Its Drew Moor's World And We're Just Living In It

After the positive feedback  got from my "Am I shouting into the void?" post on Friday night, I'm still here.  Thank you everyone for your kind words.  And thank you Rapids for providing us with a great home opener.  After a quiet first half the team really turned it on in the second for a 2-1 win and only their third ever back-to-back wins to start a season (hat-tip to Richard Fleming for that piece of data).

Game Observations:

• The first home game of the year always gives you that "its good to be home" when you enter the stadium.  Even though I changed sections for the first time ever (I defected to 117 after 12 years in 108) its still the same feeling.  Our house.
• That said, I was hoping the swap of Aramark for Legends would lead to better food options, but from what I saw it was largely the same, only more expensive.  GB's is still in Eighteen76 though so we're good.
• BTW, I don't know if this was all of Argus or just the ones working the gate I went through, but the cusp of a global pandemic is a really bad time to start examining everyone's keys by picking each set up with bare hands as they walk through the metal detector.
• Until the 90th minute Clint Irwin was going to be my Man of the Match.  He had a great night with a number of key saves.
• That said, the Orlando goal was a mistake by him.  One of the cardinal rules of goalkeeping is that if you come for the ball you have to get it, he didn't.
• On the other end of the field our attackers struggled.  Kamara was being closed down by multiple defenders and because of that was a half step late all night.
• Shinyashiki had a bad night.  His touches were hard and his shooting was awful.
• The midfield made up for it though, Namli looked good and had a great goal, and Jack Price was dropping the ball in dangerous spots.
• We got a bit lucky as Fraser was trying to sub Namli out just before his goal but Mezquida wasn't fully warmed up yet.
• Keegan Rosenberry was named to the MLS team of the week, which was a bit of a surprise as I didn't think it was one of his stronger games.  In fact he had a couple of passes that a better team would have burned us with.
• Maybe the Orlando players will learn about taunting the home fans before the end of the game.  I don't mind their goal-scorer's shush, that's typical when you score on the road, but the keeper's celebrating in front of 117 came back to bite him.

Not related to the game but a couple of pieces of player news today.  Jon Lewis was included on the Olympic Team roster for the Olympic qualifiers in Mexico at the end of the month (coronavirus cancellations not withstanding).  Burgundy Wave reported that the team requested Sam Vines as well but the Rapids turned them down, as they have a right to do since this is not during a FIFA window, due to a lack of cover at left back.

Also down in the Springs Niki Jackson blew out his knee in training late last week and will miss essentially the full season after having ACL repair surgery today.

Man Of The Match: The man, the myth, the legend, Drew Moor.  Drew was likely Rapids fans' favorite current MLS player, and that was BEFORE he re-signed with the team this offseason.  The "old man" of the squad (a year older than Kamara, the only other player over 30 on the team) still has it and while I don't think he's going to be breaking his 2010 record of playing every minute of the season, games like that is why he's starting over Trusty.