The Anti-Beautiful Game On Tap For Tomorrow

In one corner, the visiting Minnesota United.  Missing 5 players due to injury and suspension.  Scorers of 2 goals in 2 games with a total of 6 shots on target.

In the other corner, the home side Colorado Rapids.  Missing 2 players to injury with another 6 that are questionable.  Scorers of 0 goals in 3 games also with a total of 6 goals on target.

And just to raise the difficulty on this battle, the weather will be barely above freezing at kickoff.

LETS GET READY TO RUUUMMMMBLE!

Yeah, this is going to be an ugly game.  Kickoff is at 7:30 and its free on Apple TV this week with Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth on the English call and Oscar Salazar and Maximiliano Cordaro on the call in Spanish.

Availability Report:

OUT: D Moise Bombito (knee), F Yaya Toure (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: D Alex Gersbach (hamstring), D Steven Beitashour (hamstring), M Braian Galvan (groin), M Jack Price (back), F Darren Yapi (knee), F Diego Rubio (knee)

Yeah, that looks like a lot of fun.  No idea who will play left back or striker if the questionable players can't go.  My starting XI assumes that none of them can start, I think its obvious where players would be plugged in if they can.

Man, that's just ugly.  Another twist is that Yapi was called up by the U.S. U-20s and Rubio by Chile, and they've both been cleared to travel after this game.  So next week in Austin they won't be available.  We might be getting a large does of Cabral in the striker spot over the next 2-3 weeks.  I'm hopeful that their release is a sign that one of them is able to start, or at the very least they can come off the bench.

Prediction: 1-0 loss.  At this point I wouldn't predict a goal unless I was sure Rubio and probably Price were starting.  This is going to be a sloppy, ugly, slugfest where Minnesota will get a good bounce and steal 3 points and nobody on either side is going to want to remember this game in two days.