Sporting KC Does One Better Than Their Reserves

Last Wednesday Sporting KC's new reserve side, the Swope Park Rangers, beat the Rapids in Tucson 3-1.  Last night the first team showed why they have that title by one-upping their reserve team in a 4-1 victory over the Rapids.  Our starting XI:

K. Doyle

Gashi - Powers - Badji

Watts - Azira

Williams - Sjoberg - Burling - Miller

MacMath

Great to see Gashi get his first minutes in a Rapids uniform.  I'm concerned that despite reports that his training we haven't seen Pappa.  I'm starting to wonder if the Rapids know (or are at least expecting) that a suspension ic coming from the league over his altercation with the former Miss Washington and they're trying to figure out the lineup they're going to use on Opening Day without him.  That would also explain Cronin's absence as he's suspended for the first game due to yellow card accumulation and a red card at the end of last season.  The other missing player is St. Ledger, not sure what's going on there.

The early and late part of the first half actually had some good play from the Rapids and some dangerous chances.  Gashi obviously wants the ball and will float all over the field to get it.  The middle of the half was bad though, with the Rapids conceding 2 PKs in 2 minutes.  To add insult to injury this was largely KC's backups with most of their starters not entering the game until the 60th minute.

After halftime we saw the reserves and trialists for the Rapids.

(d) - Draftee
(t) - Trialist

C.Doyle

Pfeffer - Solignac - Serna

Cronin - Spencer(t)

Burch - Cochran(t) - Keel(t) - Castillo(d)

Froschauer(d)

This group didn't fare much better, giving up a 3rd (3!) PK and a soft goal before Pfeffer got the Rapids on the board of an assist from Castillo.

With this result the Rapids will play AZ United of the USL at 6:30pm on Saturday.  Colorado will also scrimmage the Crew at 10:30 that morning though there will be no streaming coverage of that game.

Playing time for unsigned players so far this preseason.  Richmond reported Ownby left the Rapids camp and returned to the Kickers earlier this week.

Draftees:
Castillo: 270
Froschauer: 199
Appiah: 135
Kamdem: 90
Torre: 45

Trialists:
Keel: 270
Cochran: 170
Ekra: 103
Spencer: 90
Keith: 45