset a sluggish start that saw the Rapids control possession for much of the first 25 minutes.

"Ray has done great," said Cooper, who notched his first assist of the season. "I'm really happy for him that he is making such big contributions."

Midfielder Jeff Cunningham, a Rapids player in 2005, began FC Dallas' scoring play by feeding Cooper at the top of the box. Working with his back to the Rapids defense, Cooper immediately one-touched the ball back to the right wing, where Ferreira was all alone. The Colombian midfielder chipped a shot over charging Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens.

Cummings, though, sliced through two defenders and pushed an equalizing goal past Burse in the 84th minute.