COMMERCE CITY — Axel Sjoberg’s game-tying goal in stoppage time at Vancouver off a beautiful assist from Kevin Doyle two weeks ago remains the enduring image of that game, but Colorado’s other goal that night was a snapshot of a trend that bodes well for the Rapids.

Trailing 1-0 in the 59th minute, attacking midfielder Shkelzen Gashi had the ball 25 yards from the goal. Three defenders were deployed in front of striker Kevin Doyle, who was in front of Gashi, but they were watching Gashi closely and they froze. Doyle made a diagonal run in the penalty area, Gashi fed him perfectly and Doyle one-timed the ball past hard-charging goalkeeper David Ousted to even the score.

In recent weeks the chemistry between Doyle and Gashi has begun to flourish, a good sign as the Rapids get ready for the stretch run to the playoffs. Working well with playmaker Marco Pappa, they have created a lot of chances playing off each other.

“He’s a good player,” Doyle said of Gashi. “He’s set me up a couple of times now. We seem to find each other a lot.”

While the potential for rapport between the two high-priced “designated players” was obvious when Shkelzen joined the team before the season, that understanding took time to develop because each missed four games — Doyle in April after being injured with the Irish national team, Gashi this summer while playing with the Albanian national team in the European Championships.

Always a threat, Gashi has four assists to go with two goals. He has assisted on two of Doyle’s four goals.

“His delivery on set pieces, crosses — they’re always dangerous,” Doyle said. “He never seems to have a bad delivery.”

Gashi said he has studied Doyle’s “body language” and the runs he likes to make.

“He is a good striker,” Gashi said. “The job for us is to give him the ball so that he can score.”

Together they create nightmares for defenders. The creativity Pappa and Jermaine Jones add from behind makes them even harder to defend.

“Gashi likes to drift in to where I am, which makes space for me to drift out to where he (was),” Doyle said. “Defenders don’t like it. If a center half is marking me and I drift out wide to where Gashi is, he’s like, ‘Do I go with him?’ Then Gashi comes inside.

“Pappa likes to come inside and go outside. Jermaine likes playing right behind. The four of us, we’re not standing in position and staying there. Gashi’s in the box, getting on the end of chances as well. Pappa’s shooting from the middle of the pitch. Jermaine is running in behind. That movement creates a lot of problems for teams.”

With a huge game coming Saturday against rival FC Dallas — Colorado and FCD have the two best records in MLS — coach Pablo Mastroeni is grateful for the way the Doyle-Gashi relationship is developing.

“The more you get to understand the way people like to receive the ball, the space they like to receive it in, how they like to move and what they’re looking for once they do receive it, you start to form little partnerships,” Mastroeni said. “Kevin and Gashi, especially in the last couple of games, have really done a good job of finding each other, creating space for each other and creating some very good chances on goal.”