Young Guns Chop Down Timbers

My apologies for the delay.  Last night was taken up by watching the best action-adventure movie of all time in IMAX, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

A surprisingly young team started against the Timbers on Wednesday night.  Casey was given the night off, Cummings was with Jamaica, and Mullan was given a chance to rest for most of the game after his Achilles injury in Portland.  Instead Cascio, Akpan, and Castrillon started in their places and immediately took the game to the timbers.  In the first minute Cascio beat Koz and abused the near post.  In the 5th minute qa cross from Moor was deflected and Kimura managed to beat Cascio to it by inches, but his header fell right to Akpan who finished it for a 1-0 Rapids lead.  In the 27th minute Cascio again beat Koz, having an open shot off a Castrillon cross.  Ricketts made the save but it fell right back to Cascio and he made the second chance count, doubling the Rapids lead.

On the defensive side Portland wasn't threatening.  They didn't get a shot on target until the 75th minute when Chara beat and shouldered Zapata off the ball, but Pickens was up to the task with a kick save.  That would be their only shot on target for the night.  Meanwhile the Rapids had 6 shots on target total, plus Cascio's near post blast.

Colorado put the game away in the 86th minute.  A Kamani Hill corner to the far post was headed back to the near post by Moor where, once again, Kosuke was beat by Castrillon who headed it down and past Ricketts.  3-0 and that's all she wrote.

My key to the game was scoring a meaningful goal.  5 minutes in and it had been accomplished.  Amazing how that helps a team win...

Other Observations:

• A number have fans have wondered if this game was a changing of the guard.  With Casey given the night off and the young guns playing well, have we seen the beginning of the end of C + C Goal Factory?  I want to see it against a team better than Portland, but its an interesting question.
• I love Koz, but this game was an example of why he was traded.  Tony Casscio abused him all night.  He admitted after the game that the emotions of returning to Colorado got to him, but that's not how you convince a team they were wrong in trading you.
• Castrillon has a team lead 7 goals and Rivero a team lead 8 assists.  It hasn't looked good at times, but the new players seen to be finding their place.  Cascio is in the top 5 of goals and assists as well.
• Moor had two assists tonight (though the assist on the first goal seems generous) from the right back spot, but those were his only two good crosses it seemed.  He'll need to work on that.
• Portland apparently doesn't know the offside rule.  Every time they seemed to get something going they would be called offside.
• I got a better look at Thomas this week and liked what I saw.  Very calm on the ball and decisive, something this team needs.
• Good to see that Mullan wasn't so injured he couldn't play.  A few minutes at the end of the game was just about right for him.
• Loved seeing the Olympians at the game, too bad only Missy Franklin decided to wear the jersey the Rapids presented them.

Player Of The Game: Tony Cascio.  a goal, an assist, and a goalpost.  He looked good Wednesday night.