'Mr. America' Tim Howard's presence threw off Galaxy in shootout - Doyle

Colorado Rapids striker Kevin Doyle says his teammates were backing keeper Tim Howard to emerge as a match-winning hero before a ball was kicked in Sunday's dramatic MLS Cup playoff second leg against the LA Galaxy.

Rapids stopper Howard saved two penalties and Colorado prevailed 3-1 from the penalty spot to make it through to the Western Conference final against the Seattle Sounders later this month.

Doyle told ESPN FC that the presence of the keeper he describes as "Mr. America" may have intimidated Galaxy's spot-kick takers.

"The players were talking in the buildup to the game and we knew that Tim would win it for us if it went to a penalty shootout," Doyle said. "Tim was immense on Sunday night. He is a huge presence between the posts and he has a confidence that is always helpful in those pressure situations. In the end, he came through for us with two big saves and I wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"He has presence that would have made it difficult for the Galaxy players when it went to penalties. He looks so big in that goal when you take a penalty against him. Thankfully what we spoke about before the game became reality a few hours later."

Doyle believes that the signing of Howard from Everton for the 2016 season has helped to transform the image of the Rapids side, with the adulation coming the way of the 2014 World Cup hero for the U.S. taking Doyle by surprise.

"I have been amazed by what a massive figure he is not just to soccer fans, but to everyone who follows sport in America," Doyle said.

"You might not think that soccer is the biggest sport in America, but that changes when Tim Howard walks into a room because everyone knows who he is.

"Tim is Mr. America in so many ways and he is fantastic when it comes to saving penalties. We see him in training every day and he is brilliant at guessing the way to dive and I wasn't surprised to see a couple of their players missing.

"Tim has just been massive for us in so many ways since he came to Colorado. He has brought a star quality to the team and the same can be said of Jermaine Jones and Shkelzen Gashi, who scored a fantastic goal to get us back into the game on Sunday.

"In the end, it all added up to what was a great night for our club and we don't want it to end here."

Doyle has been a steady performer for a Colorado side that has bounced back from a miserable 2015 MLS season and now he is eyeing the ultimate glory as the team looks to complete their journey en route to the MLS Cup.

"We believe we can go all the way and while the game against Seattle will be tough as they are in great form, people need to start believing in Colorado," Doyle said.

"No one expected us to get this far and it is nice to hear people complaining about the altitude at our stadium and using that as an excuse when we beat them.

"No one mentioned the altitude issue when we were getting beaten on a regular basis last year, so long may the complaints continue.

"We hopefully have three more games left to play this season and the prize at the end is in sight now. We believe we can win the MLS Cup."

Kevin Palmer is a sports writer. You can follow him on Twitter: @RealKevinPalmer.