Rapids Look For Their First Win Tomorrow

Game 5 and still need a win.  This is the first game I predicted we'd win and I think we have a real shot.  Its the Houston Dynamo in town for this one with another cold night on tap.  One of these days we'll see a home game that doesn't have snow on the field.  Houston is off to a good start for the season with two wins and a draw but all 3 games were at home and their level of competition (Montreal, Vancouver, and FSL) hasn't been great.  Kickoff is at 7pm tomorrow so the tailgate is at 4pm and Fleming and 'Celo will have the call on Altitude.

Injury Report:
OUT: D Kortne Ford
QUESTIONABLE: M Sam Nicholson, F Niki Jackson

So this is probably as close to full health as we're going to be be for a while.  No suspensions, non international callups, and Ford the only likely starting XI player missing.

I'd be really surprised if this isn't the XI tomorrow, barring a late injury.  The only other player who might slip in would be Bassett, who had a great game last week, but I think he's still likely to come off the bench.  Midfield positions are, once again, a best guess.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Kamara and Acosta.  If not now, when are we going to get our first win.  This is the healthiest we've been, we've got full rest, and we're at home.  The next time that's likely to happen is May 3rd against Vancouver.  I think we have it in us.  If we don't then our hopes for an improved season look dark.

Colorado Rapids - Arsenal, July 15th

The long rumored (and even longer deserved) is official now.  Before their International Champions Cup matches in LA, Charlotte, and DC Arsenal will be coming to Commerce City to play the Rapids on July 15th.  Despite Kroenke owning shares in Arsenal since 2007, being the largest shareholder since 2009, and owning a majority of the shares since 2011 this is the first time the teams have played a friendly in the U.S.  The Rapids did travel to London a couple of times in preseason to train and played closed-door scrimmages against Arsenal there but that was many years ago.  The last time the Rapids played a European team in a friendly was Swansea City in 2012 and the only friendly they've played in Colorado since then was Boa Juniors last year (they played Santos Laguna in Albuquerque a few years ago).

Now, honestly, this is probably going to be Arsenal scrubs against Rapids scrubs.  Two days before this match the Rapids have a MLS game in Portland and two days after this match Arsenal is playing Bayern Munich in LA.  Neither team is likely to save any of their starters from those games to play in this match.  But, if you're an Arsenal fan, this is the first game they've played in the U.S. off the East Coast that wasn't in California.  Its going to allow a number of their fans who don't usually get to see them in person a chance to do so.  Tickets are on sale already for season ticket holders, with prices already reported from $50-$95.  General public can buy tickets in mid-April.

In case you're wondering, for a number of reasons I am not planning on attending this one.  My family is already planning to visit that weekend is the main reason but also because I have no real interest in seeing either team's scrubs.  Plus I'm going to spend $45 on a ticket to see QPR-Blackburn at Loftus Road in London next month so that's where my extra soccer budget is going this year.

Rapids Take Step Back In Dallas

Saturday in Dallas looked more like 2018 than 2019.  Another late goal led to a loss when a point was there for the taking.  Or defense looked bad on both goals.  On the first there were 8 Rapids on or within a step of the box against 4 Dallas players, one of whom ran himself out of the play into an offside position, and yet Dallas sustained possession in the box for 7 seconds and two passes before scoring.  On the second its 7 defenders on 5 attackers and Dallas got off two great shots with Howard able to save the first.  As we saw in Seattle, unmarked attackers will find the goal.  The Rapids goal came off a nice free kick where Kamara got what felt like a foot above everyone else to ping a header off the corner of the crossbar and Smith slid in to force the ball across the line with his thigh/groin.  Even with that they had to go to VAR to confirm it crossed the line.

Random Musings:

• Three worrying trends are apparent over the start of the season.  1. Slow starts on the road, the Rapids were lucky not to be down within the first few minutes.  2. Late goals, that's two weeks in a row that we've dropped points from an goal after the 80th minute.  3. Our defense doesn't mark anyone.
• One of the reasons we weren't down early and didn't lose by more is Badji doing Badji things.  Early on he pinged the post on a shot he was unpressured on, late in the game he had a good look at goal and didn't put it on target.  Anyone wondering why we traded our leading scorer last year just needs to look at this game to get an answer.
• Tommy Smith was back and did a good thing (goal) and a bad thing (not marking the goal-scorer on the second goal).  We don't need him to do the first but he really needs to stop doing the second quickly if he's going to help this team.
• Seriously, on Dallas' two goals we had them outnumbered by a combined 17 to 9 (including Howard) and they scored both times with no trouble.  The man on the ball never had any pressure on him on either goal.  Ridiculous defending.
• Howard could do nothing on either goal and made a great save on one of them and a number of other good moves during the game.  He looks a lot more like his pre-injury self.
• Why was Jack Price taking the free kicks?  The one that scored the goal was good but most of them were average at best.
• Serna made a couple of highlight plays, but they were largely highlights because he put himself in a bad position he had to recover from.  Better teams would have made him pay for those.
• Rosenberry was passive on both goals (as was most of the defense).  I expected more out of a fringe national team player.
• Of course, he might have been following Acosta's lead who was also pretty passive the whole game.
• Shinyashiki looked like the rookie he was.  He had a great 1v1 chance to put the Rapids up and hit it right at the keeper.  He'll learn.
• Kamara was the most motivated and active player again this week.  He's quickly become a favorite of mine.
• This felt like the first real disappointing result of the season.  Going in I had pegged us at two home draws in the first 3 games against 3 of the tougher 2018 Western Conference teams and that's what we got.  Dallas is a team in transition with new leadership though and a point was there and a better team could have stolen a win.  Instead we reverted to 2018 play and results.
• Pressure is mounting to get a win against Houston at home this week.  Weather will be decent (but cold), everyone but Ford should be available, and we'll be at home.  If we can't get 3 then this season could go downhill quickly.

Man of the Match: Cole Bassett.  He just looked like he belonged on the field despite his age.  Good ball control, steady presence, and knew where he needed to be.  Nothing spectacular but good solid play in a midfield that didn't have much of it.  I'm starting to wonder if its not better to put Feilhaber at the 10 with Bassett and Acosta behind him backed up by Price.  Mezquida hasn't done much to show he should be getting the minutes over Cole.

Its Our Old Friends F*C* Dallas

Late preview but getting it in before game time.  Colorado is down in Frisco to play Dallas this afternoon, no longer coached by Oscar Pareja or, sadly, led by Fernando Clavijo (RIP).  They're a team in transition and their early results reflect that with them beating teams surprisingly (Galaxy) and not beating teams surprisingly (Revolution).  Game time today is 3:30pm and the game is on Uni Mas and Twitter, not Altitude.  That means Balboa is working the game for Uni Mas but Richard Fleming has the week off so he'll be joining C38 at their watch party at the Celtic.

Injury Report:
OUT; D Kortne Ford
QUESTIONABLE: M Benny Feilhaber

Disciplinary Report:
SUSPENDED: M Johan Blomberg

International Report:
CALLED-UP: F Diego Rubio (Chile)

Rubio made the bench for Chile's game against Mexico last night but saw no playing time.  Good to see Nicholson off the injury report.  Feilhaber was suffering from the flu in mid-week so he may or may not be well in time for the game.  I'm going to assume he won't be ready to start.

I'm pretty confident this will be the XI if Feilhaber isn't available.  I have no confidence in the positions I assigned in midfield though.  The only other possible changes are Jackson instead of Shinyashiki, but we've seen the rookie get more playing time than the sophomore already this season, and Wynne or Opare if Smith isn't ready to start yet.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Kamara.  I'm not yet ready to predict a win on the road for this team though it wouldn't shock me.  I think our defense is not 100% so no shutouts yet but having Smith back will help.  Losing Rubio will blunt our attack a bit, this is going to be a game that probably doesn't have a lot of good scoring chances so it will be important to take advantage of the ones we get.

Shoe Is On The Other Foot In Second Home Match

Well, now we know how Portland felt at the end of our last home game.  A last minute goal cost the Rapids 2 points and their first win of the season after what was another improved performance (compared to 2018).  As predicted it was an end to end game.  Somewhat sloppy, it wasn't great soccer, but it was competitive and the Rapids again showed a drive they were missing last season.  That pressure led to the Rapids goal when Rubio forced a poor pass from the Sporting goalkeeper and had an empty net to score on.  Sadly an ill-timed foul and a goal of the week candidate from the ensuing free kick meant the Rapids ended up with 1 point when they felt like they could have had 3.

Random Musings:

• Lets start with the obvious, Blomberg's red card.  His first yellow was right in line with what the ref had been calling all night.  He came in late and even if he didn't get a piece of the KC player with his foot he certainly made sure to send him tumbling.  His second yellow card was stupid all the way around.  It was given for time wasting as he kicked the ball back down the field after the whistle on Sjoberg.  Yeah, most refs wouldn't have given it for ho quickly it happened, but the ref was hurrying play all night.  Good players learn how to adapt to the way the ref is calling the game.  The ref was stupid for giving a yellow that quickly but Blomberg was stupid for not realizing the ref wasn't going to brook any time-wasting.
• The ensuing free kick was gorgeous and despite what some fans are saying only Tim Howard of 5 years ago (aka the Belgium game) had any chance of getting to it.  No keeper currently in MLS, including Howard, was stopping it.  Yeah, he didn't make an effort because he knew he was beat and that doesn't look great, but who cares.  I trust Tim to know what he can and can't get to and if he doesn't want to waste energy on a lost cause I'm fine with that.
• That goal shouldn't obscure a pretty good night from Howard.  Any concerns about him coasting through his final year should be gone after how he's played the first 3 games.
• Kamara is a beat but he's almost doing too much.  He needs to be 10 years or so further up the field putting himself into dangerous positions to receive the ball, not trying to create all the chances.  The whole team is playing more compressed, probably to help protect the weakened back line, but its costing us offensive chances.
• Feilhaber looked better this game but I still don't see him as a 6.
• The pressure from the forwards made KC jumpy all night, its no surprise it paid off in a goal.
• Rubio showed what he can bring this game with that pressure and his work rate.  It paid off in a callup by the Chilean National Team for their friendlies against Mexico and the U.S. next week.  He'll miss the Dallas game on Saturday but its a big opportunity for him.
• Obviously its not great that we're still winless, but its exactly what I predicted.  We had 3 tough games to start and injuries, getting here with 2 points is a solid start.  The 2018 team would have been happy to have 1 point, the 2019 team is disappointed not to have 4.

Man of the Match: Dillon Serna.  I had heard Sam Vines was going to be the starter coming into the season but Serna has clearly displaced him.  He's finally found his spot in this league and has easily replaced what we lost in Castillo being traded.  He still has work to do, particularly when recovering from getting beat on his weak side, but he's going to be dangerous going forward and he's going to make wingers work the full length of the field to stop him or beat him.

Celebrating My Irish Heritage With A Win?

Ruins of Dunamase Castle, Portlaoise Ireland - Birthplace of my great-great-great grandfather John Maxwell

A special St. Patrick's Day evening match this week with Sporting KC   Get your old school green Rapids gear out and remember past Irish players like Kevin Doyle, not to mention GM Padraig Smith, as we look for our first win on the season.  KC comes in off the back of a big CCL match on Thursday while the Rapids are well-rested after their game in Seattle.

A bit of news today, Kofi Opare and Clint Irwin were loaned to the Switchbacks for the weekend while Andre Rawls was called back up to the Rapids.  From all reports this is to give the two of them a chance to get some fitness after some injuries and they'll both be back with the team by the game in Dallas next week.

Game time on Sunday is the normal 7pm kickoff, so the tailgate starts at 4.  I'm sure the Irish celebration will be in full-swing by about 4:05.  If you can't make it the game is on Altitude with Fleming and 'Celo on the call.

Injury Report:

OUT: D Kortne Ford

QUESTIONABLE: D Tommy Smith, M Sam Nicholson

Getting healthier and we have Sjoberg back.  The team was ok with sending Opare on loan so I'm hoping that portends a Tommy Smith start on Sunday.

If Smith can't go I assume we'll see Wynne in his spot.  The midfield players I'm confident in, the positions less so.  As we saw last week Hudson could have them moved around a bit.  Despite Vines being healthy I think Serna continues to start if/until he shows he's not up to it.

Prediction: 2-2- draw, goals by Kamara and Acosta.  KC played a first team lineup in their CCL match so we should see either some rotation or some tired legs by the end of the game.  That said, I'm still not convinced our defense will be able to keep them off the board.  This could be a very open game with the ball going from end to end.  I think we get a point out of this but we'll still be looking for our first win.

Same Place, Same Result

Yeah, Seattle just sucks as a place for us to play.  Every game is the same result, we're outmatch and lose.  This time we were outmatched in the first 10 minutes, giving up two goals that could have been three or four.  Embarrassing defending from everyone involved except Tim Howard.  Hard to blame the keeper when the defense is leaving attackers unmarked at the penalty spot.

Seattle figured the strategy out very early, drive it down the sides, cross it into the middle, and assume Wilson and Wynne wouldn't be marking anyone.  Both goals came about the same way and in both cases unmarked attackers literally stepped on the penalty spot as they lined up their shots.  The keeper doesn't stop PKs when he's prepped and waiting for them, no chance shots on a keeper scrambling to follow the ball were going to be stopped.

After the first 15 minutes things settled down but the damage had been done.  The Rapids got their feet under them and made a couple of good attacks but Seattle was also able to sit back and absorb them with a two goal lead, which let the Rapids have better play.

The end result of this game was about what I expected, but I didn't see us getting overrun like that from the start.  The team wasn't ready at the opening whistle and it showed.

Random Musings:

• This season is going to rise or fall on the availability of Ford, Smith, and Sjoberg (and maybe Opare).  Any game we have to start Wynne or Wilson in the middle is a game we are unlikely to win.
• Seriously, Wilson doesn't belong anywhere near a MLS field at this point.  Any minutes Hudson even considers giving to him should go to Raben.  He's equally unready but at least he can take it as a learning experience for the future, there is no future for Wilson in Colorado.
• Two games in a row Rosneberry has been burned early, he was out of position on both goals.  In both games he settled down and played great after the early mistakes but it a habit that needs to be broken.
• The midfield didn't make much sense.  Acosta was the only one playing in his best position.  I'm not sure what the thinking was moving Feilhaber all the way back and Mezquida forward.  Price should be the 6, Feilhaber should be the 10, Acosta and Mezquida should both be 8s.
• Feilhaber in general looked pretty poor in this one.  Maybe its the new baby keeping him up but he was disinterested at times and was regularly beaten.
• Serna and Acosta had a couple of attacks along the left side that looked distinctly like failed 2018 attacks.  It was not good.
• That said the offense in general looked better.  Last year's team would have curled up and died and lost 3 or 4-0.  This team actually gave me hope that I predicted 2-1 correctly.  We got close on a couple of occasions.
• Hudson regressed in his coaching in this one.  The team wasn't ready, players were out of position, he waited too long to make subs, and he only subbed two players.  No more of that please.
• In the end after two games I'm still feeling a bit positive.  I expected a draw and a loss and that's what we got, but in neither game did we look like we didn't belong on the field.  When we start playing more average MLS competition I think we can start putting up 3 points.

Man of the Match: Kei Kamara.  He gave it his all the whole game and never checked out, unlike some of his teammates.  So far all the concerns about his attitude seem overblown and he's putting his full heart and effort into the game.

Colorado Looks For 3 Points In My Hometown On My Birthday

March 9th, 197something this long-winded blogger was born on the hill roughly overlooking where the Kingdome was being built and later on torn down and replaced with Century Link Field.  40something years and ~12 hours later the Rapids will face the Sounders on that field tomorrow night (likely with a couple of my extended family members in attendance).  Seattle has probably been our worst place to play, with only two wins in our history.  Its not going to be any easier tomorrow with our injury report.  Kickoff is at 8pm on Altitude, watch parties at the Celtic, Blue Spruce (South), and Frolic (North).

Injury Report:
OUT: D Kortne Ford, D Kofi Opare
QUESTIONABLE: D Tommy Smith, M Sam Nicholson

Discipline:
SUSPENDED: D Axel Sjoberg

Still down 4 defenders, all of which are center backs.  I doubt we see Smith or Nicholson tomorrow, especially with the turf.  My prediction:

I could see a Serna/Vines or Price/Bassett swap but otherwise that's pretty much what we're going to look like, with whichever one of each of those pairs and Shinyashiki being the most likely subs.

Prediction: 2-1 loss, goal by Kamara.  We looked good last week despite the red card and the elements, but so did Seattle.  On the road with a weak defense I don't have high hopes for a result.  If we can continue to show the improvement we showed last week I'll be pretty happy.  Who knows, maybe being that close to my birthplace on my birthday will give them a little positive karma.  :D

The Commerce City To Colorado Springs Shuttle Gets Its First Real Workout

One of the lesser talked about changes this past offseason was the Rapids switching their USL affiliation from the Charlotte Independence to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.  One of the benefits to the switch was to make it easier to move players back and forth on loan.  Today we saw the first example of that as three players hopped on the shuttle between the teams.

First forward Matt Hundley and goalkeeper Andre Rawls took the shuttle down to the Springs on loan.  No surprise with either of these moves, the third goalkeeper was always going to end up down there and Hundley is likely to get more playing time with the Switchbacks than the Rapids.  Sam Raben then hopped the shuttle back up to Commerce City as he's been recalled for this week's game.  Given our injury issues in the back line and not with Sjoberg suspended for the game I'm sure they want him in for added depth in Seattle.  I would expect him to return to the Switchbacks next week.

There will be fourth player added at some point under the terms of the agreement.   My guess would be Niki Jackson or the upcoming homegrown signing that GM Padraig Smith hinted at during the kickoff party Friday night.

Rapids Offense Heats Up Snow Classico III

On Friday I predicted:

Each side will get a sloppy goal, Portland will be happy with a road point in the conditions, and we move on to next week's game.

Well, it was 3 sloppy goals per side (2 sloppy and 1 gorgeous for the Rapids) and I don't think Portland was real happy with the road point but otherwise I wasn't far off. :D

Lets start with that first Rapids goal.  That's probably the best team goal we've seen in 3? years.  It started with great field vision from Rubio to make the cross-field pass to Serna, a nice bit of short passing between him and Acosta, and then Acosta putting the ball right on Kamara's foot for the easy goal.  Four players, the width of the field, and Portland had no answer.  More of that please.

After that things descended into snow classico sloppiness.   Being unable to clear the ball allowed Portland to get a good look at goal, only for it to be foiled by Sjoberg.  Unfortunately he used his hand to do it.  There's been a lot of discussion over Drew Fischer's call on this play.  Axel was going to ground but he used his hands to reverse his momentum and then stop his fall, putting them right into the ball's path.  While you could make a case his arms were in a natural position the violent movement of them in the moment before the shot made it appear like he was trying to put them right where he did,  I understand and can't argue with the PK call.  Once that call is made though there is no wiggle room about the red card.  A PK is only awarded for a deliberate handball and the LOTG clearly states that a deliberate handball that Denies an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO-H) is a red card anywhere on the field.

Howard came up big in saving the PK but a bit of bad luck took the rebound right back to the shooter for an easy tap in.  After some sustained pressure late in the first half Blanco was able to slightly redirect a corner kick past the far post for the lead.  After that the teams were just happy to get to the halftime locker room to warm up.  Seconds into the second half Feilhaber took a swerving path through the Timbers defense to get a weak shot off that was blocked right back to him.  His even weaker toe poke squeezed past Portland's keeper and suddenly we were level despite being down a man!

After that the game got real ugly.  Players were slip siding all over the place, the ball wouldn't roll on the ground more than about 20 feet, and you couldn't see the other side of the field from one sideline.  In the end that cost us as Wynne had to stretch for a ball he might have been able to handle better with more secure footing and redirected it past Tim for an own goal and a 3-2 Portland lead.  At this point you can't blame Rapids fans for appreciating the new fight in the team but thinking we were headed to 0 points.

Nobody told the team that though.  Down a man, in a snowstorm, and with no expectations on them they didn't quit.  All the way to the 94th minute where Serna picked up a lose ball on the edge of the box and hit a nice curling shot...that was saved.  In this case though the rebound luck was with us and the ball fell right to Shinyashiki, making his professional debut.  An easy touch, a 3-3 draw, and the Rapids took home a point that felt like a win.

Random Musings:

• This is not last year's Rapids.  This team had more fight than we saw in most games last year combined.  They never put their heads down and they never lost faith in their ability to get back into the game,
• In case your wondering, I couldn't find any time in the last 10 seasons where the Rapids scored two goals playing with one less player on the field than the opposition.
• Hudson deserves a lot of credit for his coaching in this one.  He went with the best XI he could for the starters, then when his hand was forced by the early red card he made all the right moves.  Rubio was the right choice to remove to fill the hole in the back with Wilson.  Pulling Bassett for Price when the game was going to become a sloppy mess was a real smart change.  Then, obviously, adding Shinyashiki and going for the tie worked perfectly.
• Dillon Serna looked very good at left back.  One official assist and one unofficial one.  I thought Vines was going to be the regular starter but Serna has made it hard to put him on the bench, as least after one game.
• Kei Kamara was everywhere doing everything.  It was also obvious how he's going to be the emotional center of this team when he's on the field.  It was great to see that so quickly.
• Rubio didn't have much time on the field but he looked good in his limited time.
• Rosenberry got worked by Blanco a couple of times early in the game.  Blanco is one of the better left wingers in the league though.
• Speaking of Blanco, he sure had a lot to "say" to 108 after he scored.  Of course, the looks and gestures to the section only proved to us he could hear us and we were in his head.
• I am feeling more optimistic about this season after this game.  This team might not be the best in the league but we're going to make everyone work for what they get.

Man of the Match: Tim Howard.  I know, in a game where we scored 3 and allowed 3 how does the goalkeeper become man of the match?  Tim played a lights out game with a number of big saves and its hard to hold any of the three goals against him.  He looked better than he has in a while, even despite the conditions.  5 saves on 7 shots along with a saved PK is a big game.

Snow Classico III?

Ok, time to get this season started!  Looks like we're going to start with a cold, snowy match.  Which is great, as long as the roads stay clear enough to get home.  Portland is in town in a rematch of the opening game of the 2011 season, when they played their first ever MLs match and we raised our 2010 banner.  Kickoff is at 4pm so the tailgate starts at 1.  Thouse of you who can't make it or can't handle the cold the game will be on Altitude with the return of the dulcet tones of Fleming and Balboa for another season.

Injury Report:

OUT: D Kortne Ford, D Kofi Opare

QUESTIONABLE: D Tommy Smith, D Sam Vines, D Danny Wilson, D Deklan Wynne, M Sam Nicholson, M Jack Price

Yeah...that's not good.  That's a lot of defense missing.  As was pointed out on Twitter we only have two players listed as defenders healthy (Sjoberg and Rosenberry).  Not having Price in front of our patched together backline isn't going to help either.  My guess at our lineup:

You see that question mark after Wynne?  Because I'm just guessing at which of our questionable defenders will be the one the training staff will be able to get healthy for 90 minutes in the cold.  I have no idea who that's going to be.  Otherwise I'm feeling fairly confident with this lineup, though the exact positions in midfield could switch around a bit.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Kamara.  The cold and snow is going to slow everything down and make for a messy game, which is actually to our benefit.  Facing Portland in perfect conditions would probably lead to them over-running our haphazard defense.  Instead everyone is just going to be happy being able to keep possession.  Each side will get a sloppy goal, Portland will be happy with a road point in the conditions, and we move on to next week's game.

2019 Predictions

I was going to write this post 24 hours ago, then a bunch of news happened!  So, getting to it now, time for my annual predictions.

1. The Rapids finish in 8th place, missing the playoffs by 3 points or less, fans see this as progress but not enough progress and call for heads
2. Despite that Hudson does well enough in the FO's eyes to be retained for 2020 but does not get a contract extension
3. Kamara is our Golden Boot winner with 13 goals, Rubio is second with 9
4. Shinyashiki has a good year but is not in the Rookie of the Year conversation, Kamara's and Rubio's good play doesn't give him enough playing time
5. Vines has ups and downs but proves that he is the long-term answer at LB, this leaves Serna with nowhere to play and he's released after the season
6. Rosenberry but not Acosta is chosen for the Gold Cup roster, largely due to the numerous options in midfield while there's a lack of options at RB
7. Feilhaber plays well but is a one year and done contract while Kamara is brought back next year
8. The Rapids bow out early in the USOC, winning at most one game against their USL opponent but falling to any MLS side the might face
9. Colorado reclaims the Rocky Mountain Cup with a win at home and a draw in Sandy
10. The Rapids sign a young DP during the summer window, not a huge name but someone that excites the fans

Rapids Make Major, And Surprising, Move

Yesterday I theorized that the Rapids would announce an international would be bought out today to reach roster compliance and that international would be Wilson.  Well, that's not exactly what happened.

This afternoon the Rapids waived Shkelzen Gashi.

Yeah, I did not see that coming.  Not only did they move Gashi and not Wilson, they did it in a way that provided no cap relief (per Burgundy Wave's discussion with the Front Office).  Gashi will go on waivers for the next 48 hours and any MLS team can claim him.  The team that is willing to take on the largest amount of his salary will get him and the Rapids cap hit and salary responsibilities will be reduced by that amount.

Nobody is going to pick him up for anything more than the league minimum.

So, where does that leave us?  We now have a free roster spot and we're at our international limit instead of over it.  In theory we could sign another DP but with no cap room relief and no international slot there's not a high likelihood of that.  On the flip side, Gashi wasn't going to feature this season and hadn't made an impact since his goal in the 2016 playoffs.  Reports are that he didn't impress enough in preseason to really factor into the team's plans.

The confusing part is why waive him instead of buying him out?  All I can figure is that we have some sort of belief that another team will pick him up and save us some salary.  Otherwise this seems like a missed opportunity.  Getting ~$500K of cap space back would be a significant move.

Despite that though, I like this move.  Better to cut bait on somebody that had no role going forward than depth we might need somewhere else.  Its also the kind of major move prior Rapids leadership would not have made.  In the end Gashi had an amazing 2016 season and coasted on that for two years.  We can do better.