Up And Down The Dial

We're living on the air in Cincinnati

The Rapids face their biggest test, maybe of this season, tomorrow night as they're off to the land of flying turkeys facing off against the defending Shield holders.  This might be a tougher game than the trip to Miami, given that FCC is a better overall team even if they don't have the high-end talent of the GOAT.  We're also a little beat up, with 6 players on the injury report compared to 1 for Cinci.  Kickoff tomorrow is at 5:30 and we're once again stuck with the Rogondino and Pearce as the announcing duo.  Oh for the days of Fleming and Balboa...

Player Availability:

OUT: GK Adam Beaudry (Arsenal training), M Jonathan Lewis (knee), M Connor Ronan (knee), M Jasper Löffelsend (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: D Lalas Abubakar (hamstring), D Sam Vines (concussion)

Hard to believe Vines would be Questionable if he was still in concussion protocol so I assume that means he's cleared to play but since he didn't practice some or all of the week they're not sure if he's ready to start.  Not great seeing Löffelsend out again after having just come back from injury.

If its not broke...  I don't expect any changes other that the one forced by Vines' injury.  If he can go then Rosenberry goes back to his normal spot on the right.

Prediction: 1-0 loss.  Cinci has the best defense in the league and we can't rely on own goals and penalty kicks forever.  I think this is where our never say die attitude comes up short due to our never shoot the ball attitude.  We're not going to get played off the field like we did in Portland, but we will be the lesser team.

Goalkeeper Shuffle

Earlier this week there were reports that Rapids goalkeeper Adam Beaudry had been offered an opportunity to train with Arsenal later this month.  With Rapids 2 off until May 3rd there wasn't going to be much playing time for him in the near future.  Before everyone gets excited (like one Arsenal blog I saw) this isn't expected to be a precursor to an immediate move, but I'm sure part of the reason the training was offered was for the London-side to get an up close look at him as somebody they will keep an eye on in the near future.

Of course, along with starting for Rapids 2 Beaudry is also Steffen's backup for the first team and if he's in London that leaves us a keeper short.  Colorado solved that today by announcing that Rapids 2 backup Ethan Bandré has been signed to a first-team contract for the 2024 season with team options for 2025 and 2026.   Bandré  has been with Sporting KC 2 the last two years before moving to the Rapids 2 side this past offseason.

The Rapids could have solved their bench shortage with a short-term callup of Bandré for the next couple of weeks while Beaudry is in the UK.  The fact that they decided to go with a full-signing suggests that they expect to need his services beyond the next couple of weeks.  That could be because Beaudry will get more chances to train in Arsenal, chances with the youth national teams that will cause him to miss games, or that they think Steffen will get a shot with the National Team at some point this summer, which will push Beaudry to the starter role and they'll need Bandré as the backup then.

Bandré is expected to be on the bench in Cincinnati this weekend while Beaudry heads over the pond.

Shades Of MLS Cup 2010 In Rapids Win

On Friday I predicted:

2-1 win, goals by Navarro and Mihailović.  It worked in Toronto, we should be the better team, so why not see it working again tomorrow night?

IN the end my homage to MLS Cup proved to be more accurate than I expected.  The main difference is that Colorado never trailed, but they did get the win due to an own goal (or two).  Not that they didn't deserve it.  Colorado outplayed Dallas for the majority of the match and it was only a few nervy moments in stoppage time when it felt like Dallas might get a point.

• Another similarity to MLS Cup 2010, it was damn cold.  Its not a Rapids season though unless we have at least one freezing or lower game in the spring.
• Kevin Cabral. Kevin Cabral! If the man could hit the broadside of a barn he'd be in the golden boot race.  He had 3 chances in the first half that a quality striker scores 2.5 of them (the header was a bit difficult, especially on a cold night when the ball feels like a rock).  He's actually looking better this season, more engaged, but if you can't score that's a problem.
• The first own goal was an eerily close mirror image of the winning goal from MLS Cup.  A cross from the end-line deflects off a center-back's thigh and beats the keeper covering the other post.  Nice job by Bassett playing the Mac Kandji role.
• After half the second own goal was originally ruled an own goal, and then credited to Harris.  Technically that's probably correct, since Harris' shot was on target, but it really was an own goal.  Dallas' keeper saved the shot but the rebound went off a Dallas defender and into the goal.
• It wasn't clear in the stadium but Sam Vines was subbed out due to concussion symptoms.  Armas said they were light after the game so here's hoping he recovers quickly.
• If Sam isn't back quickly we don't have an immediate plug-and-play option.  On Saturday Seb Anderson came in at right back and Rosenberry switched to the left side.  One thought that was suggested was trying Cabral at left back.  It takes the pressure of scoring off of him while, in Armas' system, still allowing him to feed the attack.  I wouldn't try it first against FCC this weekend, but its an interesting idea.
• This game was screaming for a defensive midfield presence from about the 60th minute on, yet Löffelsend and Diack didn't come in until the 87th minute.  That tells me that, for whatever reason, Diack isn't fitting into Armas' plans.  We should release him as soon as we're able and use those resources somewhere else.
• Bombito is a beast.  Assuming he stays healthy and continues his improvement I don't see how he's still in Colorado by the start of the 2026 season.
• This team can't figure out how to score reliably, but they have figured out how to win reliably, somehow.  You have to like the fight in this squad.  I'm not sure how long w can keep the juggling act up without fixing the offense, but a big test is Saturday against FC Cincinnati.

Man of the Match: Cole Bassett.  Forced the first goal, was active all night, and set a new club record for homegrown appearances.  As many of us have said, he's better as an 8 than a 10.

F*C* Dallas

Our old MLS Cup 2010 friends are back in Commerce City tomorrow night.  The Rapids should plan on sending them home the same way they did in Toronto, with some nice parting gifts and a loss.  Dallas is off to one of the worst starts in their history, so like San Jose last week this is a team we should take advantage of at home, but our injury situation might put a crimp into that idea.  Kickoff tomorrow is at the normal 7:30, and its going to be a cold one, with temps in the mid 30's by the end of the game.  Not quite a Snow Clasico but we needed at least one truly cold game this spring.

Player Availability:

OUT: D Jackson Travis (leg), M Jonathan Lewis (knee), M Connor Ronan (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: M Cole Bassett (leg), M Kimani Stewart-Baynes (illness)

Seeing Cole on the injury report isn't great.  The good news is that he was part of Rapids' Earth Day visit to the zoo yesterday and the social media pictures showed him was a bandage on his shin but no other evidence of an injury, so that suggests he could be available tomorrow.  Löffelsend appears to also be available.

This assumes Bassett can't start.  If Cole can go he would take the spot from Diack.  Otherwise I think we see very little change.  Possibly Fernandez instead of Harris at right wing.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Navarro and Mihailović.  It worked in Toronto, we should be the better team, so why not see it working again tomorrow night?

Navarro Scores When He Wants!

Its been a long time since the Rapids were clear favorites on the road, played like it, and got the expected result.  Saturday night that's exactly what they did.  While it wasn't perfect it was the most complete game the team has played this season (and probably last).  Colorado also got its first shutout of the season and moved solidly into the playoff part of the table (though its way too early to take much from that).  With a struggling Dallas team coming in next week the team has a chance continue this run.

The first goal early in the game came out of that some of that counter-pressing we've been told to expect this year.  Bassett, Cabral, and Mihailović forced San Jose into the corner where they made a mistake and Mihailović quickly  turned the mistake into an attacking chance for Navarro.  Unfortunately it was former-Rapid Yarbrough who paid the price, having to wipe out Rafael and giving up the PK, which Navarro converted for his 3rd PK of the season.

Colorado did go into a bit of a shell after that (one of those areas to work on), only getting one more shot off before the halftime break.  San Jose had some looks, including a strong one right after our goal, but the couple that were dangerous and got through Steffen was able to handle.  Coming out of half the Rapids picked up their play and were rewarded.  In the 60th minute a long throw was badly cleared by San Jose and crossed back in to the middle by Harris (I think?).  It pinballed a bit in the box before Navarro got a foot on it to get his first goal from the run of play.

After that the Rapids were focused on getting the clean sheet.  Steffen had to come up big a couple of times but there was never a threat that San Jose was going to come back for a draw (or win).  Bassett finished it off after a nice layoff from Navarro to give him a run at goal.

There are still areas that need improvement, namely the inability or lack of desire to pull the trigger more often we are at least efficient with our shots.  During the game MLS had us with 2 shots on target and 1 goal in the first half, and 1 shot on target and 2 goals in the second half.  Not sure how the latter is possible but 3 shots on goal, 3 goals, that's at least making what few chances we create count.

Man of the Match: Rafael Navarro.  2 goals, 1 assist?  Easy call.  Basset had a goal and an assist as well so he should get an honorable mention.

I'm Not Down

For the first time in a long time I'm not down going into a road game!  But before we dig into that we have a couple of personnel moves from this week to discuss.

First, Dillon Serna announced his retirement from professional soccer.  Arguably the first successful homegrown player from the Academy (along side Shane O'Neill) out of his 147 professional appearances 125 of them were with the Rapids organization in some form.  A one year stint with Sporting KC II and a year with the Switchbacks were his only other stops.  Hopefully he'll find a place in Commerce City post-retirement.

The Rapids also made a permanent and temporary move with the current team.  They extended Löffelsend's contract another year through 2025, with an option for 2026.  Then today they called up Marlon Vargas from RapiDos on a short-term contract for tomorrow's game.

Speaking of, the Rapids are off to San Jose to play the Earthquakes tomorrow night.  The former Clash are off to a rough start this season, last place in the league with the most goals allowed.  This might be a chance for Colorado to build on the confidence of 5 goals and 4 points in the last 2 games.  We are a little thin in midfield though.  Kickoff is at 8:30 tomorrow, and we're stuck with the Rogondino/Pearce team again.

Player Availability:

OUT: M Jonathan Lewis (knee), M Connor Ronan (knee), M Kimani Stewart-Baynes (illness)

QUESTIONABLE: M Jasper Löffelsend (hamstring)

Not having KSB reduces our firepower off the bench, so we're going to have to not save it until the end of the game this week.  Otherwise its as expected.

Other than right mid I think this is pretty locked in.  We could see Harris or Fernandez getting the start there, but I'm leaning towards Harris.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Mihailović and Bassett.  Field a little out on a limb to predict a win but there won't be an easier time to get a road win this year.  San Jose is bad and beat up.  Be smart, don't let them get confident by getting an early goal, and get two before giving one back.

Colorado Homegrowns Stand Up To Barca Miami

Well that was an interesting game.  Hard to call it fun when we didn't get the win, but at the same time I don't think anyone would complain about a draw all things considered.  The Rapids rolled out a lineup featuring 4 Rapids Academy homegrowns (Anderson, Bassett, Larraz, Vines) and brought another (Yapi) in off the bench.  Meanwhile Miami tried to coast through this game by leaving Messi and his friends on the bench, but realized at half they're not good enough to pull that off and brought the gang in.  In the end all the GOAT and the other Barca All-Stars could do is manage a 2-2 draw against the Colorado Kids.  Its only 1 point on the table but its one of the few "moral victories" that not just trying to make a failure look good.

That's not to say there aren't still issues with the Rapids.  4 shots on goal all game, 2 of which didn't happen until after we were down 2-1.  In fact the only shot in the whole first half was the penalty kick.  Given how Colorado bossed the game at times in the first half that's nowhere near good enough.  Once again we saw urgency from the team after going down, but we need that urgency from the start of the game.

The first half was, as mentioned, tilted in the Rapids' favor.  They arguably had a PK not called for them in the first 10 minutes.  There were also hints of a red card in that same period but on replay Cabral took a dive.  The only thing missing was the ability to shoot.  Cabral did earn the PK and Navarro finished it, but that was the total offensive output of the first half.

It was really just the 15 minutes after halftime when the team was obviously feeling the pressure of Messi that they slipped up.  And even then it took adding Busquets before Miami broke through.  I'm going to say that somehow Messi was unmarked in those 5 minutes, but there are many, many better teams who have left Messi unmarked for 5 critical minutes and paid for it.  Bad defense from the Rapids but not that surprising.

After taking Miami's best punch the Burgundy Boys got up off the mat and pushed the game back onto them.  We saw a bit of that "play in transition" on the tying goal as a quick counterattack caught Miami out of position.  Calvin Harris did a nice job sliding a pass to Bassett and he beat Busquets and Miami's keeper for the goal.  He later got Busquets' shirt as a reward (Navarro got Messi's).  Even near the end the Rapids had a shot to win with another free kick from DM, from almost the same spot as last week, but this time it was saved.

Again though, if you told Rapids fans (and if they're honest, probably Chris Armas and Padraig Smith too) that we would start 4 homegrowns and face down Messi for 45 minutes, along with Busquets and Alba, in Miami, and come out with a draw any of us would have taken it.  We need to take this momentum into San Jose (currently last place in the league) next week and get 3 points out of them.

Man of the Match;  Cole Bassett.  Yeah, the game-tying goal makes you MOTM>  He also is the only Rapid to have 2 shots on goal in the match.  Up until that goal though I was leaning heavily to Bombito, who was caught out on one of the Miami goals but otherwise played a really good game.

Where Am I?

Miami

Four years in and Colorado is finally getting a chance to face Inter Messi...er...Miami.  The Rapids are off to the land of sun, sand, and bitchy little spies (Bruce Campbell, always quotable).  The good news is that Miami has a long list of missing players due to injury, the bad news is that officially Messi isn't onw of them.  Kickoff is at 5:30 tomorrow with the gang gathering at the Celtic, minus a notable number who made the trip to Florida.

BTW I didn't get a chance to update the Rapids 2 Open Cup match.  Northern Colorado won 3-2 in extra time after R2 levelled it at just before regulation ended.  The Hailstorm winning goal came int he last minute of the 30 extra, a real heart-breaker for RapiDos.

Player Availability:

OUT: M Jonathan Lewis (knee), M Jasper Löffelsend (hamstring), M Connor Ronan (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: D Keegan Rosenberry (thigh)

If Rosenberry can't go there will be some interesting decisions to make.  Do you move Bombito to RB and play Abubakar?  Give Seb Anderson the start?  Do something really surprising like put Larraz at RB and playing Diack?

I think Armas goes with the minimal disruption option, by pushing Bombito outside and bringing Abubakar in.  Otherwise we're going to see the same lineup we've been seeing, with possibly some juggling on the wings.

Prediction: 2-1 loss, goal by Mihailovic.  Miami is promoing that Messi is back for this weekend, so we're going to see him, and that's not good.  I wouldn't be surprised if its 30 minutes off the bench, but it could be 60 as a starter.  The Flamingos have scored more goals than any other team this season and while our defense has been solid after that first half in Portland, its certainly vulnerable.  Our offense isn't fixed yet, so I don't really see us getting out of Ft. Lauderdale with any points.

Open Cup Tonight, USL 2 Match In June

Ok, a quick post about a chance to see 4 Colorado teams over 2 games.  There's still time to get out to the Dick tonight to see Rapids 2 take on the Northern Colorado Hailstorm in the second round of the Open Cup.  Kickoff is at 7:30 and there are plenty of tickets floating around if you need one.  A few Rapids 1 players are eligible again, the same group that was available two weeks ago, so expect them to get some time.

Then on June 2nd I've worked with Albion Colorado SC (formerly Boulder County SC) to get a C38 trip to their USL 2 game arranged.  They'll be hosting Flatirons FC, which is based here in Arvada and playing at School of Mines soccer stadium this year, but they'll be the road team on the 2nd at Peak to Peak Charter School's stadium in Lafayette.   Kickoff is at 7:30 on that Sunday, with a USWL W (women's) game kicking off at 4:30, all on the same ticket.  If you're interested drop me a message, I'm working on a group ticket package.

Along with the Colorado International Soccer Academy in Parker those are the USL 2 teams playing in Colorado this year.  So tonight you can knock off MLS Next Pro and USL 1, June 2nd two of the three USL 2 teams, the Rapids full MLs squad at many points this year, and then we just have to work the USL Championship Colorado Springs Switchbacks in at some point.

The Dick Continues To Be A House Of Horrors For LAFC

We should have seen that coming.  LAFC always struggles in Colorado and yet the 3-2 win still feels like a surprise.  Mainly the 3 goals for a team that only had 5 all season coming in!  The Rapids still struggled for long-stretched of the game, but the 20-25 minutes they were on they were really on.  This was the debut we really needed from Mihailović, Navarro got an assist, and even Cabral showed some drive during this game.  While there's work still to do a win like this can be the jump-start a team needs to get going.  The key is not to waste it over the next 3 weeks.

Random Thoughts:

• In their expansion year LAFC came here and beat us 3-0 in 2018. Since then they've been outscored 11-4 over 5 games with 4 losses and a scoreless draw.  They really don't like Colorado.
• This was the Rapids first comeback from being in a losing position when going up a man to win since the CCL match against Comunicaciones at the beginning of 2022.
• Speaking of coming from behind, we're seeing a very positive change in the team this season.  They don't give up after going down.  Even in Portland, down 4-0 after half, they were still fighting.  In this one they were down 1-0 and 2-1 and came back both times.  They now have earned 7 points after being down this season.  That equals their total for all of last season.
• Neither of LA's goals were particularly good defense.  They were both hit really well but on the first Cabral just let his man go by while he turned away.  On the second the LAFC attacker dribbled through two defenders and curved it around a third before a fourth could get there.  They should have both been stopped before the shot even was taken.
• Great work from Moise Bombito in this one.  Before Mihailović hit the game winner I was trying to decide if his good defensive work and a goal was better than Mihailović's goal and assist for man of the match.  He's also quickly becoming a fan favorite with his interaction with C38.
• I wonder if his defensive blunder is what made Cabral so engaged for the rest of the match.  He had some solid defensive work, including a long cross-field run to chase down a LAFC player, tackle the ball away, and start the counter-attack.  That all happened right after Bombito's goal a 5 minute period where for the first time we really saw the "play in transition" and pressing mentality we've been told to look for from this team.
• Navarro continues to do the little things well, and set up the final goal.  But we need more than that to justify buying him.
• Kimani Stewart-Baynes had great vision and unselfishness on that Navarro cross.  Many (most?) strikers would have thought goal first given the time he had, but he saw how unmarked Mihailović was and knew that laying it off was the better move.
• Before that the rest of the first-half was pretty blech.  Much like we've seen during the rest of the season.  Then that continued into the first half of the second half.  It wasn't really until shortly before the second LAFC goal that it felt like the Rapids we're starting to command the game.  Which is why that goal felt like another gut punch and points lost.
• After that goal though it was all Rapids, especially when LAFC went down a man.  Again, credit to the team for not giving up and pushing their advantage.
• Next up is a tough test against the Inter Messi's, even if I suspect Messi won't be playing.  Once we get past the longest road trip we have its an easier road trip to San Jose and a home game against Dallas, two games we should expect to take points out of.

Man of the Match: Djordje Mihailović.  Two goals and an assist?  That's an easy call.  I don't expect 3 goal involvements every week, but it was a needed break out for him.

A Rare Afternoon Game Tomorrow

We get an afternoon game in Commerce City tomorrow with a rare 2pm kickoff against LAFC.  Its the only one of the season at home so enjoy it, especially since it won't be blazing 90 degree temps of July and August.  LAFC might have an old friend with them as this afternoon they announced the signing of Kei Kamara.  I don't know if Kei can be in the gameday squad just 21 hours after signing, certainly he won't be starting, but maybe we'll see him on the bench?  The brunch-themed tailgate will start around 11, maybe a touch earlier.  I'll be happy if I can get there in time to grab a couple of dogs before kickoff, I did not realize it was a day game until last weekend and have plans tomorrow morning.

Player Availability:

OUT: M Jonathan Lewis (knee), M Jasper Löffelsend (hamstring), M Connor Ronan (knee)

The good thing is that Bombito is back from his time with Canada, where he was in the gameday roster but didn't get any minutes.  The bad news is that our midfield depth is starting to look fairly iffy.

The only position in midfield I'm confident about is Larraz.  I feel very confident about the other 6 positions on the field as well.  The 4 midfielders around Oli though?  Your guess is as good as mine right now.  Bassett and Mihailović will start, but I don't know where.  I put Diack in because if not now, when?  That last spot could be Fernandez or Harris.  Or both if Diack doesn't start and Bassett drops back.  Or we could see Yapi on the wing again (lets not see Yapi on the wing again).

BTW the Rapids only have 8 players listed as midfielders on their website.  They're either injured, on loan, or in my starting XI projection.  Any likely depth on the bench are players like Cabral, Harris, and Stewart-Baynes who are listed as forwards officially.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Navarro.  LAFC is off to a slow start this season (for them) and their defense has been a little iffy.  I think we can finally get a non-own goal home goal, but not a win.

The Badge, The Players, The Fans Deserve Better...Have They Gotten It?

I mentioned before the season that I wanted to follow up on the Centennial 38 protest letter from last year to see what progress has been made, but I wanted to wait until we got into the season a bit.  Well, since March ends this weekend this seemed a relevant time to do it (more on the timing later).  To remind everyone, the letter from C38 can be read here, with the KSE response here.  Also, to state my biases up front, I helped craft the C38 letter and I stand by what was said in it.  But to be clear, this column is my personal opinion of where things have gone since then, this does not reflect in any way what C38's current stance is.

Starting right off the top, what the letter was calling for above anything else was investment.  Investment in money but also in time and just general 'giving a damn'.  What investment have we seen?

When it comes to the roster the club certainly increased their investment (we'll get to how well they did with that investment later).  Signing Zach Steffen, Sam Vines, Lamine Diack, and spending a club-record amount to bring Djordje Mihailovic represents possibly the biggest offseason this club has had in its history.  The choice of Chris Armas for coach however screams Smith not being given much of a budget after firing Mastroeni, Hudson, and Fraser. 

Another concern from the letter was subpar training facilities and an outdated stadium.  There have been no major announcements about investment in the training facilities, though Burgundy Wave did report the turf practice field and at least one of the grass practice fields were replaced.  

There have been minimal if any upgrades to the stadium that are noticeable to the average fan.  The scoreboard is still a running joke, and if the audio system was upgraded its hard to notice.  There are a few new food options but no major overhaul to reach the Footy Scran level shown by non-league clubs in England.  Most of the ad boards on the light poles and scoreboard still look like they haven't been cleaned since they were put up.  Anecdotally it appears there are still issues with Argus security hassling the fan section, based on the run-in I had on Saturday night.  That said, there have been a few positive steps, the most noticeable has been the addition of game announcements in Spanish.  The Spanish-speaking market has long been woefully underserved by this organization so its good to see them making that effort.

We've also seen a lack of interest from ownership above Padraig Smith.  The first comments from the new President of Team and Media Operations showed that he had no clue about the culture and experience of Rapids fans, despite claiming he had attended the game the weekend before.  Referencing a non-existent "pregame march" and integration with the community that there's been no evidence of suggests that he was given some bullet points to hit more than he was relating anything he actually saw.  The lack of any follow-up after that, even to clean up his comments, kind of shows where the Rapids stand in his (and KSE as a whole's) mind.

While we're talking about KSE's response, lets go back to the promises "Josh Kroenke" made in his response letter.

On the field, we are focused on returning the team to the level of competitiveness we expect and have seen in recent years

Well so far this season the team looks a great deal like the Robin Fraser teams of the past few years, with that level of competitiveness, so I guess that's been achieved, though not in the way they meant.  Chris Armas talked in preseason about "playing in transition" yet Joseph Lowery showed on MLssoccer.com this week that we're using the same slow possession game we've used the last couple of years under Fraser.

Off the field, we have already engaged Legends, Civitas, Perkins & Will, and Turner Construction on a number of feasibility studies and analyses around potential infrastructure projects as we assess a future vision for DICK'S Sporting Goods Park and the Club's training environment. We are also actively evaluating additional ways to enhance the gameday experience inside and outside the stadium.

The team did hold a couple of open house sessions with fans this offseason and sent out a survey to find out what the fans wanted to see at the Dick.  However, having taken the survey myself, what they seemed to be asking is "what amenities would get you to pay higher prices for tickets" when really what the fans need is for the basic experience to be brought up to a modern standard.  Making the North Boundary or the suites into a premium experience doesn't help the family of 4 sitting in section 110 having to choose between reheated hot dogs and stadium nachos.  It suggests that, once again, KSE has missed the point.

Over the next few months, we will be finalizing the master plan for our exciting Victory Crossing Project. When this is ready in early 2024, we will be hosting several open forums with supporters and members of the community to gather feedback on our plans for the club, stadium and entire project.

Remember that comment about the end of March being an appropriate time to have this conversation?  That's because its about the last point you can call it "early 2024".  Maybe you can stretch it into early April, or maybe they meant "early in the 2024 season" but either way, we're about out of time and so far I haven't heard anything about this master plan for the "exciting" Victory Crossing.  Well, that's not entirely true.  We did hear in the offseason that KSE was partnering with local colleges to have students help with drafting the plan as part of their education.  Which certainly suggests that when they wrote the above in September plans weren't nearly as far along as Josh made it appear.

Now all of this comes with the obvious caveat that its only been 6 months.  We weren't going to become a top-tier MLs organization in that time.  The frustration though is that there appears to be nothing but lip service given to the idea of improving.  We have a team that has scored one goal from the run of play in the first 5 games, have given 3 points away by giving up very late goals in the first two hone games (while only scoring a single goal, and that an own goal), and continues to try to sell a sub-standard gameday experience.  The very visible example of this is the failing scoreboard, while their opponents down I-70, Sporting KC, managed to do a complete revamp of their video setup in one offseason.  If more is coming, then make an effort to show it to us.

To answer the question I asked in the title of the piece, no, we haven't gotten better yet.  While we have some shiny new pieces on the field (that haven't yet changed any results), the rest of the organization is still far behind even a midlevel Major League Soccer team. This isn't an org that can expect to compete year in and year out, which is the bar Padraig Smith has stated on multiple occasions.

Scab Ref Costs Rapids A Point, Hides Team's Ineptness

This is a game Colorado would have gotten a point out of with the regular refs.  But this is also a game that the Rapids only have themselves to blame for losing.  A continuing issue reared its head again, the inability to put the ball in the net.

Lets start with the elephant in the room.  On what was essentially the final play the Rapids were caught out by Houston, played poorly, and threw away the point.  But its a play that should have never gotten to that point.  Maxsø was down in the box bleeding after being elbowed in the face.  Referees are clearly directed to stop play for a head wound, and a player bleeding from the head down in the attacking box while play is going on is a clear incident of that.  Play should have been stopped and the ref cost the home team a point, arguably 3 if a PK had been called on the elbow to Maxsø's face.

That said, it never should have gotten to that point.  The lack of offense in this team is a serious problem at this point.  This was a weakened Houston side that, much like Seattle last week, was beatable but we couldn't get anything going in the attacking third.  This team has been unable to breakdown a low block for the last two seasons, and this season appears to be no different.  We had two shots with a xG above 0.10, a 0.11 shot from Cabral and a 0.12 shot from Mihailovic.  If that's the best we can do we're in for a very long season.

Our three DPs are Navarro, Cabral, and Mihailovic.  Combined they have 34 starts, 50 appearances, and a grand total of 5 goals and 2 assists.  Essentially they're involved in one goal every 5 starts.  Excuse me?  How is this in any way acceptable?  Navarro has 16 games left to prove he's worth $4.5 million.  At this point I wouldn't pay $450K.  Cabral is a bust but we've known that for a while.  Mihailovic has not fit in with this team yet and I don't think 5 games is too soon to have expectations for the biggest signing the club has ever made returning to a league he excelled in just 18 months ago.

Meanwhile we have Lamine Diack.  Here for 5 of his 26 games and gotten 0 minutes.  That's not how you use a TAM-player.

At this point, despite a surprise 4-point road trip to Sandy and Seattle, this is the same old Rapids.  Armas can talk about "play in transition" and we can change a bunch of players, but until this club actually invests in real scouting and real leadership it won't matter.

Rapids 1 Try To Follow Up Rapids 2 Dominance

Combined pre-game picture of Colorado soccer

As promised, a quick recap on last night's RapiDos Open Cup match before we get on to the preview of tomorrow night's league match.  Rapids 2 had a rather easy night of it, running out 3-0 winners over Azteca.  By no means was Azteca a pushover, but it also never really felt like they were a threat to win either.  Certainly when 2 got their second goal from a Seb Anderson corner just before half you felt like they had the game in hand.  

Four first team players got the start for Rapids 2, Anderson, Adam Beaudry, Kimani Stewart-Baynes, and Wayne Fredrick  Anderson and KSB came off at half, with Seb being replaced by fellow first-teamer Jackson Travis, and Wayne Fredrick came off in the 73rd after picking up an assist on the third goal.  Beaudry played the full 90 in goal, Michael Edwards was not part of the gameday roster.

Today Rapids 2 found out they'll host the Northern Colorado Hailstorm (who beat Union Omaha on Tuesday) in the 2nd round.  That game will be played on April 3rd.  I'm unavailable that night so I'm hoping for a win and another chance of hosting in the 3rd round.

Now, onto the first-team and their match tomorrow night.  The Dynamo are in town for this one, for their first road game of the year.  Much like the Sounders last week they come in with a couple of key pieces questionable for the match and if hey can't go the Rapids have a good chance of getting their first home win.  Kickoff for this one is the normal 7:30pm.

Player Availability:

OUT: Conor Ronan (knee), Moise Bombito (Canadian National Team)

QUESTIONABLE: Jasper Löffelsend (hamstring)

No surprises here.  Ronan is still a few weeks out and they are likely easing Löffelsend back.  Bombito will be playing tomorrow night in Dallas in the Copa America qualification playoff.

With the injures its a little hard to know how Armas will line them up.  I would hope that Diack finally gets a start in this one but since he didn't last week I went with the assumption he wouldn't this week.  I don't think Yapi worked as a winger so I expect if Diack doesn't start then we'll see both Harris and Fernandez on the wings.  Abubakar is the obvious fill-in for Bombito.

Prediction: 1-0 win, goal by Navarro.  Yeah, I'm out over my skies on this one.  But Houston has been busy and a road trip to altitude is not how they get back on their game.  So far they've played a 1-0 win, a 2-1 loss, and a 1-1 draw.  Combined with the Rapids good defense after that first half in Portland I don't expect much scoring.  The home side gets their first shutout of the season and their first home win.

Rapids 2 In The Open Cup Tomorrow

Because of the idiotic decision by MLS to withdraw most of the primary teams from the Open Cup this year, the Rapids only representation will be Rapids 2.  Since they are a MLS Next Pro team they enter in the first round instead of the normal 3rd or 4th round entry we're used to from the first team.  That means the RapiDos will start their Cup run tomorrow night at home facing local Colorado Premier League side Azteca 5280.  At home being at the Dick, with kickoff at 7:30.  Rapids season ticket holders got free tickets and there are enough floating out there that anyone should be able to pick one up pretty easily if they want to go.

Azteca are no strangers to the Open Cup, having qualified multiple times into the first round proper.  Even making it that far is a deep run for the amateur side but this will be their first chance to play an Open Cup game inside Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

For Rapids 2 the rules of the competition this year allow Rapids 1 players to play, but they have to be under the max salary (no TAM or DP players) and have averaged less than 15 minutes in the first 4 games this season.  Colorado has made the following first-team players available for eselection:

D Sebastian Anderson

GK Adam Beaudry

D Michael Edwards

M Wayne Frederick II

D Nate Jones

F Kimani Stewart-Baynes

D Jackson Travis

This doesn't mean they'll make the roster, just that they are available.  There is a loan requirement for anyone that plays that would make it hard for them to return to the first-team is they're on the gameday roster, so there are some decisions to make.

I plan to be out at the Dick tomorrow, so expect a quick recap on Friday before or as part of the preview for Saturday's home game against the Dynamo.

Rapids Fumble Their Way To A Draw

Well, that was something.  A game where it felt like the Rapids were going to lose a game they should of won they pulled out a draw at the last minute.  It was both an unexpected point gained and two points lost at the same time.  IF at the beginning of the season you had told Rapids fans they would have 5 points after 4 games, including a win over FSL, we all would have taken it.  At the same time though, we dropped 2 easy points against Nashville and we probably should have won this game, so its not hard to feel like we're not where we should be based on our play.

At the same time, after the first 45 minutes in Portland this was already looking like a lost season.  Certainly the Rapids teams of the last couple of years would have gotten down after giving up another cheap PK on a hand ball.  Instead the Rapids kept playing good defense and looked for opportunities to get on the board.  Seattle made it easier picking up a mustard-and-ketchup red with about 30 minutes left and Colorado thought they were back in the game when they got a penalty kick shortly thereafter.  Then Mihailović stepped up and took the PK attempt from Navarro, only to hit a rather poor shot close to Seattle's keeper.   Not nearly good enough for a team-record signing.  He partially made up for it in the 88th minute when his free kick was pushed onto the bar by the keeper, only for Cabral to be waiting to tap-in the rebound to level the score.  Cabral had a chance to be a double-hero late but somehow failed to get any contact on a corner inside the 6 and the game ended 1-1.

Again, at halftime in Portland this team looked like a mess, but since then they've only allowed three goals, and two of those were penalties off of stupid handballs.  Sorry Rosenberry, a captain ahs to be smarter than to leave his arm out like that (the less said about Lewis' idiocy, the better).  The defense has managed to figure out their problems fairly quickly.  They'll get tested in a couple of weeks when they go to Miami but against some average offenses they've held their own.

The same can't be said for the offense.  Its telling that the Rapids best non-PK/scoring shot this season (based on xG from FotMob) has come from Sam Vines, midway through that first half in Portland.  There are some real questions to ask about the guys making the top salaries on this roster:

• Djordje Mihailovic - Has not looked like a TAM-level player, much less a "team-record signing" player yet.  His game on Saturday, other than the free kick, was fairly bad and taking a PK away from a guy who made one last week and then hitting an easily saved shot is a bad look.
• Rafael Navarro - Does good things off the ball, but he's being paid to score and he's not scoring.
• Kevin Cabral - Well, we all knoew going into this season who Cabral was and that hasn't changed.  Credit for being in the right place to finish off that goal this week, but is few goals he's had for Colorado have all been like that, where somebody else does all the work and then he has a simple finish.  For a DP he needs to be doing more.
• Lamine Diack - A TAM-level player who's here on loan for the first 20 games can't get a start 4 games in when the players starting in front him are out injured and we play a striker out of position on the wing instead?  That's a really bad sign.  If we don't see him this week its hard to think of him as anything but a bust already.

That's a lot of investment that's not being converted into goals.  DM has a combined xG of 0.86, 0.79 of which comes from the saved penalty.  Navarro's highest non-PK xG is 0.14.  Cabral has two shots outside his goal, of 0.11 and 0.08.  These need to turn around today.

The Rapids are a team that can compete defensively but are still bottom of the league in generating and converting chances.  So far we've scored from a corner kick, an own goal, a penalty, an open play goal, and a free kick.  You can't rely on penalties and own goals, and 3 goals in 4 games is the same pace as we scored at in 2023.  Offensively only a couple of lucky breaks has us looking better than last season.

Man of the Match: Oli Larraz.  Really this feels as much an award for the last couple of games as one just about how he played in Seattle.  He was good in Seattle, but he's been real solid the last three games.

A Chance For A Result In The Emerald City?

Colorado goes to my hometown with a chance to get a result for the first time in a long time, maybe ever.  Seattle is struggling to start the season with only 1 goal in their first two games (last week's game was rained out in Philly).  The Rapids aren't doing much better, but after a horrid first half in Portland their defense has given up one goal from the run of play and one PK on a stupid handball.  High-scoring this is unlikely to be.  Kickoff is an early 1:30pm MT today as the game is on FOX as well as Apple TV.  I'm not sure who FOX will have on the (lesser video quality) broadcast but Max Bretos and Brian Dunseth will have the Apple TV call.

Player Availability:

OUT: Conor Ronan (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: Jasper Löffelsend (hamstring)

We found out this week that the knee injury that forced Ronan to be subbed in the 11th minute last week will keep him on the sidelines for 6-8 weeks.  Not great news.   Seattle will be missing Paula, de la Vega, and Frei so they're really hurting.

With Ronan out and Löffelsend also unlikely to start (especially on turf) I have to assume we see Diack.  If we're not going to start him in this game missing those two players, what was the point of a 6 month loan?  Other than that the only real question is Harris or Fernandez at right wing, I think we stick with Fernandez.

Prediction: 0-0 draw.  I'm not convinced that either of these teams can score reliably, but our defense is looking better.  My main concern is that Jordan Morris starts on the right and eats our left side alive like FSL was doing unsuccessfully last week.  But they still don't have a finisher and neither do we so a screless draw seems a reasonable expectation.

Rapids Return Priso North Of The Border

Colorado made a trade today, sending Ralph Priso to Vancouver in exchange for Vancouver's later of their two first round picks next year and their natural third round pick.  They can also get up to $150K in GAM based on performance.  Tom Bogert reported there would also be a 33% sell on clause which wasn't officially announced.

This is a pretty good return for a player who clearly wasn't progressing and wasn't even making the gameday roster.  Bogert's report says Wayne Frederick had passed him on the depth chart.  So getting a first-round draft pick after being successful (apparently) with Frederick and with Bombito last season and then another pick on top of that is good business.

Priso was originally acquired as part of the trade that sent Kaye to Toronto.  Winding it back a step further we originally traded $1M in GAM and a international slot for a season to LAFC for Kaye and their first round pick.  We turned that pick into $125K in GAM and Markanich.  Markanich was traded for $75K in GAM and St. Louis's first round pick which we turned in another $75K in GAM.

So just from the Kaye trade we ended up with Kaye and $275K in GAM, plus a few games from Markanich.

We then traded Kaye for $1.025M in GAM, an international slot, TFC's 2023 first-round pick, and Priso.  The pick became Moise Bombito, and Priso has now become two more picks.

So in the end we gained $300K in GAM, Moise Bombito, and two picks, plus all the games Markanich, Priso, and Kaye played for the club.  No matter what you think about Markanich and Priso, that's some good work.  Arguably, given Smith's track record, that's better than what he would have done with the initial $1M of GAM we sent to LAFC for Kaye.

Speaking of Bombito, he was called up today for Canada for the Copa America qualifier playoff in two weeks.  He'll be available for this week's game in Seattle, but will then head to Dallas to join up with the Canadian National Team.  He'll miss our next home game against Houston as the playoff game is the same day.

Lastly today the roster rules for the MLS Next Pro teams playing in the Open Cup leaked.  Players will have to be loaned to the MLS Next Pro side from the MLS team for at least 90 days to be eligible and no DP or TAM players are eligible.  Also any players so loaned have to average less than 15 minutes a game through this weekend's MLS games.  Fernandez, Harris, Ronan Navarro, Vines, Larraz, DM, Steffen, Rosenberry, Maxso, Bombito, Bassett, Cabral, and Diack are all ineligible under those rules, and Löffelsend will be ineligible if he plays 19 minutes or more this weekend (Yapi, Lewis, and Travis could all lose eligibility if they play enough minutes in Seattle as well).

Really though, the three month loan requirement is the killer.  I can't see loaning anyone who's likely to get any real playing time this year to Rapids 2 for 3 months just so they can play in the USOC.  Its going to be Nate Jones, Wayne Frederick, or Michael Edwards that might be considered.

Rapids Finally Get 2024 Started With An RMC Win!

It took two and a half games but the Colorado Rapids finally decided to join the 2024 season in the second half Saturday night.  In the process they also frustrated FSL en route to a 2-1 win and reclaiming thee advantage in this year's Rocky Mountain Cup.  Now 45 minutes doesn't erase the other 225 minutes this season (or the 34 games last season) but for the first time in a while there's a bit of hope across the fanbase.  It was a massive win for this club and its fans.

Lets get through that first half though.  It was rough for 30 minutes and not great for the last 15.  We spent more of the first 10 minutes down a man than at full strength due to aa momentary injury to Larraz and a more serious one to Ronan.  One that would force him to be subbed out in the 11th minute for Löffelsend.  For the next 20+ minutes FSL had their run of the game, including a goal in the 20th minute that came right through Löffelsend.  To be fair to Jasper, Mihailovic sent him a ball with no options, at all four cardinal points the closest player was in FSL red.  After the turnover Maxsø seems to have lost track of his man and didn't know he was on his back shoulder, which made the finish from the cross easy.

Colorado slowly worked themselves back into the game and got a lucky break in the 41st minute with a handball in the box by FSL.  Navarro finished the PK (though it looked like Bassett wanted it originally) and the Rapids were a bit lucky to go into the locker room tied at half.  Whatever Armas said or did in their worked, because Colorado was much more focused and aggressive in the next 45.  Bassett finally got on the board in the 70th minute with the Rapids' first goal from open play this season (corner, own goal, PK for the others) and the team managed a combination of good defense and luck to ride out the win.

Other Thoughts:

• I'll admit, 30 minutes in I thought we were looking at another disaster in Sandy and what was likely a lost Rocky Mountain Cup and a cusp of a lost season.  The 2022 and 2023 Rapids would have lost this game.
• FSL was bombing down our left side at will in the first half.  I don't know if the tactics we were playing were pulling Vines out of position or if there was confusion but it was not a good look for Sam.
• Despite being a better team in the second half FSL still had the majority of possession in every 5 minute interval in the half.  That's not a combination that normally leads to a shutout.
• Löffelsend had a rough night and showed why Larraz has been starting the first three games.  He got better as the night went on, though.
• At the end of this one the Rapids were doing to FSL what they normally due to us.  Frustrating them, killing the clock, and working the refs.  Fun to be on the better side of that for the first time in a while.
• Bassett had a great game.  It was a classic Goal Bassett goal where he sets up the initial shot and continues his run into the box to be available for a second chance.  It was also his 100th appearance with the club.
• Good to see Navarro get on the scoresheet.  Only a penalty, but maybe its the jump-start he needs.
• Fernandez got his first start and while he didn't seem to be as involved as you would expect, he popped up at opportune moments to make a play.
• Mihailovic though, still needs to be providing more to justify his DP status & salary.
• There are two more game sin this year's Rocky Mountain Cup,  One in Sandy on Volcano Day (May 18th) and back here in Commerce City on the 55th anniversary of the lunar landing.  Appropriate since this game was on my birthday.  One win or two draws and the Cup is ours.

Man of the Match: Moise Bombito.  I said I'd bring this back when the team changed, and they changed.  A lot of that was due to Bombito's steady play on the back line.  He's gone from college to a Canadian Nat and a MLS starter in a little over a season.

Rocky Mountain Cup 2024

Well, here we are.  Nobody needs to explain what's on the line tomorrow in Sandy.  The first of three games in the 2024 Rocky Mountain Cup and a Rapids team still looking for their first road win since May 6th of last year (at the Galaxy).  We haven't beat FSL since August 21st 2021, and have only won at Questionably Racist Name Field once, the 5-0 shellacking we gave them in 2020 to win the Cup.  Kickoff tomorrow is at 7:30pm, and Apple TV is giving us Keith Costigan and Maurice Edu on the call.  If you know Spanish, or just prefer to listen to somebody you know understands this rivalry even if you don't, Jorge Perez-Navarro and our own Marcelo Balboa will have the call.

Player Availability

OUT: Kimani Stewart-Baynes (illness)

At least this year our injury reports have been short.  Everyone likely to be picked is once again available for Armas tomorrow night.  FSL has multiple people missing due to injury, including having just lost key midfielder Pablo Ruiz for the season.

I haven't seen anything to suggest Armas is going to make a lineup change, so I assume we're going to see the same XI from the first two matches.

Prediction: 1-0 loss.  Given our long track record its hard to see anything but a loss coming out of this one.  Maybe we surprise and get a 1-1 or 0-0 draw but that's best case.  And if FSL gets 2 its over.

Ha Det Marko Ilic

The Rapids made the long-rumored loan of Marko Ilic to Sarpsborg 08 in Norway official today.  Ilic and Sarpsborg announced it earlier.  The loan is through July 17th but even if he doesn't stick there I don't expect to ever see him in a Rapids kit again.  Steffen is the clear starter and Beaudry is the heir apparent, there's just no future for Marko in Colorado.

Thus ends (probably) one of the worst transfer decisions in recent years, not just for the Rapids but for MLs as a whole.  Colorado went out and pursued signing an international keeper while having a quality MLS keeper already under contract.  They then paid a transfer fee that was a top 3 amount in club history at the time, while upsetting their current starter.  Ilic proceeded to then put up some of the worst advanced stats i for keepers in MLS last season (he was 65th by some measures).  Yarbrough and the Rapids clearly had to move on in the offseason, and we had to solve a keeping problem of our own making, leading to the signing of Steffen. 

This is up there with the likes of Stefan Aigner, Juan Ramirez, Daniel Amokachi, and Giles Gramindi in all-time bad signings by Colorado.  And unlike those other signings who were trying to fill a hole the team had, this was completely self-inflicted.

Combine Ilic with Gersbach, Tavares, and arguably Navarro and Maxso, and last year's scouting is an absolute disaster.  Ronan is the only player who is saving it from being a complte wash.  (Navarro and particularly Maxso still have time to come around, but so far they haven't lived up to their price tags)

A New Day At KSE...Aw, Never Mind

Last month long-time KSE leader Matt Hutchings, who was essentially Padraig Smith's boss (there may be another layer or two in there, but he was the last stop before Stan/Josh) stepped down from his position as Chief Operating Officer.  He was responsible for all of Kroenke's sports teams in the KSE organization, including the Rapids.  Today KSE announced that Los Angeles Rams President Kevin Demoff was name President of of TEam and Media Operations for KSE, taking over responsibility for Kroenke's 5 sports teams (Rams, Avs, Nuggets, Mammoth, and the Rapids).

When I heard this I thought this might be an opportunity for KSE to take a new start with the Rapids and the fan base.  While I don't expect big changes it would be a chance for Demoff to make a statement, or have a press conference, or send a letter saying something to the effect of "I know that its been a turbulent time in Commerce City.  As the new person in this role I plan to dedicate some time to understanding the issues, etc.".  Again, that doesn't mean there would be changes but it would be an opportunity for everyone to reset and give it a new shot.

Well, that didn't last long.  Demoff was asked about the Rapids in his opening press conference today.  Here's the relevant bit as transcribed by Jake Shapiro of DenverSports.com.

You all remember those marches to the match that we've actually never done, unless you mean crossing the street from the tailgate to the entry gate en masse right?  And we didn't even do anything like that on Saturday at the home opener he apparently attended.  We tailgated up a storm, like we always do, and if he had come out to check that out he would have known that.  He could have just wandered in as another fan and I guarantee you nobody would have known who he was and bothered him.  

Also, what is this "activated around Commerce City"?  The lack of local outreach was one of the things called out by Centennial 38 in their public letter last fall.  Now I will admit that the Rapids have made some strides in that area since then, particularly engaging with youth programs as part of the new kit program, but its probably too early to judge them a success or not.

This was a chance to turn the page and write a new chapter, but instead KSE stumbled out of the starting blocks (to mix metaphors) and fell on their face.  I can't think of a way to come off more inauthentically than to talk about being at the home opener and then refer to fan activities that didn't occur (and have never really occurred).  If Demoff was at the Dick on Saturday, he clearly never got out of the President's suite above the west stands to see what the real fan experience is.  Once again its clear the Rapids are the unwanted child in KSE's empire.

Lewis Hands a Draw To Nashville

The story of the Rapids this season is much like 2023.  No ability to score.  The play is probably technically better, but if you can't put the ball in the net it doesn't matter.  On Saturday they had 2 shots on goal and a 0.7 xG.  Our three DP's (Cabral, Navarro, and DM) have a combined 0.16 xG this year.  Fernandez, who played 26 minutes on Saturday, has 0.22 himself.

This is, simply, unacceptable for a team that had this problem last year and made major changes in the offseason.  We clearly haven't fixed the core problem from last year, scoring.  That would come back to bite us in this one, with the only goal being a stunning well-taken header by Shaq Moore (one of the few players who's shirt I have, from when he played for Tenerife) into his own goal.  The Rapids had the lead for most of the second half but it didn't feel earned.

Jonathan Lewis would make sure we didn't get those undeserved points with  a blatant handball in the box that was picked up by VAR.  Nashville converted the PK in the 90th minute and the teams ended level at 1-1, which was deserved based on the play.  Neither team looked good.

Other than that the match was fairly unremarkable.  The two most notable moments were both in front of C38.  In the first half Mosie Bombito cleared a ball at the post that I think he only half knew about and then turned to C38 and got us going with was a fun reaction from a Rapids player.  Leaning into that would be good for this team.  Then late in the match Yapi came on for a ineffective Navarro.  He was chasing a loose ball near the other post and the Nashville defender just beat him to it.  It looked clean live from our POV but the scab ref gave a yellow, which resulted in a chant of "scab! scab! scab!'.  Turns out on replay Yapi might have gotten lucky.  He solidly got the defender's ankle, to the point where you can see it bending away from the contact. It could have easily been a red card out of context, but a lose ball on the post means both guys are diving in and the ref probably decided yellow was the more reasonable call.

If the Rapids can't beat a Nashville team coming off a midweek game, at altitude, without their two best DPs then you have to wonder who they can beat.  They're off to Sandy and Seattle the next two weeks, two places that have been very bad to them historically and two teams that look much better than them.  Houston at home after that, maybe?  Then LAFC at home, probably not.  We could be looking up at a big mountain very quickly.

No Man of the Match until they show they have actually improved.

For Joan

For those fans who didn't know Joan Dobrzynksi she was a wonderful woman who became somewhat of a 'team mom' over the years.  She was a regular at training for the Rapids over the last 10+ years and was always in her seat in 108 for the game.  For a number of years when I sat in 108 I had a seat first right in front of her and then nearby.  Joan battled leukemia for the last couple of years and wasn't able to see her Rapids as often, but the team hooked her up with a tablet and Season Pass so she wouldn't miss any of the action.  She passed away in January.  At today's home opener she will be remembered both by the team and her friends in the stands.  Her seat will be left empty this season and in the 38th minute C38 will be raising an overhead tifo in her honor.

The Rapids are back home for the start of the 2024 season, and the former-Rapids coaching staff of Nashville SC, namely Gary Smith, Kosuke Kimura, Steve, Guppy, and Matt Pickens are the opposition.  Nashville has had a busy start to the season with their CONCACAF Champions Cup play,  They rolled through their opposition from the Dominican Republic, 7-0, but their season opener against RBNY was a scoreless draw.  The season kickoff at the Dick is at 7:30, with the undefeated tailgate starting around 4.

Player Availability

QUESTIONABLE: M Ralph Priso (hamstring)

Kimani Stewart-Baynes played for the Canada U-20s on Tuesday night so his availability may be limited, but I wouldn't expect him to be in the gameday roster yet anyway.  For that matter, i wouldn't expect Priso to be in uniform either even if he was healthy, so Armas can have his pick of the roster.

I think we see almost the same XI from last week.  Its too soon to bench Bombito and other than that the only questions are right mid and the 6.  Everyone else is pretty much locked in.  Harris gets rewarded for his goal with another start, but Larraz takes a seat to let Löffelsend get his shot before Diack is ready.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Mihailovic.  I can't predict a win from this team until they show something, but Nashville is tired having a lot of games in their legs.  I think its a rather drab affair but the Rapids actually get one fairly early, give the lead back, and then Nashville sits in a low block and accepts the draw and Colorado continues to be unable to break that down.

Open Cup and Player News

For the second Friday in a row there's notable news from the Rapids that will delay my game preview.  First, lets start with the elephant in the room.

The Rapids first team will not be playing in the U.S. Open Cup this season.  If you haven't been following the drama around the USOC in the offseason MLS informed the U.S. Soccer Federation that they were withdrawing their teams from the Open Cup and replacing them with their MLS Next Pro teams (Rapids 2 and the rest).  The USSF said no.  Under the certification for the league granted by the USSF (and FIFA) they are required to participate in the USOC.  At first we thought that was that, but a couple of weeks ago it came out that MLS was still negotiating with the USSF.  The final decision came down today.  The teams playing in the CONCACAF Champions League will not play in the USOC.  The next best 8 teams in the 2023 standings will send their first teams (including defending champion Houston) to enter in the 4th round.  The rest will send their MLS Next Pro teams entering in the 1st round.  (DC doesn't have a MLS Next Pro team, so they won't be participating either)

This, to put it frankly, is hot garbage from the league.  They are claiming schedule congestion as a primary reason but in the end it comes down to money.  MLS and even USL teams largely lose money on this tournament.  Now that shouldn't be ignored, but the answer isn't withdrawal.  Its fair for MLS to say "hey, you have to run this tournament well enough that we're not taking a notable loss playing in it", but at the same time, MLS can afford to lose a little bit playing in the tournament for the good of the game.  Taking the ball and going home because you can make more money with the Leagues Cup is a horrible move.

When it comes to the Rapids, multiple outlets have reported that they were unhappy with the initial decision to leave the USOC and, presumably, are equally unhappy with the league's decision that only RapiDos will play in the competition.  For once the club is on the right side of something like this.  The roster rules for the Open Cup this season have not been published but we know that Rapids 1 players can be loaned to Rapids 2 on short-term deals.  It will be interesting to see if some first-team players end up playing for R2 during the Open Cup, especially if they progress to the point where they're playing USL Championship teams or the MLS first teams in the competition.

On to player news.  Tom Bogert is reporting tonight that there's a deal being made to send Marko Ilic on loan to Norwegian club Sarpsborg   When he didn't show up on the bench last Saturday I wondered if the club was trying to move him.  He's an expensive player to just be playing backup and with Steffen here (and Beaudry looking like the long-term future) that's all he would be.  I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him in Colorado again.

Needless to say, this was a top-tier bad moves by the Rapids.  Having Yarbrough, Rodriguez, and Beaudry waiting in the wings they went out and spent time scouting a new goalkeeper, then paid a top 3 transfer fee in club history (at the time) to bring him in, only to find out he put up some of the worst advanced stats by keepers in MLS last season.  They then had to go out and sign Steffen to fill the hole they created (since Yarbrough had no willingness to stay after that move).  In a year plus one game we went from Yarbrough-Irwin-Rodriguez to Steffen-Beaudry-???.  Stability that is not.  A graduate-level class on how not to build a position.

The final bit of news is the Rapids 2 announced the extension of midfielder Daouda Amadou's contract for 2024 and 2025, but the interesting part is that he's guaranteed a first-team roster spot in 2025.  The club also has option years for 2026-28.  Amadou was a big part of the success of Rapids 2 last season, but as we've seen with Remi Cabral and Yosuke Hanya, the next step is generally a year in the Championship before moving to regular first team play.  We'll see if he goes on loan this season, or if he joins the first team next year and what he's able to contribute.

Here We Go Again

 

My apologies.  On Friday I wrote a preview of the opening game of the 2024 season.  I wasn't aware we were just replaying the 2023 season.  Because from where I sat, I saw a lot more 2023 Rapids out there on Saturday night than anything that looked like a new 2024 Rapids.

for a team that talked about playing in transition, Portland ran over us in transition.  What we claimed we were going to do, they did.  Sure enough we were down 1 in the first 10, 2 in the first 15, and 3 in the first 30.  Much like our worst games last year.  The Sam Vines own goal just before half was icing on the cake.

The Rapids did get one back in the second half, even though it took VAR to confirm it crossed the line.  Nice start for Harris who got the start as expected, but it was far too little too late.  A number of fans are pointing to the second half as evidence that things got better and we've improved from last year, but its very easy to look good against a team that's taken its foot all the way off the gas knowing they've got the game wrapped up after a half where they completely dominated and leads by four goals.

Other random thoughts:

• Marko Ilic didn't even make the bench for this one, Adam Beaudry was Steffen's backup.  Maybe they were rewarding Beaudry for his preseason work (more on that below) but its not a great look for Ilic to have fallen down to 3rd less than a year after we paid a notable transfer fee for him.
• Oliver Larraz got the start over Diack and Löffelsend and it wasn't good.  After the game Armas said tht he had earned the start with his work in the preseason (likewise Jackson Travis subbing in for Vines) but if Larraz really beat out Löffelsend as the backup d-mid we're in a world of hurt because Larraz did not look ready to play the role.  Portland ran him over.  The 6 role was the key need in the offseason and it doesn't look like we sufficiently filled it after one game.
• Of course the other key role was the number 9 and Navarro looked just as good as last year, which is to say not good at all.
• You hate to say it, but the worst performance of the night went to Rosenberry who got burned on the first two Timbers goals and never recovered.  Last time I saw a captain getting beat that bad a Gorn was on the other side.
• The defensive breakdowns were very similar to 2023, players out of position, lack of communication, and lack of teammates covering.  Disappointing.
• Offense was very similar as well, lots of chance creation, very little accurate shooting.
• The Rapids have now been outscored 11-1 in their last 4 season openers (and the first of those was a 0-0 draw.  Which, yes, means Harris' goal was the first opening day goal since 2020.
• This was an absolute worst possible start for an organization who wants to turn around its image this year.  Any sort of good feelings or honeymoon from what was a good offseason have essentially been dashed,  From the POV of the standings Saturday's home opener against Nashville isn't a must win, but to convince the fanbase that something has actually changed it might be, especially with trips to FSL and Seattle following it.

Man of the Match: Nada.  Not giving this out until something has actually changed from last year.

We Go Again

Ok, time to put 2023 behind us and move into 2024.  New coach, lots of new players, and the return of the Sam Dimes/Goal Bassett combination.  We get this season started in Portland tonight against an equally revamped Timbers squad, also with a new coach (and while Armas was not my top choice, I'd easily choose him over Neville).  Kickoff tonight is at 8:30 as the Apple TV returns with the standard 7:30 local kickoff times.  Unfortunately we have the commentary duo of Rogondino and Pearce and they were...not good last year with comments that made it clear they weren't tracking the team.  We'll see if they improve this year, or if Apple finally gets the road radio call synced up.

Availability Report:

OUT: D Daniel Chacon (ACL tear), KSB (Canada U-20s)

QUESTIONABLE: D Sam Vines (flu)

I won't list Chacon every week until he's close to returning and he's actually still here and not on loan somewhere.  Sam Vines missed the last preseason game in Orlando with the flu but sounded pretty good during his kickoff week PR appearances around town.  Portland has 3 players out and 2 more questionable, including Crepeau who's working on his green card process and may or may not be available tonight.

This is pretty close to our best XI.  Diack just arrived so I think Löffelsend gets the start over him this week, and Fernandez missed a couple of preseason games with a knock so I think Harris will step in for him this game.  Otherwise that is our starting XI this season if everyone is available.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Bassett.  Its really impossible to make any sort of accurate prediction going into the first game of the season where both teams have changed so much.  So this is really a gut feel that a draw seems likely but I don't see it being scoreless.  Lets get Goal Basset on the scoreboard early this season.

Roster Compliance Day Means Saying Goodbye

Today was roster compliance day for the league (other than Miami and FSL, who had to be compliant before their game Wednesday night) which means a number of trades and cuts, and the Rapids did both today.  First of all we say goodbye to Alex Gersbach, who was bought out, and Sidnei Tavares, who was waived and will return from his loan.

Gersbach was bought from Ligue 2 side Gernoble for a reported $325K last offseason and never showed he was a MLS-caliber player, getting ripped to shreds in the 4-0 loss in Seattle to start the season.  After tha he only had two more appearances, starting against SJ 2 weeks later (a 1-0 loss), and against Atlanta in May (a 4-0 loss).  3 starts, a total of 9-0 scorelines against us.  He had surgery for a cronic injury in July and never suited up again.  Unless that injury occurred in preseason (it was after he arrived at some point) its hard to imagine what he could have showed in France that made Smith believe he was a MLS-level starter as he never appeared anywhere close to it.

Tavares was brought in during the summer window on loan.  By the time his paperwork was complete the season was for all intents and purposes over, but despite that he only made 5 appearances.  Most of his time here last season was spent on the injury report with an undisclosed illness.  Per Matt Pollard ad Burgundy Wave it couldn't have been COVID as that would have been reported differently, his best guess is that he struggled with altitude sickness.  Regardless he didn't show much in his 5 appearances and with the addition of Diack, Mihailovic, Löffelsend, and Fernandez he was going to be low in the pecking order this year.

Looking back at 2023 the club added Ronan, Maxso, Ilic, Cabral, Gersbach, Tavares, and Navarro.  Ronan looks like a good signing and I have hoped for Maxso.  The rest over are somewhere between a question mark (Navarro) and a diaster (Gersbach).  I can almost forgive Navarro and Tavares.  Those were moves made after losing Price and Max for the year and Rubio for big chunks of the season so you need to make quick additions and bringing them in on loan to see if they help gives you an out.  Ilic, Cabral, and Gersbach are unforgiveable though, I really don't know what our scouts saw in them.

After making those two moves the Rapids traded a now open international spot to the Red Bulls for $175K in GAM.

Full credit to the Rapids for doing something I've been wanting for years.  After making those moves they put out a detailed roster explanation, listing every player and every category they fill.  This is extremely helpful for looking at where we can make some moves come the end of the window in May or the summer window.  Atlanta set the standard today, putting out not only this info but also detailed contract info with length and option years listed.

We officially have 30 players under contract right now, with 6 internationals (Cabral, Diack, Ilić, Maxsø, Navarro, and Ronan).  Our 3 DP slots are filled by Cabral, Mihailovic, and Navarro.  Diack, Maxsø, Steffen and Vines are on TAM deals while Bassett is ouir only current U22 player.  Chacón is on the injury list which means he doesn't currently take up a roster/international spot as he rehabs from his ACL tear in October.

There will be a preview of the Portland game either later tonight or first thing in the morning.