A Tradition Unlike Any Other

The now annual late spring/early summer Rapids tradition of a lightning delay returned on Saturday.  6+ minutes into the game the sky flashed and we all sat and waited for 100 minutes before everyone came out to play the other 83 minutes.  You never know how a team will react to a delay like that, we've seen some Rapids teams come out flat after a long delay.  On Saturday the team seemed unaffected by the long layoff and came out and played their game.

That was helped by a St. Louis team that seemed to be playing for a 0-0 draw or winning with a stolen counter-attack goal from the opening whistle.  They had two tightly spaced lines with a single striker roaming up front and for the most part they seemed happy to let the home side have possession.  That said, the first real big chance came in the 36th minute where a horrible misplay by Murphy left Toikirk off and running with only Hansen to beat.  Hansen, however, was up to the challenge and stoned the At. Louis attacker.  Steffen couldn't have done any better.  The slick field helped prevent an easy rebound goal.

5 minutes later Yapi made the visitors pay for not taking their chance.  A cross in from Ku-DiPietro found the homegrown striker.  After a little bit of pinball Yapi settled the ball, turned, and shot.  It took a deflection and beat Burki for the 1-0 lead.  Yeah it wasn't pretty but its the type of shots we've been missing this season.  Too often we're looking for the extra pass or the perfect shot and sometimes you just need to put the ball on net and see what happens.

In the second half Hansen had to make a big save right after the break to keep the score level.  Other than that St. Louis had one other good look when Maxso had his ankles broken and left a wide open opportunity, but it was put over the bar.  Meanwhile bot Yapi and KDP forced good saves out of Burki.  In the end a 1-0 finish was an accurate representation of the game.

The starting lineup had a couple of new faces.  Sam Bassett subbed in for his missing brother and KDP took Cabral's spot in the XI.  IT worked fairly well.  Clearly Cole is better than Sam but Sam handled himself well and Ted should be a regular starter.  It makes you wonder if Cabral's time as a starter is finally done when a rookie homegrown gets the nod over him.  Mihailovic wasn't his normal self in the game, though he was still great, after the game Armas said that he was battling illness.  There's a suggestion that might be what kept Awaziem out too.

Quick turn around for a trip to Portland on Wednesday, but then due to the Club World Cup playoff between LAFC and Club America we get 10 days off until Austin comes to town.  Both green teams are in the muddled middle of the West with Colorado, so its a good chance to make a move over these two games.

Man of the Match: Darren Yapi.  Not just for the goal but also because he was creating dangerous chances all night.  For the first time it feel like he's settling in as a solid backup/second striker.