Rapids Continue To Improve, Continue To Fail To Finish

You saw the Austin game?  The LAFC game was essentially the same game, minus the goal from both sides.  Colorado won essentially every stat, including possession, shots, shots on goal, and expected goals, but the teams tied on the scoreboard.  6 games into the season with no wins means a moral victory like this is pretty hollow, but the team has looked better over the last two games.  Defensively after the surrender in Seattle we've only given up 4 goals in 5 matches, and offensively we're generating chances in ways we weren't doing early on.  In the end though, nobody can finish.

• Once again the player with the highest xG was a defender, in this case Danny Wilson's 0.56.  Second was Rubio with 0.3.  
• Our wingers?  Nicholson and Lewis started, Barrios and Cabral subbed in for them.  The four players combined for an xG of 0.0 and an Expected Assists of 0.04. That's nowhere near good enough from our wingers.  Add in Max as well who had an xG of 0.0 and an xA of 0.02.  3 out of 5 players in midfield combined for 0.0 and 0.06.
• You can only play who's on the field in front of you, but it was pretty clear early in the second half that LAFC was satisfied taking it easy, getting a 0-0 draw, and moving on to their midweek CCL game.  A better team would have made them pay for their casualness.
• Maxsø had a great game, if it weren't for Will's early heroics he would have been my man of the match.  Clearly the class of our offseason signings so far.
• Its starting to feel like with his addition the 3 centerback formation actually works.  Now we just need to find some wingbacks.
• Rosenberry is good enough playing right wingback, but we don't have a good option on the left.  Nicholson just isn't it.  I know he tracks back and plays defense unlike our other wingers, but that's not enough to justify him getting as much time as he is when he adds nothing to our impotent offense.
• Ronan and Bassett have to be the starters in midfield, but I'm not sure who the third option is.  Its not Max, its not Priso, and I'm not sure its Acosta.  Maybe go back to a formation of Rubio underneath Yapi?
• This review sounds pretty negative about a game where I started out saying the Rapids looked better, but really moral victories aren't enough.  To that effect:
• Worst season starts through 6 games in team history:
• 2003 - 1 point, 3 goals scored
• 2019 - 2 points, 7 goals
• 2023 - 3 points, 2 goals

Man of the Match: William Yarbrough.  His saves and sweeping keeping kept us in this match in the first 20 when LAFC was bossing the game.  After that though LAFC didn't have another shot inside the 18.