And..we're back!

So I go away for a week and a half with the Rapids on the verge of clinching a playoff spot and I come back to Gary Smith overlooking the worst team in the MLS en route to a home loss and then pulling out a huge point in Dallas against the hottest team in MLS. Yep, same old Rapids.

This week we're in LA for our penultimate game of the regular season, and maybe of our whole season. The math is easy. 1 point won by us or lost by KC and we're in, if we lose to LA and FSL and KC beats New England and San Jose, we're out. KC plays at NE two hours before the Rapids play at LA, so we'll know just around kickoff if the pressure is still on or not.

Tomorrow's game has a 8:30pm kickoff in LA, with the game on KWGN. The supporters groups are gathering at the Celtic Tavern in LoDo and if the group is big enough the Celtic will buy Direct Kick to show the KC game before hand.

Injury Report:

OUT: MF Ciaran O'Brien (L hip sprain); FW Ross Schunk (R ACL tear)

PROBABLE: FW (Quincy Amarikwa (L ankle sprain); DF Julian Baudet (L hamstring strain); FW Omar Cummings (L ankle sprain); MF Brian Mullan (R ankle sprain); GK Matt Pickens (groin strain); DF Anthony Wallace (groin strain)

Discipline Report:

TWO CAUTIONS FROM SUSPENSION: Omar Cummings, Jeff Larentowicz, Pablo Mastroeni, Brian Mullan, Jamie Smith, Wells Thompson, Marvell Wynne

Seems that every one's ankle is a bit iffy. This is the time to suck it up and play though. With 1 point necessary to make the playoffs, now is the time to go out there and get it. The good news is that anyone on the 2 yellow list who gets through this game clean is clear for the season since cards are reset at the start of the playoffs, but if you pick up your 5th card in the last game you are suspended for the first game of the playoffs. Its a bit hard with all the probables and Gary Smith's schizophrenic lineup decisions lately, but my best guess at the lineup:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Wallace

Mullan - Larentowicz - Pablo - Smith

Cummings - Casey

This is the group that worked well when we were racking up points in September. Assuming they're all healthy enough to go they should go.

Key To Look For: Landon Donovan. He's quite possibly the best field player in American soccer history. I don't care how quiet he's been, when he's on the field he's the guy to keep an eye on.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Conor Casey. A bit of wishful thinking here, as I don't want to go into the FSL game, again, with the playoffs on the line but I think we can get a draw. We played very well in Dallas and right now Dallas appears to be a better team than LA. I don't think we can go into LA and win, but with our speed pulling apart their back line I see Casey getting a head on the ball for a goal, but our defense giving up one to LA's dangerous attack.