Weekend Friendlies

Colorado had a full preseason match and two short scrimmages to finish out their California trip before heading home this morning.  Friday night was the full match against San Jose, supposedly streamed online but the Earthquakes tech department failed.  If only the Quakes represented the center of high tech innovation int his country or something...

Anyway, here's the starting XI for the match (* denotes trialist):

Angulo* - Cummings - Mullan

Larentowicz - Castrillon - Mastroeni

Zapata* - Marshall - Wynne - Kimura

Pickens

and here's the lineup that finished the game:

Cascio - Akpan - Amarikwa

Larentowicz - Yamada - Thompson

Zapata* - Palguta - Ababio - Freeman

Ceus

The team lost 2-1, going up early off a Castrillon goal from a Cummings past, his first in a Rapids kit.  SJ leveled before halftime off a corner and they got the winner off a Wondolowski 20 yard shot int he second half.  The other highlight was that our second Japanese player, Kohei Yamada, got his first minutes for the team.

Saturday morning the team played two 35 minute scrimmages against San Jose and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which gave the players who got little or no minutes the night before a chance to get some work in.  Here are the lineups:

vs. San Jose:

Cascio - Akpan - Amarikwa

Nane - Emory - Thompson

Freeman - Palguta - Ababio - LaBauex

Joyce

vs. Cal Poly:

Cascio - Akpan - Archer*

Nane - Yamada - Emory

Freeman - Palguta - Ababio - LaBauex

Helmick*

(Davy Armstrong came in when Freeman suffered an ankle injury)

The Rapids won both scrimmages 1-0, the first off a 20 yard goal from Cascio, the second from an Akpan PK.

With 28 signed players and a 29th arriving tomorrow form Argentina there's only 1 spot up for grabs.  Smith and/or Wallace could start the season on Ir which would free up two roster spots, or somebody already signed could be cut but for now it appears there are 4 players trying for 1 spot.  Actually its probably 3 for 1 spot and Helmick and Joyce are competing for the 3rd GK position, with Joyce having the advantage of already being signed.  It appears from the rosters in California that Angulo and Zapata have the lead over Archer right now.  It will be interesting to see who makes the Hawai'i trip with the signed players.