Don't be confused, that's Lord Voldemort, not Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad. The Rapids take on Kansas City at the Dick tomorrow, kickoff at 7:30pm. In the first road game of the season the Rapids travelled to KC and gave up two goals to Jimmy Conrad on corner kicks before coming back to tie the game, only to lose it in the last minutes.Here's the injury report:
OUT: GK Justin Hughes (L groin); DF Jordan Harvey (R knee); QUESTIONABLE: DF Ugo Ihemelu (concussion)
DISCIPLINE: Suspended - Colin Clark
Suspended after 2 more yellow cards - Pablo Mastroeni
My lineup prediction:
Bouna Time!
Petke - Erpen - Burciaga
Cooke - Pablo - C.Gomez - LaBrocca - Peterson
McManus - Casey
Petke - Erpen - Burciaga
Cooke - Pablo - C.Gomez - LaBrocca - Peterson
McManus - Casey
Not at all the lineup I would like to see, but given what's been reported I think this is most likely. I'd still prefer to see Pablo pushed back and Erpen taken out, with DiRaimondo in Pablo's d-mid spot. Try one of the young guys like Colaluca or Dalby out wide instead of the ineffectual Peterson.
Critical Matchup: Casey & McManus vs. their mental blocks
A bit of a different matchup this week, as I think the real key to this game is the forward's ability to get a goal. We've gone two league games scoreless while seriously outshooting our opponents. Somebody is going to have to step up and break through the invisible wall we've apparently erected in the goal. Nothing else really matters in this game.
Keys To Look For:
- Fernando Clavijo was called away back to his home country of Uruguay on a family medical emergency this week. My best wishes go out to him and his family. He's not expected to be back for the game tomorrow night and Assistant Coach Gary Smith will be leading the team. Will we see any significant difference in play?
- Looks like it will be cool and wet tomorrow, which team adapts better?
- Other than that, the real key is can the Rapids score? If we outplay the Wizards and come up scoreless again I'm not sure when we'll get our next goal (or win).
Prediction: 1-1 draw. This team has just looked so ineffectual over the last 9 games, other than the 4th of July, that I don't have any expectations of a win tomorrow.
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1 comment:
I think Herc would be a better option out on the left than Peterson for this one. Although, I would like to see him start up top with McManus rather than Casey.
Peterson has never looked good on either wing, he was a forward when he came to us. Perhaps we should try him there again, since none of our other strikers seem like they could hit water if they fell out of a boat.
That may be a little unfair to McManus , as his time has been limited. If he's healthy, and gets some consistant playing time, he could be strong for us down the stretch.
Like you, I'm not expecting much out of this game. Another back line shuffle, no clinical finisher, and a team in turmoil over coaching! I dont think Gary Smith has had enough time this week to really put his style into his team, but hopefully he can get a little better attitude (read: something to prove) out of the squad.
Rapids 0-0 Wiz (Damn, that hurts to write)
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