It took a dozen tries but the Rapids have finally won a game in my hometown!!! In the process they finished their first full month of perfect games since July of 2003. Its also the team's first 3 game win streak since 2011.
General impressions:
- My question in my game preview was who had the worse surface, Microsoft or CenturyLink. After seeing this game its CLink by a mile. That surface was an abomination. The league needs to prohibit grass-on-turf surfaces for league games. If a team wants to play on it for an optional friendly fine, but no team should be required to play on a surface that bad.
- Big save from Clint Irwin in the first minute. Seattle scoring there could have sent the Rapids into a tailspin.
- My key to this game was limiting the Seattle forwards. They had 2 shots on target and 2 blocked shots total between the three of them. Sanchez alone had 4 shots and combined the three starting Rapids forwards had 9 shots plus the goal. Well done.
- Speaking of Sanchez he's a big mystery to me right now. He seems to be trying to do it all, always going to goal, and trying to carry the team. And he's not succeeding. Looking at the Opta stats seems to back this up, not too many successful passes, etc.. Yet the team has been successful with him in the starting lineup. What I think is going on is that while Sanchez isn't doing a whole lot to directly help the team, his presence is forcing defenses to adjust and is opening space for the rest of the team to be successful. So good, I guess? ;)
- I'm very excited with what I've seen from Eloundou the last two games. He clearly wasn't 90 minutes ready as I expected but he did better than expected as a starter.
- I think we found out why Drew has been playing LB. Harrington was...not good. Hopefully that's just rust because youza!
- How do you solve a problem like Watts? He's gotten better but then he didn't have anywhere to go but up. He's still not good and is regularly out of position or beat. Anyone seen Shane O'Neill?
- Fleming said "James Riley got sucked inside from the right back position and Neagle was left unmarked". That seems to describe Riley's play far too often.
- Amazing that with three below-average, IMO, defenders we put up a shutout and Irwin only had to make two big saves. Are Seattle's attackers that bad or am I being harsh on our defenders?
- Doyle had an elbow to the face of Pineda that's drawing a lot of discussion. While watching the game I thought no card. Watching the replay after the game I thought that the DisCo would be calling Doyle. Coming back a day later I think Toledo missed a yellow card but it wasn't a red card. Doyle didn't seeing the elbow as a weapon, he was using it as a tool for balance (tool vs. weapon is specifically called out in the ATR as one of the distinguishing characteristics between yellow and red). Toledo could have justified a red and ti would be hard to argue but general feeling from unbiased fans and refs seems to be yellow. Toledo, of course, didn't even call a foul while looking right at it.
- I'm surprised LaBrocca wasn't used as our third sub. Seemed like a perfect game for him to be used in.
- The Bodmer Line is now at 1.57 pts/game. The West is looking above average though so I'm going to start giving a range between the average 6th placed finish (46 points) and the projected 6th placed finish in the West this year (this week 48 points according to SportsClubStats). That makes the Bodmer Line range from 1.57-1.71 pts/game.
- The only MLS cities we haven't won in now are NYC which we haven't played in yet (all games against Metros/Red Bulls have been in Jersey and Orlando where we're 0-0-2 after losing there last month and losing a USOC match there in 2013.
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