A New Low

To be frank, outside of Edgar Castillo, this team is crap.  The team didn't belong on the field with the Timbers on Saturday and regardless of how close the score looked, the Timbers didn't worry about the result much into the second half.

They had a great first goal (helped by a poor play by Danny Wilson) but their other two goals were just ripping apart a Rapids backline that it not MLS quality.  Both goals were started by horrible passes from Boateng.  Both could have been stopped if Wynne, or anyone else, had marked the back post.  As we've seen all year, that didn't happen.

After the game Hudson said, in multiple ways, that he feels that we were competitive and we're just a few tweaks away from figuring it out.  We're not.  Even with a healthy Hairston and Ford taking Boateng and Wynne's spots that still leaves a questionable Wilson, a midfield that has no consistence or creativity, and a set of forwards that coming into June aren't fit, other than Badji.

I'll be honest, this feels like a new low as a Rapids fan.  This is the second worst losing streak in team history.  The worst is a game longer and a much larger goal differential from 2014 (it ended with that 6-1 debacle in LA).  But that was the end of a season with a rookie coach with some hope we'd figure things out in the offseason (we didn't, but I didn't know that them).  This time we're 11 games into the new era of the Colorado Rapids and it feels like there's not light at the end of the tunnel.  I can't see KSE allowing another manger change (note, I'm not calling for Hudson's job, yet) since they're still paying Pablo through the end of next year and they'd still have to pay Hudson, so they won't pay a third manager.  I don't see them firing Smith (again, not calling for his job, but getting close) since they just gave him the permanent position.  Without any sign from the FO that a change in direction is coming, I have ton assume things aren't going to get much better for a long time.

Really, any hope we have rides on Friday night's game.  Currently the Bodmer Line* sits at 1.65 pts/game.  Losing on Friday would push it to 1.72 over the final 22 games.  In our best season, 2016, we played 34 games at 1.71 pts/game.  Failing to beat Vancouver at home on Friday means it would take a miracle run to make the playoffs.  I have no belief that a team that can't beat Vancouver at home has a miracle run in them.  Essentially the season would be over by the first day of June.  This is not the improved "Rapids Way" Smith talked about.

* - The Bodmer Line is the rate the team needs to gain points over the rest of the season in order to reach the average number of points the 6th placed (and final playoff) teams have accrued in the 7 years the league has played 34 games.  That's 46.5 points.  Names after C38 Grand Poobah Mark Bodmer, who helped me refine the idea.

Man of the Match: Edgar Castillo.  The only one that looked like an actual MLS player out there for 90 minutes