View From The Couch

Rumors And Trialists

2012-02-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

Last night the Rapids held a Supporters Forum at Fado's in Lodo. I was unable to attend, but the big news that came out of the forum was that Colorado is pursuing a young #10-style Argentine midfielder. No details have been leaked on his name or his background but there may be a new arrival from South America in Commerce City soon.

One arrival from that area is a new Colombian trialist. Luis Eduardo Zapata is a left back most recently with Wilstermann in Bolivia. He'll travel with the team when they leave for California on Saturday and participate in the game against San Jose and Chivas. The updated camp roster:

underline = unsigned trialist

Goalkeepers:

Steward Ceus

Joel Helmick (draftee)

Ian Joyce

Matt Pickens

Defenders:

Eddie Ababio

Issac Cowles - out injured

Hunter Freeman

Kosuke Kimura

Tyrone Marshall

Drew Moor

Scott Palguta

Anthony Wallace

Draymond Washington
Marvell Wynne
Luis Eduardo Zapata

Midfielders:

Davy Armstrong

Tony Cascio

Jaime Castrillon
Steven Emory

Josh Janniere

Ross LaBauex

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane
Aaron Pitchkolan

Jamie Smith

Wells Thompson

Kohei Yamada

Forwards:

Andre Akpan

Quincy Amarikwa

Sam Archer

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Caleb Folan

Macoumba Kandji

Colorado Makes Coaching Staff Official

2012-01-31T19:16:00.001-07:00

The addition of Wilmer Cabrera as Pareja's right-hand man has been the worst-kept secret in Commerce City for some time. Today the Rapids made it official, along with the rest of the coaching staff (all of which had been leaked prior to today). The new additions:

Wilmer Cabrera - Assistant Coach
Former Men's U-17 coach for the U.S. and former teammate of Oscar Pareja on the Colombian National Team.

Paul Caffrey - Assistant Coach
Cabrera's assistant coach with the U-17 team.

And the returning staff:
David Kramer - Goalkeeper Coach
John Ireland - Fitness Coach
Erik Carlson - Team Administrator
Jaime Rojas - Head Athletic Trainer
Carlos Garcia - Equipment Manager

The Rapids also announced that Paul Bravo has signed a new contract as Technical Director for the next 3 seasons.

Trialist Comings And Goings

2012-01-30T18:03:00.001-07:00

The Rapids have sent out an update on some of the trialists in camp. Sam Archer is still with the team while Issac Cowles was injured during training and he will be sidelined for a couple of weeks. Edrissa Jarra, Daniel Navarro, and Steve Cronin have been cut from camp. Joining the team is defender Draymond Washington, who's played for George Washington University the last 4 years. There's no update on draftee Joel Helmick and trialist Aaron Pitchkolan. The updated camp roster:

underline = unsigned trialist

Goalkeepers:

Steward Ceus

Joel Helmick (draftee)

Ian Joyce

Matt Pickens

Defenders:

Eddie Ababio

Issac Cowles - out injured

Hunter Freeman

Kosuke Kimura

Tyrone Marshall

Drew Moor

Scott Palguta

Anthony Wallace

Draymond Washington
Marvell Wynne

Midfielders:

Davy Armstrong

Tony Cascio

Jaime Castrillon
Steven Emory

Josh Janniere

Ross LaBauex

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane
Aaron Pitchkolan

Jamie Smith

Wells Thompson

Kohei Yamada

Forwards:

Andre Akpan

Quincy Amarikwa

Sam Archer

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Caleb Folan

Macoumba Kandji

Player Status Updates

2012-01-27T17:17:00.001-07:00

The Rapids had an article today about the trialists where they mentioned that Cascio and Yamada were signed to contracts with the league before the draft. Their statuses have been updated in my master list. I've also changed the list so unsigned players are all in one group but I've added a note next to Helmick to note that he was drafted (as our only unsigned drafted player).

underline = unsigned trialist

Goalkeepers:

Steward Ceus

Steve Cronin

Joel Helmick (draftee)

Ian Joyce

Matt Pickens

Defenders:

Eddie Ababio

Issac Cowles

Hunter Freeman

Kosuke Kimura

Tyrone Marshall

Drew Moor
Daniel Navarro

Scott Palguta

Anthony Wallace

Marvell Wynne

Midfielders:

Davy Armstrong

Tony Cascio

Jaime Castrillon
Steven Emory

Josh Janniere

Ross LaBauex

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane
Aaron Pitchkolan

Jamie Smith

Wells Thompson

Kohei Yamada

Forwards:

Andre Akpan

Quincy Amarikwa

Sam Archer

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Caleb Folan

Edrissa Jarra

Macoumba Kandji

Colorado Completes Jaime Castrillon Signing

2012-01-25T19:18:00.004-07:00

The Rapids signed Jaime Castrillon this morning, their first major player move of the offseason. As is typical terms were not released but those will leak out eventually. Castrillon is expected to be an immediate starter in the midfield, and Pareja has talked recently about playing a 4-3-1 or 4-2-1-3. Presumably Larentowicz and Mastroeni would be the other two midfielders while Mullan would push up to one of the 3 forwards.

Some other odds and ends from the first few days of training:

Pareja named Pablo Mastroeni captain again
Colorado is reportedly still pursuing a possible young DP player as a creative #10, with the idea that Castrillon will be more of a box-to-box midfielder
Cabrera is expected to be named Pareja's deputy and Paul Caffery, Carbera's assistant coach with the U-17s, will be added as an assistant coach
There are 4 other trialists in camp. Former Dallas defender/midfielder Aaron Pitchkolan, former LA keeper Steve Cronin, defender Daniel Navarro, and Gambian trialist Edrissa Jarra.

So here's the updated camp list, as promised:

italics = unsigned draftee, underline = unsigned trialist

Goalkeepers:

Steward Ceus

Steve Cronin

Joel Helmick

Ian Joyce

Matt Pickens

Defenders:

Eddie Ababio

Issac Cowles

Hunter Freeman

Kosuke Kimura

Tyrone Marshall

Drew Moor
Daniel Navarro

Scott Palguta

Anthony Wallace

Marvell Wynne

Midfielders:

Davy Armstrong

Tony Cascio

Jaime Castrillon
Steven Emory

Josh Janniere

Ross LaBauex

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane
Aaron Pitchkolan

Jamie Smith

Wells Thompson

Kohei Yamada

Forwards:

Andre Akpan

Quincy Amarikwa

Sam Archer

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Caleb Folan

Edrissa Jarra

Macoumba Kandji

Trade, Trialists, and Camp Roster

2012-01-20T18:13:00.003-07:00

The Rapids made a trade late today, sending an international roster spot and our 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft to Vancouver for allocation money. I'm guessing the signing of Castrillon is imminent. The Rapids now have 3 open international spots and 3 filled ones.

Colorado also invited two players from their open tryouts earlier this week into training camp with the team. Central defender Issac Cowles played at Faith Christian High here in Denver before playing at North Carolina for 4 years. Forward Sam Archer played with RBNY's U-18 team before going to college at Rutgers.

With those two trialists we have a pretty good idea of who's going to be in camp when it starts on Monday. Here's the list so far, and as I have in past years I'll keep updating it as statuses change. Unless otherwise noted I believe everyone on the list is under contract.

italics = unsigned draftee, underline = unsigned trialist

Goalkeepers:

Steward Ceus

Joel Helmick

Ian Joyce

Matt Pickens

Defenders:

Eddie Ababio

Issac Cowles

Hunter Freeman

Kosuke Kimura

Tyrone Marshall

Drew Moor

Scott Palguta

Anthony Wallace

Marvell Wynne

Midfielders:

Davy Armstrong

Tony Cascio

Steven Emory

Josh Janniere

Ross LaBauex

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane

Jamie Smith

Wells Thompson

Kohei Yamada

Forwards:

Andre Akpan

Quincy Amarikwa

Sam Archer

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Caleb Folan

Macoumba Kandji

Rapids Re-Sign Emory

2012-01-19T19:07:00.004-07:00

Colorado announced that they've re-signed Steven Emory to a new contract today. They also announced that Miguel Comminges, Danny Earls, and Michael Holody will not be returning to the team this season. This gives the Rapids 27 players under contract and the rights to 3 players from the recent drafts.

Stop SOPA And PIPA

2012-01-18T08:11:00.004-07:00

Find out more here.

Colorado Selects Two In Supplemental Draft

2012-01-17T17:53:00.002-07:00

The Rapids had two picks in today's 4 round Supplemental Draft, in the 3rd and 4th rounds. In the 3rd round they picked Kohei Yamada, a Japanese midfielder who was an international invitee to this year's MLS Combine. He was considered one of the standouts of the first combine game but his play faded in the other two games. For the last two years he played with Thespa Kusatsu in the Japanese J-League Division 2 where he made 34 appearances.

On a side note, I find this pick quite a coincidence. MLS's past history of steering some players behind the scenes combined with the fact that a player that stood out at times in the Combine just happened to fall all the way down to the third round of the Supplemental Draft where the team with the only other Japanese player in the league had their first pick since the first round is enough to at least raise my eyebrow. Not that I'm complaining mind you. ;)

With their second pick the Rapids took goalkeeper Joel Helmick out of Longwood University in Virginia. He was a 4-year starter in goal in college and trained with Sporting KC last summer. He'll be battling and/or replacing Ian Joyce for the 3rd goalkeeper spot on the roster.

Colorado also clarified the international statuses of some players. Joseph Nane got his green card in December so he no longer takes an international spot. Earls and Comminges are not expected to be part of the team's preseason plans so their international spots are open. The Rapids start preseason with only 3 spots in use, Folan, Janniere, and Smith. Colorado has a total of 7 spots, having already traded away one of their spots.

Palm Trees And Sand For Rapids Preseason

2012-01-16T17:54:00.003-07:00

The Rapids released their preseason plans today. They'll be making two trips, first to Oxnard and San Luis Obispo in California and second to Hawai'i for the Hawaiian Islands Invitational Tournament. In between the trips they'll be training out at the Dick. The first day of training is a week from today, though players report on Thursday for physicals and fitness assessments.

While in California they'll have matches against Chivas USA and the Earthquakes. In Hawai'i they'll play Yokohama FC of the Japanese J-League Division 2 and the winner of the match between the Melbourne Victory of the Australian A-League and Busan I'Park of the South Korean K-League.

Here's the full schedule for preseason and the match schedule:

Jan.19: Players report, physical examinations
Jan. 20-21: Fitness assessment and testing
Jan. 22: Day off
Jan. 23: First day of training, 10:00 a.m., Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (open to media)
Jan. 24-Feb. 3: Training in Denver
Feb. 4-12: Training in California (Oxnard, San Luis Obispo)
Feb.13-18: Training in Denver
Feb.19-27: Training in Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaiian Islands Invitational)
Feb. 28-March 9: Training in Denver
Sat., March 10: First Kick: Colorado Rapids vs. Columbus Crew, 4:00 p.m. MT, Dick’s Sporting Good’s Park

Matches:

Tue., Feb 7: vs Chivas USA (TBD)
Fri., Feb. 10: vs San Jose Earthquakes (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Thu., Feb. 23: vs Yokohama FC (Honolulu, HI), 8:30 p.m. HST
Sat., Feb. 25: vs Busan I’Park/Melbourne Heart (Honolulu, HI), TBD

Colorado Drafts Tony Cascio

2012-01-12T19:14:00.002-07:00

The Rapids only had one pick in today's two round Superdraft, their first pick at #14 (The second was traded for Quincy Amarikwa). They used it on UConn midfielder/forward Tony Cascio. He's a senior who played for 4 years with those other Huskies (go Washington!) and last year he was a first team All-American and the Big East offensive player of the year. He is was also a 2-time All Big East selection.

Reports are that he can also play defense, but he's a natural winger which is what we need the most. With Jamie Smith out until probably midyear Cascio will have a shot at a starting spot right away.

Tuesday is the 4-round Supplemental Draft but Colorado doesn't pick until the 3rd round. Their 1st and 2nd round picks were traded in the Anthony Wallace and Joseph Nane trades.

Jaime Castrillón Coming To Colorado?

2012-01-09T19:54:00.002-07:00

The Denver Post has confirmed a rumor that came out of Colombia this weekend, Independiente Medellín midfielder Jaime Castrillón is in talks with the Rapids. He was also in talks to join Colombian side Millionaires but has decided to set his eyes on MLS. Some sources are reporting that he's already signed, but the Rapids told the Post that discussions are still on-going.

Castrillón is a 28 year old central midfielder with 5 goals in 31 appearances with Once Caldas in 2010. in 2011 he re-joined Independiente Medellín where most of his career has been spent with 53 goals in 276 appearances. He's also been capped 29 times for the Colombian National Team and was part of their 2007 Copa America squad. He was last capped in 2009.

It looks like the expected Colombian migration to Denver might be underway already!

Colorado Signs Hunter Freeman

2012-01-06T19:37:00.003-07:00

Today the Rapids announced that they had signed Hunter Freeman to a contract. As normal, terms and length were not revealed but I'm sure we'll find that information out down the road. Freeman started his career with the Rapids in 2005 before he was traded to NY before the season. Hunter has some versatility to play in defense or midfield, but he's primarily an outside back. He'll probably compete for the starting spot at left back with Anthony Wallace but he'll get time at right back spelling Koz as well as possibly seeing time at outside wing or center back. Freeman is the first new signing of the off-season but surely not the last.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja

2012-01-05T19:26:00.002-07:00

Today Colorado made it official and hired Oscar Pareja as the team's 7th head coach. The Rapids say 6th but I like to count Roy Wegerle's 1 game as player/manager at the end of the 1996 season. ;) There's been no details as to the amount or length of his contract other than "long" according to Tim Hinchey at the press conference. I'm sure those details will leak in the future.

Pareja is Colombian and started his career there, playing for two of the better known clubs in Independiente Medellín and Deportivo Cali (Carlos Valderrama also played for both clubs). In 1998 he moved to the New England Revolution but was quickly traded to the Dallas Burn, where he's been ever since. After retiring from playing in 2005, his last game being Dallas' PK playoff loss to the Rapids, he took a position as an assistant coach and was eventually put in charge of Dallas' youth academy. Dallas has the most successful youth academy in the league so far and everyone seems to point to Pareja as the reason. He also spent some time as an assistant coach to the U.S. U-17 team.

I like this move. Its grown on me during this week as more information has come out and the Dallas fans have been falling over themselves to say good things about Papi (As Pareja is known). I'm glad we didn't go with a re-tread like Soehn or Osario. I think Williams still would have been my first choice but I'm cautiously optimistic about Pareja. Certainly his experience with the youth squad in Dallas and the U-17 team should make him more willing than Smith to play our younger players, which has been lacking. Bravo is still going to be in charge of Colorado's youth program, as the head coach doesn't have time for that responsibility, but hopefully Pareja will be able to give some recommendations and help the progress of the Academy.

There's also been a rumor over the last couple of days that Pareja's friend and countryman, Wilmer Cabrera, will be joining him in Colorado. A couple of sources have confirmed this, but I haven't seen any word from normally reliable sources. For the last 4 years Cabrera has been the coach of the U.S. U-17 National Team, so it would be a big get for the Rapids if they've hired him.

Between Pareja and possibly Cabrera Colorado should have a good pipeline to young players in Colombia and the rest of South America. This has been somewhere Paul Bravo has said he wants to be looking for players so it would seem that everyone is on the same page now. Before that though, bravo and Pareja are heading to Ft. Lauderdale tonight for the MLS Combine this weekend and next week's SuperDraft.

20120 Schedule Notes

2012-01-05T19:21:00.002-07:00

The big story of the day is of course our new coach, but I wanted to throw some notes about the schedule out first.

Teams we play at home only:
Columbus (season opener)
Chicago
KC
Montreal
Houston (season finale)

Teams we play on the road only:
Toronto
Philly
DC
NY
New England (no Jameson's night this year)

Teams we play at home twice and on the road once:
Portland
LA
Chivas
San Jose

Teams we play on the road twice and once at home:
Vancouver
Seattle
FSL
Dallas

So FSL has the edge in this year's Rocky Mountain Cup, which will be decided by August, the earliest ever. All 4 Eastern trips involve going all the way to the East Coast (or almost there in Toronto's case) while our closer neighbors (Chicago, KC, Houston) come here.

We deal with some fixture congestion, here are the times we play more than one game a week:

April 28th - May 6th: Chivas, @NE, @Dallas
then we get a rest until we play @DC and KC on May 16th and 19th

June 16th-20th: @Vancouver, SJ
then we get a rest until we play the Cascadia 3 between June 30th and July 7th: Portland, Vancouver (4th game), @Seattle
then a week later, between the 14th and 21st we play: Dallas, @Toronto, @FSL

We get almost a week between Aug 25th and 31st where we play @SJ, @Portland, followed by Portland at home on Sept. 5th.

That 8 game stretch between June 16th and July 21st could be brutal, especially since we have to fly to Toronto during it.

Schedule Out, Coach Signed

2012-01-05T13:28:00.003-07:00

More detail tonight, but two quick notes.

The 2012 schedule was released, see it here.

President Tim Hinchey tweeted that there's a 3pm press conference to unveil Pareja as our coach and he tweeted a picture of Pareja signing his contract.

Oscar Pareja To Be Named Coach Tomorrow?

2012-01-03T17:40:00.003-07:00

Multiple sources are reporting that the Rapids have decided on Oscar Pareja as their new head coach. Some are saying the announcement could come as early as tomorrow. As mentioned yesterday Pareja had a long career at FC Dallas and then moved into the coaching ranks there, eventually being put in charge of Dallas' youth program, considered to be the most successful thus far in MLS (in admittedly a short 5 years since the youth initiative was announced). As this is just a rumor I won't go into too much detail now, I'll wait for the official announcement, but I'm cautiously optimistic about this choice.

Coaching Search - AKA The 2011/12 KSE Debacle

2012-01-02T14:10:00.003-07:00

Now that we're through the holidays its time to get back to business. Hopefully KSE will make a coaching choice this week, as this debacle of an off-season can't go on much longer. More on that in a moment. First, the current rumored list of candidates. The general belief is that the Rapids have pared the list down to 4 names (in order pictured), Denis Hamlett, Oscar Pareja, Tom Soehn, and Richie Williams. A brief bio of each:

Denis Hamlett - Denis was an original Rapid, being taken by Colorado in the 2nd round of the inaugural 1996 draft. He won the BIC Tough Defender of the Year award that year and was expected to be a cornerstone of the Rapids defense. In the off-season though he suffered a stroke from a blood protein deficiency. Hamlett then went into coaching as an assistant to Bob Bradley in Chicago, where he also served under Dave Sarachan and Juan Carlos Osorio. In 2008 he got the top job and led the Fire to two straight second place finishes in the East and two losses in the Eastern conference Championship. He spent 2011 as an assistant in Vancouver, and was fired after the season.

Oscar Pareja - Oscar had a long MLS career in Dallas after playing a season in NE, making 170 appearances for the Burn/FC Dallas. he was part of the Dallas team that lost their first-round playoff series in PK's to the Rapids in 2005, after which he retired. After retiring form playing he moved into an assistant coach role in Dallas, where he's been ever since. Pareja is the only rumored candidate with no head coaching experience.

Tom Soehn - Tom is another MLS original, playing the first 2.5 years of MLS in Dallas, and the next 2.5 in Chicago before retiring. Prior to MLS he played for the indoor Denver Thunder team and the Colorado Foxes. After retiring from playing he joined Denis Hamlett as an assistant with the Chicago Fire for 3 seasons before moving to DC United as an assistant, eventually taking over the head coaching role in 2007. In his first year as DC head coach he won the Supporters Shield but lost int he first round of the playoffs. The next two years DC finished 10th overall and failed to make the playoffs, but they did get to the USOC final each year, winning one. After stepping down as DC's head coach after the 2009 season he was named the Director of Soccer Operations by the expansion Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver's head coach was fired in May and Soehn took over for the rest of the 2011 season, with Hamlett as his assistant, leading the Whitecaps to the worst record in the league as an expansion team. After the season he stepped down from the head coaching role and returned to his Director of Soccer Operations role.

Richie Williams - Well known to long-time U.S. soccer fans as the Ankle-Biting Munchkin Of Death (ABMOD), Williams has the mot impressive resume as a player of the candidates. Williams was also an original MLS player, part of the dynasty of DC United teams in the 90's. After 5 seasons in DC he bounced back and forth between NY and DC for the next 3 years before finishing his playing career with 2 years in the USL. He also had 20 caps for the U.S. national team. After retirement he was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Virginia, for two years before taking the same role in NY for 5 years. Twice in his time in NY he was named interim head coach, first when Mo Johnston was fired and the second when Juan Carlos Osario resigned. Shortly before the 2011 season Williams was surprisingly fired for unknown reasons. In October he was named the coach of the U.S. U-18 team.

So, that's the run down. If it were up to me I'd probably go with Williams. Everyone that worked with or for him in NY has nothing but good things to say about him and its a bit surprising that he hasn't had a head coaching job yet. Hamlett is the safe pick for the Rapids, and that's where I expect them to go. A former Rapids player and a guy without much of a track record who wants another shot at a head coaching job. The only question mark around him is the rumors of problems between him and some players when he was in charge in Chicago. Pareja is the wild card. He seems to be a hot pick for somebody to give him a chance but I can't see the Rapids going out on that ledge. Though, with a lack of experience, he may be the cheapest option which is always appealing to our front office. The less said about the idea of hiring Soehn the better. In almost 4 years of coaching he's made the playoffs once. That's not an upgrade from what we've had.

*******************

That's what will (hopefully) happen. Now let's talk about what should have happened. I've made it clear that I had no issue with not giving Gary Smith a new contract. I expected the Rapids and KSE to have a better plan to handle the coaching search though. The season starts in less than 10 weeks. The MLS Combine, where college and youth players get scouted for the draft, starts on Friday. The draft is a week from Thursday, 10 days from now. Its kind of important to have a coach for these events! Even if the Rapids name a coach tomorrow that give the coach a day to do the press, a day to get settled at the Dick, and a day to travel to Ft. Lauderdale for the start of the combine. That's not much time to confer with Bravo and Hinchey to figure out what the team needs and what he needs to be looking for.

So far this off-season the Rapids have lost Nyassi in the expansion draft, cut 4 players, re-signed Mullan to a new contract, and claimed the rights to Husidic (who decided to go to Sweden) and Freeman. That's 5 players out and, if Freeman signs, 1 player in. Meanwhile we've seen MLS teams making trades and foreign signings and generally bolstering their roster. Obviously there's always going to be a delay on these type of things when you change coaches, but we've burned almost a third of the off-season trying to find a coach. Unacceptable.

KSE clearly had no plan for this off-season. They were either unaware or unconcerned that Plush was not going to re-sign Smith. That's fine, except as Plush was interviewing candidates and getting rid to make a decision, then KSE decided to get interested and Plush left. Its still unclear as to if Plush was fired, chose to resign, or it was a mutual decision but signs are pointing to it being a firing. If KSE wanted Plush gone they needed to make that decision before Plush made his decision on Smith. Its stupid to let Plush make that decision, interview replacements, and reportedly be close to making a replacement decision before KSE made their move. By doing that KSE set the coaching search back weeks, putting us in the position of , if we're lucky, barely getting a coach hired before the combine.

This whole off-season is in disarray now because of the lack of leadership from KSE. Since we've gotten 10 of our 11 starters under contract hopefully it won't affect the play in 2012 too much but I have my doubts. KSE needs to hire a coach now and give him extra resources to make up for KSe putting him behind the 8-ball. Of course, this being KSE, I don't expect that to happen.

Husidic Goes To Sweden

2011-12-28T20:12:00.002-07:00

This actually happened before Christmas but I haven't gotten a chance to mention it. Baggio Husidic, who's rights the Rapids acquired in the Re-Entry Draft, has decided to decline Colorado's contract offer and instead sign with Hammarby IF in Sweden. Former U.S. Nats player Gregg Berhalter was recently named manager of the AEG-owned club and this will probably be the first of multiple signings from MLS for the team. Assuming the Rapids extended a bona fide offer to Husidic they will retain his rights should he return to MLS.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T15:11:00.003-07:00

I hope all my readers have a Happy Holidays. Here's to a great 2012!

Colorado Gets New Players And New President

2011-12-12T18:00:00.003-07:00

Busy day in Commerce City as the organization has a new face, a returning face, and a promoted face.

Let's start with the roster moves. In today's re-entry draft the Rapids selected Chicago midfielder Baggio Husidic and Houston defender Hunter Freeman. Husidic is a 24 year old former Generation Adidas player who's been with Chicago since leaving college 3 years ago. He's made 50 appearances with the Fire, scoring 5 goals.

Long-time Rapids fans will remember Hunter Freeman. He was drafted by Colorado as a Generation Adidas player in 2005 and made 47 appearances with the team. In early 2007 he was traded to NY for draft picks, then went to Toronto and IK Start in Norway before ending up with Houston last year. Colorado has 7 days to reach a contract agreement with the players.

This afternoon the Rapids announced that Chief Marketing Officer Tim Hinchey has been promoted to Team President, filling the role left by Jeff Plush last week. Hinchey has been Rapids CMO for the last year and before that he spent 3 years as Vice President of Commercial Operations for Derby County in England. He's also worked for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets.

I'm of mixed feeling about this move. His history shows him to be much more of a sports guy than Jeff Plush was before he took the job, something I would hope to be a positive. At the same time this is the guy who Gary Smith butted heads with over player moves, an odd position for a CMO to be in. He's also the same person that said, at two different times this season, we would have a jersey sponsor very shortly and yet the Rapids still don't have one. Not what you want to see from your CMO. I think the only move is to take a wait and see position on this one. He's got a big decision to start off on in picking a head coach. How he handles the relationships that Jeff Plush made with the Supporters Groups will also be something to watch.

I've got holiday family obligations starting later this week, so I may be slow to react to any news that comes out. I'll try to keep everyone updated as much as possible though.

Rapids And Jeff Plush Part Ways

2011-12-06T18:14:00.002-07:00

Colorado announced this afternoon that Managing Director Jeff Plush is leaving the club. Depending on which report or rumor you believe Plush either resigned (ESPN), amicably split (press release), or was fired (poster's inside sources). Regardless the Rapids will now need to find a new Managing Director and a new Head Coach.

The timing of this move is odd at best. If KSE made the decision, why would you remove somebody that you've had interviewing new head coaches as recently as last week? You were hoping to get a new coach in place in the next two weeks, but what are the odds of hiring a coach before you hire a Managing Director? The offseason now turns into chaos as the Rapids need to find a Managing Director, and then the new Director will have to find a coach. And the Superdraft is just 37 days away, with Christmas and New Year's between here and there. I hope this wasn't a sudden decision due to something happening in Jeff's personal life. Regardless of your opinion of his work nobody should have to deal with something like that.

Making this move is a good one for the Rapids. I thought Plush would be out after last year, until we made our MLS Cup run. With the exception of the new stadium bounce in 2007, attendance dropped every year under Plush between 2006 and 2009, then barely stabilized in 2010. We never found a jersey sponsor, even when adding the opportunity to be seen in CCL, despite repeated promises. Outside of the playoff run to MLS Cup last year the team was average every year Plush was in charge, only making the playoffs half the time. Generally this is not the image of a team moving forward, more just standing still. That's not what you want to see in a sports organization.

On a personal note I'm going to miss Jeff. As you can see I was not impressed by the results of his leadership but he was always willing to take the time to talk to me or answer my emails. I remember ripping into the organization in an email to him when once again we lost a "coin flip" to host a U.S. Open Cup qualifier, only to find out 30 minutes later that this is the one time the coin flip was recorded. I emailed him again with egg on my face but he just let it go and never brought it up again. Jeff seemed like a person who was really trying to do the right thing, but never had the resources to figure out and do it.

In the end though, the new Managing Director will have the same issues Plush had, mainly a parent organization that doesn't care about the team. KSE isn't going to change the budget or suddenly make the Rapids the jewel in the crown of their sports holdings. Some new blood with new ideas should be good but in the long run the Rapids are still working under the same constraints as always.

Colorado re-signs Mullan

2011-12-04T19:17:00.004-07:00

The Denver Post is reporting that the Rapids have re-signed Brian Mullan to a multi-year deal. No details on amount or length, but I'm sure those will leak in the coming days. The article also mentions that they're working on a new contract for Steven Emory, and that they would like to re-sign Danny Earls and Miguel Comminges, but they're waiting on a new coach before making the final decision on those two.

I'm sure the news of a new contract for Mullan makes the rest of the league very happy, particularly in Seattle. ;)

Rapids News and Notes - December 3rd 2011

2011-12-03T20:17:00.002-07:00

Sorry I went AWOL on everyone (which I'm guessing is about 5 readers at this point in the offseason ;)) for a few days, stomach flu sucks. A couple of interesting news items came out this week.

Colorado declined the options on Miguel Comminges, Danny Earls, Steven Emory, and Michael Holody.

Holody's 3 years of service means he's eligible to be selected by other MLS teams in next week's re-entry drafts. The other 3 are either have to work out new deals with the Rapids or hope they can get a team to trade for their rights. The only real surprise here is Comminges. I thought he played fairly well in his time here, but Colorado doesn't seem interested in keeping him. My only guess is that he had a significant salary escalation clause if his option was picked up and the Rapids want him, but not at the higher price. Declining the option gives Colorado the chance of renegotiating now.

The other oddity was protecting Danny Earls in the expansion draft but then not picking up his option. Maybe the Rapids were really hoping that Montreal would take Folan or Comminges with their current contracts and wanted to leave them exposed, which would have required them to protect Earls as one of the only three remaining internationals.

The Denver Post reported that Colorado had a 4th coaching candidate in Commerce City for face-to-face interviews on Wednesday.

I'm glad to see things are moving quickly out at the Dick. It sounds like the team is hoping to have somebody in place before things start shutting down for the holidays. According to the Rapids the one thing all 4 candidates so far have in common is that they all have head or assistant coaching experience in MLS. Everyone seems pretty sure that 3 of the candidates are Curt Onalfo, Denis Hamlett, and Steve Ralston. My choice out of those 3 would probably be Hamlett, and I would hate to see Onalfo become the guy. I'm hoping the 4th one is a bit of a wild card like Steve Morrow or Cobi Jones but the heavy favorite seems to be Richie Williams.

Player Of The Year: Marvell Wynne

2011-11-29T19:04:00.003-07:00

Two small pieces of news before we get on with the Player Of The Year discussion:

*Steve Nicol turned down the Rapids interview request. There was some talk about him being uncomfortable with the environment here, but all along I thought getting Nicol out of Boston, where he's been for 13 years, would be a long shot. The concerns about the FO environment are a convenient excuse, but if he was really interested in the job otherwise he would have at least interviewed with Plush and Bravo to find out how many of the rumors had a basis in fact.

*MLS announced he season will start on March 10th and the Rapids will open at home that day. The opponent is still to be announced but given the other teams having their home opener that week we know that it will be FSL or an Eastern Conference team other than DC.

****************

The Rapids player of the year is Marvell Wynne. No offense to my Class VI and Pid Army brethren who picked Moor as Player of the Year and Kimura as Defender of the Year, but Wynne was better than both of them. His speed allowed him to team up with either Moor or the slower Marshall at center back which allowed him to push forward in the attack while his partner covered behind him. When needed he was also able to move back to his "natural" position on the right to cover when Koz was injured or pushed forward to midfield.

While playing Wynne made numerous plays that made me sure that he has committed a penalty, only to see on replay that he had made a perfect tackle or interception of the ball to deny a scoring opportunity. Wynne regularly made opposing strikers look stupid as they thought they had a clear run at goal only for Marvell to come flying by them and take the ball off of their foot. His speed in the attack didn't get him credited on many goals (2 assists total) but he regularly pulled defenders out of position and chased down loose balls that allowed Colorado's attack to succeed.

Reviewing my game recaps there were other strong candidates, Drew Moor, Jeff Larentowicz, and surprisingly Matt Pickens. Moor gets points for playing out of position most of the season, but loses those points since he wasn't as good in his new position at left back. Pickens started out the season on fire, but his late season gaffes (highlighted by the goal in Vancouver) really prevented him from getting the award. Ginger Ninja had a solid season but when push came to shove the fact that I think Wynne would start for almost every MLS team based on his play this year was enough to give him the edge.

Rapids Lose Nyassi To Montreal

2011-11-23T20:53:00.002-07:00

In today's expansion draft the Montreal Impact picked Sanna Nyassi from the Rapids. No team could lose more than one player, so after that selection the rest of the exposed players were safe.

Losing a player is never ideal, but given the possible outcomes this was probably the best result we could have hoped for. Due to the fact that the Rapids were handcuffed by the requirement to protect 3 of their internationals they were always going to have a player that was appealing to Montreal available. Some of the names of players who should have been exposed thrown around in Nyassi's place in the last 48 hours (Mullan, Pickens, Mastroeni, etc.) would have easily been taken by Montreal, or if they weren't somebody like Kimura would have been taken.

The difference between Nyassi and those other names is that if everyone is healthy those other players are all likely starters. Nyassi is a likely reserve/late-game sub if everyone is healthy. If you have to lose somebody, its better to lose a depth player than a starter.

Rapids Reveal Protected List

2011-11-21T17:32:00.003-07:00

Colorado just unveiled their protected list for the expansion draft:

Conor Casey

Omar Cummings

Danny Earls - International

Jeff Larentowicz

Pablo Mastroeni

Drew Moor

Brian Mullan

Joseph Nane - International

Matt Pickens

Jamie Smith - International

Marvell Wynne

You can see that the pictured Kosuke Kimura is not on the protected list. He's the big surprise. There's also a few raised eyebrows at Danny Earls being protected as one of the internationals instead of Miguel Comminges.

Personally I think protecting Mullan and especially Pickens over Kimura is a huge mistake. Koz is the most underrated defender in the league. I don't see how Montreal doesn't snap him up. My only hope is that there's some deal already worked out where Montreal takes him and trades him back for allocation money, similar to the pre-draft deal the Rapids worked out with Portland last year and Anthony Wallace.

Coaching Search, Week 2

2011-11-18T18:14:00.002-07:00

First of all, Colin Clarke's name has been floated in some circles as a possible candidate, but he just accepted the Carolina Railhawks job, so we can rule him out.

Today Jeff Plush did an interview with ColoradoRapids.com that lays out what they're looking for in a coaching search, and a bit about what happened with Gary Smith. Goal.com also got an interview with him that has a few more details.

Plush stated that they're looking for somebody with experience working in the U.S. system. That will rule out any surprise international signings. They also want somebody who will play a more attacking style, possibly with a Latin influence. Its not hard to read between the lines and see that Plush was disappointed with the focus on European players over Latin players under Gary Smith.

Everything that Plush says sounds good, but talk is cheap. Let's see what happens when the new coach starts making moves.

Right now if I had to put money on somebody it would be Denis Hamlett. I wouldn't rule out John Murphy, Steve Nicol, or a current assistant coach like Steve Ralston though.

Expansion Draft Looms Ahead!

2011-11-14T18:15:00.002-07:00

Today the Rapids released information about the expansion draft, namely which players qualify as internationals. That means its time for my take on who to protect.

Automatically protected under homegrown player rule:

Davy Armstrong

Josh Janniere - I'm not sure how he qualifies as homegrown for the Rapids, but maybe the status transfers with the player.

Internationals (Must protect 3):

Miguel Comminges - He seemed to lock down the left back spot once he showed up.

Danny Earls - He's the last man standing. Folan should not be protected and nobody is likely to take Smith given his ACL injury

Joseph Nane - As a Canadian he'd be an attractive target for Montreal

Remaining 8:

Conor Casey - Duh

Omar Cummings - See Casey

Kosuke Kimura - Possibly the most underrated defender in the league, and the heart and soul of the team.

Jeff Larentowicz - See Cummings

Pablo Mastroeni - I see this as a duh but many don't. I also believe, based on gut feel, he has a no-trade clause and must be protected anyway

Drew Moor - See Larentowicz

Sanna Nyassi - Toughest choice to make as there are 3-4 players (Mullan, Pickens, Wallace, etc.) that could be protected here. I think Nyassi is the best combination of likely to be taken and most damaging to lose

Marvell Wynne - See Moor

So that's the 11. Some tough decisions due to having to protect a couple of internationals we don't really care about. Maybe the Rapids can pull off another lat minute trade like they did last year and move some internationals off the roster.

Life After Smith, Day One

2011-11-08T19:02:00.002-07:00

Well the first 24 hours after the Smith announcement has brought some interesting fall out.

Nick Thomas tweeted that Paul Bravo is not a candidate for the job.
The Rapids asked for, and were denied, permission from the Portland Timbers to speak to John Spencer about the job.
ESPN's Jeff Carlisle dug into the story a bit to find out what the real issues were.

I never thought Bravo was going to be a candidate, and I knew the Timbers wouldn't allow the Rapids to take a run at Spencer.

The most interesting story was the ESPN article. Some good information in there. The part about the CMO being involved in roster decisions is odd. I can understand that if they were discussing the potential return of signing a big-name DP player, because you want to consider extra ticket sales, sponsorships, jersey sales, etc. when you sign a player like that. I don't know why a CMO would be involved in deciding to sign Ababio or Comminges though.

One quote from Smith that I want to highlight:

Not once did I ever come into conflict about wanting a designated player or needing more money, either personally or in terms of support

Given this can we put the whole "KSE didn't give Smith the money he needed for players" meme behind us? Apparently Smith doesn't think money was an issue.

In the long run it appears Smith wanted final say on roster decisions, and Plush (and/or Bravo) wanted it to be more of a collaborative effort. In the end that's a hard gap to bridge and I'm not surprised that the parties went their separate ways.

Smith Out As Head Coach

2011-11-07T17:25:00.003-07:00

Well, that time off was a grand total of 3 days. Within the last hour the Rapids have announced that Gary Smith will not be returning as head coach in 2011.

Smith was out of contract and it had been reported a month or so ago that Colorado and Gary had agreed on financial terms for a new contract. However Smith was reportedly unhappy working with Technical Director Paul Bravo and stated that he wasn't willing to sign the new contract until that issue had been dealt with. Apparently the Rapids weren't willing to do enough to suit Smith and both sides decided to go their separate ways today.

It won 't surprise regular readers to learn, unlike a large portion of the Rapids fanbase, that I'm OK with this move. Smith has been the best coach in Rapids history, but that's not a high bar to cross. Clearly he was more successful than any coach in Colorado history, bringing the Rapids their only significant trophy in last year's MLS Cup. Outside of that great playoff run though, Colorado has continued to do just enough in regular season play to stay in the playoff hunt but not really dominate at any point. His roster handling during the CCL was poor and his decision to not even travel to Metapan for the away game was a bad decision. Combined with the "either Bravo goes or I go" stance he seemed to take in his public comments recently it was enough for me to be OK with him going.

Now the question is where the Rapids go from here. Steve Guppy is the first name that pops to mind, following the same path from assistant to head coach as Gary Smith took. He was brought in by Smith though and may leave with him. Some other names that have been floated have been former NE coach Steve Nicol, former Rapids player and Fire coach Denis Hamlett, and former Rapids assistant coach John Murphy. I'm sure we'll see more names surface in the coming days.

Fin.

2011-11-03T19:06:00.002-06:00

As expected, the Rapids season ended last night. It was always going to be an uphill battle and the mountain just got too steep.

Colorado started 6 regulars, 2 backups, and 3 reserves and Kansas City took full advantage. On a free kick in the first half they found the open area that Drew Moor normally fills, and Palguta failed to fill last night. The strong wind caused the ball to die a few feet short of where Pickens expected it and it was headed home to give KC a 1-0 lead int he game and a 3-0 lead in the series. At that point it was a done deal. There was no way the Rapids team on the field was going to score 3 goals to tie the series.

Honestly at that point I hit the fast-forward. Due to work commitments I didn't even get to start watching the game until 9pm and I didn't need to be up until 11 to watch the end of the season. I didn't miss much though as the Rapids still had no attack. In the second half the SporKC's put a final nail in Colorado's coffin. Once again on a set piece they found the weak spot in the Rapids defense where Drew Moor would normally be and headed the ball home for a second goal and a four goal lead in the series.

Unfortunately a couple of Rapids players decided that if they couldn't win they were going to get their shots in. Both Thompson and Nyassi took cheap shots at the KC players in payback for what had been a physical, but not dirty, series from KC. Very disappointing.

In the end what killed us was our lack of offense. In this game, where the Rapids had to win by 2 and needed to score 4 by the end of the game, they only got 4 shots on goal total. We got a combined 5 shots on goal in the two games, 1 more than the total goals KC scored. With no offense there's no way we were going to continue the season.

In the end though, we played with the scudetto on our chests, the silver ball at our feet, and the championship banner on the wall. That makes this season unforgettable regardless of the results.

I'm going to take a break for a few days, but I'll be back next week with a season recap, my choice for Player of the Year, and where I think we should go from here.

Season On the Line Tomorrow

2011-11-01T19:25:00.002-06:00

That's Jamie Smith dressed up as the Mad Hatter for Halloween yesterday.

Another quick turnaround as the Rapids face the end of their season tomorrow in Kansas City. Down 2 goals Colorado mus win by 2 to force overtime and PKs or 3 to win and move on. On top of the other problems a storm is rolling into KC tomorrow night (probably the front edge of what's rolling into Denver tonight) which could make the game sloppy. Game time tomorrow is 6pm and the game is on FOX Soccer Channel. The viewing party for Class VI and Pid Army is at the Streets of London pub.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); FW Caleb Folan (L ankle/L knee sprain); DF Kosuke Kimura (L foot fracture); DF Drew Moor (R shoulder AC joint sprain); MF Jamie Smith (R knee ACL tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: Pablo Mastroeni (concussion)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: Tyrone Marshall

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: Sanna Nyassi

Ugh, just a disaster. Pablo has already been ruled out, so that's 5 starters and 3 of their backups out. Meanwhile KC just has the same 4 players out that were out for Sunday's game. On the bright side, this might be the first time all season Pickens isn't on the injury report! At this point we're almost at the "pick names out of a hat" level of roster construction, but here's my best guess:

Pickens

Comminges - Wynne - Palguta- Earls

Mullan - Thompson - Larentowicz - Nyassi

Cummings - Kandji

IThat's really a pure guess though. Pickens, Wynne, Cummings, Nyassi, Comminges, and Mullan will be starting their 4th game in 12 days so they may be reaching the end of their fitness. We could see Ababio, Nane, Akpan, or even Holody depending on who feels like they can go.

Key To Look For: We must score early to open the game up. The longer the game goes without the Rapids scoring the more KC will 'park the bus' and we've seen our inability to break that sort of defense down over the second half of the season. If Colorado can score early it will force KC to play and attack rather than sit on a one goal lead for over a half, which will continue to give us opportunities to get the second goal.

Prediction: 0-0 draw. I'm just not seeing a Rapids offense that has been shut out in 2 of the last 4 games (3 of 5 if you include the Santos game) breaking down a KC defense that is just trying to protect their existing 2-0 lead. KC doesn't need to score and won't really be pushing the game, and the longer it goes scoreless the better for them. Colorado will have chances, but not good ones and they won't convert them, leading to the end of our season.

Rapids Fall And Can't Get Up

2011-10-31T20:49:00.002-06:00

Last night the soccer gods turned away from the Rapids. I'd say they were too busy with golden boy Tebow, but he might have had a worse day than the Rapids. As a Seahawks fan I feel no sympathy. :D A combination of a lack of offense and bad luck really destroyed Colorado's hopes of repeating.

The home side controlled play for most of the first half, but as we've seen in recent games, they could not convert that into goals. Meanwhile they picked up 3 significant injuries in the first half. The combination of those two things killed them. In the first 15 minutes of the second half KC took advantage of the weakened lineup for two goals and a red card and the game was over.

I'm going to dispense with my normal game review, because there's really only a couple of points to make. This loss is directly attributable to the injuries suffered. Folan left after 23 minutes due to landing badly and tweaking his knee. He's now out 2 weeks. Kimura left after 36 minutes due to breaking his left foot, he's out 4-8 weeks. Moor left after 60 minutes due to spraining his shoulder, he's out 2-4 weeks. We used all 3 subs in the first 60 minutes for players who were injured and will miss the return leg in KC. To their credit, all 3 players tried to play through their injuries before finally having to be subbed out.

Kimura's injury was the killer, and Moor's didn't help. Because of Koz having to leave Marshall was brought in to play center back and Wynne was pushed into Kimura's right back role. Marshall let Bunbury get behind him and couldn't quite catch up, allowing Teal to beat Pickens for the first goal. It was close enough that I have no doubt Wynne could have caught him if he was still playing center back. 10 minutes later Marshall again allowed Bunbury to slip behind him in the box and when closing him down tapped him and gave him the opportunity to go to ground, drawing a PK and a red card for Marshall. Marshall was also trying to cover for the injured Moor, who came out of the game at that point. Down 2 goals, a man, and out of subs the Rapids were done.

That leads me to the second point. Toledo had a bad night in the center, but it wasn't the travesty of justice a number of Rapids fans are making it out to be. The big misses by Toledo was the lack of a foul and yellow card on the collision that injured Kimura and the lack of any cards on the scuffle in the box between Kamara, Pickens, and Comminges. Other than that he really didn't miss that much. Unless Kamara's swipe rose tot he level of a red card (I haven't seen a replay, but it doesn't seem like it) at best a couple of KC players have additional yellow cards. What killed us were the injuries that resulted from the physical, but not dirty, play by KC and our continued lack of creativity on offense. Toldeo didn't cost us this game.

Player of the Game: Miguel Comminges. After a couple of game to settle in Comminges is looking like a solid pick-up. Last night he controlled the left side of defense and even made a couple of good attacking passes. In a game that went sideways due to injuries it was hard for anyone to stand out but I thought he had a good game.

Battle Of I-70 Starts Tomorrow

2011-10-29T17:10:00.002-06:00

A quick turnaround for the Rapids as they are back in action tomorrow. The first leg of the conference semi-finals sees the SporKC's coming back to town. It will be the final home game of the season, no matter what happens, so let's go out with a bang. The tailgate starts at 2:30 with kickoff at 5:30. For those of you who can't make it you can see the game on FOX Soccer Channel.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); MF Jamie Smith (R knee ACL tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: Pablo Mastroeni (concussion)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain);

KC has 4 players out, so both teams are at the same numeric strength (Since Pablo is not expected to play. Colorado is missing 3 of its 4 best players in Casey, Smith, and Pablo though (Wynne being the 4th, who will play) and that's going to be a challenge to overcome. Here's my guess at the starting XI, but its really a guess:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Comminges

Mullan - Thompson - Larentowicz - Nyassi

Cummings - Folan

I'd really prefer to see Nyassi up top and Nane in midfield (and Folan in a suite somewhere) but Gary Smith seems to still like the Irishman. LaBauex, Akpan, or ven Earls could get a start though, so its a real toss-up.

Key To Look For: Our midfield. No Pablo and no Smith means that its a patchwork group in the middle of the field. That could put a real strain on an offense that's had a hard time generating chances in the best of times lately.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Larentowicz. Between the injuries and short rest before this game I don't see the Rapids getting a win. There's just too much stacked against them. Ginger Ninja will score off a free kick, but the defense won't be able to keep KC off the board.

One Game Down, Three To Go

2011-10-28T19:38:00.002-06:00

A cold night in Commerce City worked to the Rapids advantage as they got a first half lead and then suffocated any chances the Crew might have had to get back into the game. Colorado won 1-0 and moved on to the Conference Semi-Final round to face Kansas City.

The Rapids took control early as they had the majority of play in the first half. With the exception of about a 10 minute period in the middle of the half Colorado had the run of play and were the most dangerous team. At halftime they had 62% of the possession. The attacking paid off right before half on a nice bit of passing from the team. Mullan played a ball through the Crew defense that Kimura ran onto. Cummings came in as the trailing player and was left unmarked and Koz played the ball back to him. Omar one-timed it past an airborne Hesmer for a great way to end the half.

The second half the Crew came out a bit more aggressive and the Rapids had to absorb more pressure. Slowly though Colorado retook control and wore the Crew out. With the cold weather and the altitude Columbus will seemed to fade as the half went on. By stoppage time the Rapids actually had the best two chances, but were unable to double their lead. That turned out to be unnecessary though as the team closed out the win and sent Columbus home for the season.

My key to the game was how Ginger and Nane/Thompson controlled the midfield. It turned out Jamie Smith partnered with Ginger and brought a good deal of stability to the center of the park. While things weren't perfect the Rapids dominance in possession was largely due to the midfield paring.

Other Observations:

The goal was a textbook example of moving the ball and finding the open man. It reminded me of how Cummings and Casey have linked up in recent years. Maybe this will give Omar a jump start for the playoffs.
The Rapids played one of the better team games of the season. Players were interchanging well and working together more cohesively than in many games.
That said, Folan was awful. There was no desire in his game and no effort in his play. There's no reason he needs to be on the field in a Rapids jersey again.
The bad news out of this game was the injury to Jamie Smith. Today's MRI revealed that he tore his right ACL and has months of rehab ahead of him.
The Wells Thompson sub was made at the right time, I just would have taken Folan off.
Nyassi and Cummings made some Crew defenders look stupid last night. It was fun to watch.
I was surprised to see Ross LaBauex as the sub for Smith, I was expecting Nane.
The Rapids move on to face KC at the Dick on Sunday. Kickoff is at 5:30.

Player of the Game: Brian Mullan. He drove the offense multiple times and set up a great goal. He was the engine of the team last night.

Defense Of The Cup Begins Tomorrow

2011-10-26T18:51:00.002-06:00

The Rapids start the playoffs tomorrow night at the Dick against the Columbus Crew. 4 games in the next 11 days separate them from another trip to MLS Cup. Tomorrow night its simple, win or go home. There will be 30 minutes and, if necessary, PK's to decide a winner. Of course last year when Colorado started their run to MLS Cup they did it by beating the Crew in the first round. Kickoff tomorrow is at 8pm, so the tailgate starts at 6, regardless of how cold it is. Those of you that can't make it can watch on Altitude in Colorado, or streaming on MLSSoccer.com elsewhere.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: Pablo Mastroeni (concussion)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain / R calf strain)

Columbus has two questionable players and one player suspended, so both teams are pretty close to equal strength. Given that its win or go home, there shouldn't be any reason to hold anyone back who can go. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Comminges

Mullan - Nane - Larentowicz - Smith

Cummings - Nyassi

Recent articles make it sound very unlikely that Pablo will be cleared from his concussion and able to play. That's a big loss for the team that Nane (or possibly Thompson) will have to step up and make up for. Otherwise I expect our normal second-half starting XI to start.

Key To Look For: How do Ginger and Nane/Thompson hold the midfield. If the Rapids can hold the ball in midfield they can make Columbus work at altitude on short rest. If they can't we'll see Colorado revert to long ball again.

Prediction: 1-0 win, goal by Moor. I think the cold weather, short rest, and the natural conservative play of a knockout game will keep this low scoring. Eventually Columbus will wear down with the altitude and additional travel and start giving up free kicks and corner kicks. Moor will convert one of them for the winner.

Colorado Ends Regular Season With A Win

2011-10-24T18:58:00.002-06:00

After a first half completely bereft of ideas by either team (I commented at half that the best hope for either team to score was an own goal) the second half perked up and resulted in the Rapids clinching a home playoff game.

The half started on a bad note though as Vancouver scored 4 minutes in. A free kick from Alain Rochat bounced in front of goal and into the net with Pickens standing their with his arms pulled back like he thought it was going out of play. Just a horrible read by Matt. 10 minutes later Vancouver would repay the favor on the other end. The Rapids got a free kick just outside the box, Nyassi tapped it and Smith stopped it so Ginger Ninja could power it home, and he did, right between former-Rapids keeper Joe Cannon's legs.

The rest of the game was playing out to the point where I thought my prediction of a 1-1 game with Larentowicz scoring was going to be right on, but an unlikely source had other ideas. In the 84th minute after Folan had been dispossessed in the box Kandji (or a Vancouver defender, hard to tell) got to the ball and played it back to an open Wells Thompson. Wells took a couple of touches and launched an arcing shot from 20 yards that beat Cannon and gave Colorado a come-from-behind win and a home playoff game.

My key to the game was what offensive ideas the Rapids had. Despite the win and two goals though, they really didn't have any. One goal from allowing Ginger to slam a free kick at the goal, and a long shot from Wells Thompson aren't exactly things you plan for.

Other Observations:

The Vancouver goal is all on Pickens. The ball was a good 30 yards away from goal and actually hit the ground in front of goal with no Whitecap able to make a play on it. Matt has to stop that.
Other than the goal the Whitecaps only got 1 shot on target, mainly because they had n o real ideas but also because or defense did a good job of shutting things down.
Omar Cummings was non-existent in this game. I just hope that he can find his mojo in the offseason.
Far too many times the Rapids went for the long unsuccessful pass down the field instead of the shorter, more patient, pass. Kimura seemed particularly guilty of this.
Good to see Jamie Smith able to play, we'll need him in the playoffs.
The "thug" Rapids finished with the second lowest foul total in the league.
Playoff soccer starts Thursday night at 8 at the Dick versus the Columbus Crew!

Player of the Game: Jeff Larentowicz. not only for the goal, which was solid, but for being a team leader in Pablo's absence.

Warning! Whitewater Ahead!

2011-10-21T19:43:00.002-06:00

The wettest fixture in the league happens tomorrow as the Whitecaps and Rapids face off in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Its also the final game in what has been a somewhat soggy season for the Rapids. Colorado has clinched a playoff spot though, and with a win they will clinch home field for the wild-card round. Kickoff of the game is at 5pm and will be on Altitude 2, which is channel 105 on Comcast in the Denver area. Class VI and the Pid Army will be watching from the Celtic in LoDo.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: Pablo Mastroeni (concussion); MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain / R calf strain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: Drew Moor

Vancouver has 5 players questionable or worse, and having already been eliminated from playoff contention they're just trying to avoid ending with the worst record in the league. After our game in Mexico on Wednesday and our playoff game next Wednesday its hard to know what our starting XI will be. Here's my best guess though:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Earls

Mullan - Nane - Larentowicz - Smith

Cummings - Nyassi

In this group only Kimura, Wynne, and Larentowicz started in Mexico, and seem to be the ironmen that will hopefully be able to keep playing into the playoffs. Really though this is a crap shoot depending on what Smith wants to focus on.

Playoff Scenarios: The Rapids can clinch home field in the wild-card round a number of ways:

A win on Saturday

a Houston loss on Sunday

a draw and a Columbus loss on Saturday or a Houston draw on Sunday

Key To Look For: Are there any offensive ideas? Lately its been pretty barren beside get close tot eh goal and hope it goes in.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Larentowicz. Vancouver is a bad team, but the Rapids seem bereft of ideas right now and would be lucky to get more than a goal. Given that the team is tired with their second road game in 4 days I don't see more than a draw and hoping for other results happening.

Rapids CCL Run Ends In 2-0 Defeat

2011-10-20T18:42:00.004-06:00

Colorado went to Mexico hoping that they could steal a win. Santos obliged them by starting their reserves. Then we found out the Rapids started half of their reserves and that was the end of that hope.

Colorado controlled play for much of the first half, but every time the ball got to the attackers it died. Kandji and Folan had no real idea what to do with the ball when they got it, and the few times they got a good look they couldn't put the ball on target. At halftime I was optimistic that the Rapids could steal a win, but that ended quickly with a great volley by Santos in the 55th minute to go up 1-0, and then they doubled the lead in the 67th minute with another good volley. After that Colorado was done.

Colorado had one final hope tonight, if Isidro Metapan and Real Espana played to a draw the Rapids would get through. Unfortunately Metapan won 3-2 and claimed second place in the group. The Rapids failed to advance because their reserves only got one point against Real Espana, the weakest team in the group. A win in either game would have been enough to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.

Other Observations:

Why does Gary Smith continue to try to put out the minimum lineup he thinks he can get away with? There was no reason to fly Nyassi and Cummings all the way to Mexico, then bring them off the bench after we're down 1-0.
I appreciate the effort Kimura made at right mid, but he's far too defensive for that role unless your other midfielders are attack minded (and last night they weren't).
Folan, still awful.
Ceus had no chance on either goal and put in a solid night.
In general the defense and midfield got their jobs done, the attack just died whenever it got much past midfield.

Player of the Game: Jeff Larentowicz. Solid night leading the team but he couldn't get it done without attacking help.

Colorado Tries To Qualify for CCL Quarterfinals

2011-10-18T19:00:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow night the Rapids play their final group stage game of the Champions League in Torreon, Mexico against Santos Laguna. With a win Colorado will clinch 2nd place in the group and a spot in the quarterfinals. With an extremely unlikely 4 goal win they will win the group. A draw or loss does not eliminate them, but it leaves their fate in the hands of Real Espana and Isidro Metapan who play on Thursday. A draw between them would allow the Rapids to finish in 2nd regardless of their result against Santos.

Colorado got beat down 4-1 in their home match against Santos with a lineup that was half starters and half reserves. The Rapids have brought most of their starters with them to Mexico. Other than Pablo and Smith, who are recovering from injury, the only other starters that didn't travel were Mullan and Pickens. There are still enough reserves on the trip that none of the starters have to play, but on first appearance it seems like Colorado is going all out for the win.

It won't be easy though. Santos clearly out-played the Rapids in September. Even though Colorado didn't play well the Mexicans would have beaten any MLS team on that night. If that team shows up again the Rapids stand no chance, regardless of who they use. There are two pieces of good news though. First, Santos Laguna has just moved to the top of the table in their domestic competition and has a good chance to extend that lead on the road this weekend. Second, they've already qualified for the quarterfinals of the CCL and they'll win the group as long as they don't lose to the Rapids by 4 or more. Since the Rapids only need a win to qualify they won't risk the result and try to score more if they get a comfortable lead. This may lead the home side to start some reserves and/or not put a high priority on the result.

Because of the huge question marks around both starting lineups I'm not going to try to make a prediction. If Santos rolls out their starters there's little to no chance the Rapids win. If they go with a largely reserve lineup though, there's a opening for Colorado to take advantage of. Their best chance is to score early and shock Santos Laguna. If the Rapids can get an early lead and keep the pressure up Laguna may fold up shop and just do enough not to finish 2nd in the group.

Rapids Do Enough To Clinch Playoff Berth But Not RMC

2011-10-17T18:55:00.002-06:00

Colorado was the better team and controlled play for most of the game, but for the first time in Rocky Mountain Cup history there were no goals to be had in the game and both teams got a point. With it FSL maintains control of the Cup for a 5th straight year.

It was really a tale of two halves. In the first the Rapids had almost complete control of the game. They dominated possession and created multiple chances. Their best chance was within the first 10 minutes as Wells Thompson had an open net but somehow kicked the cross from Cummings behind him. The Rapids also created a great chance for a PK, but Nyassi chose to avoid the contact and take a dive instead of going through Rimando to get the easy call. Rimando was forced to come up big to block another Thompson shot right before half.

The second half was just ugly soccer. Neither team looked good and it was mainly poor midfield possession for 45 minutes. The Rapids did create a couple of good chances. Drew Moor needed his right leg to be about an inch longer as he got on the end of a free kick looking at an open net, but his stretched food could only knock it over the bar. Caleb Folan forced Rimando to tip one over the bar off a header from the top of the box, then minutes later slammed another header off the bottom of the bar only for it to hit the ground on the line and bounce out. FSL never got a shot on goal the whole game, but Colorado couldn't get one into the net.

My key to the game was just win baby. Nope.

Other Observations:

The draw, combined with Kansas City beating New York on Saturday, clinched a playoff spot. The Rapids will be the #2 or #3 wild-card. The #2 team hosts the #3 team in the wild-card round.
Pablo suffered a mild concussion when he was hit by Olave. This was the first time he didn't play the full 90 in an RMC game he appeared in.
Hard to say much about the defense and Pickens as FSL never really threatened. The couple of times they did they were up to the challenge.
Thompson has to finish that early chance. There was no reason for him to botch it that badly.
For the first half Mastroeni and Larentnowicz were able to set up inside the FSL half and it seemed like they were pumping ball after ball back into the attacking third. Nice to see, would have been nicer to see some finishes.
The Rapids had 26 crosses towards a defense that was larger than our attackers. We might want to re-think that strategy after the first 10 or so.
The next FSL fan who wants to talk about the Rapids being "thugs" and stuff it. FSL was fouling at a 2-1 clip and they weren't exactly minor taps.
Along those lines the Rapids are in line to have the second lowest total of fouls committed this year. Some thuggish play huh?

Player of the Game: Caleb Folan. Odd for a sub, and a forward, to get this in a scoreless game but Folan created 2 good chances which is more than anyone else did.

Final Home Game Of The Season Means RMC Time!

2011-10-13T19:16:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow its on. Rapids - FSL with the Rocky Mountain Cup on the line! Need I say more?

OK, I will, but only because the tailgate is almost as impressive as the game. About 5 hours from now the crack Class VI/Pid Army chefs will be arriving at the Dick to start the grill on the biggest tailgate they've ever done, a full pig roast! It will take more than 16 hours for it to be ready for the final blowout of the season (barring a home playoff game). The tailgate starts at 5:30 with kickoff at 8:30. Anyone who's unlucky enough not to make it to the party can watch the game on ESPN2.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: Caleb Folan (L ankle sprain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain / R calf strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: Miguel Comminges

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: FW Caleb Folan; MF Brian Mullan; FW Sanna Nyassi

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Wells Thompson

FSL has 6 players questionable or worse and 2 players suspended, including 6-time Rocky Mountain Cup winner Kyle Beckerman. Obviously that favors the Rapids. Folan's new addition to the injury report shouldn't hurt much. My guess at our starters:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - Smith

Cummings - Nyassi

I think the Mullan - Moor combo is more likely than Moor - Earls to replace the suspended Comminges. Otherwise I don't see any reason that the standard starting lineup won't be in place. There is the Santos game next week, but with this being a Friday night game that gives the starters another day of rest.

Rocky Mountain Cup: The Rapids need to win by 2 to reclaim the Cup. A draw or a loss means FSL wins it, and a 1 goal wins leaves the teams even on points and goals so the Cup is not won, but it stays where it is (in the hands of the FSL fans). Just a reminder:

Key To Look For: There's no "key" to this game. To honor the late Al Davis, "Just win, baby".

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Nyassi and Cummings. I hate to predict this, because it leaves the RMC in the hands of FSL, but I don't think the Rapids have a two goal win in them. They'll take the lead but give one back before getting the winner and clinching a playoff spot.

Turmoil In The Front Office/All-Time Team Recap

2011-10-12T17:58:00.002-06:00

I was just going to do a recap of my All-Time Team tonight but the Denver Post had an interesting article about tension in the Rapids Front Office this afternoon. It seems that Gary Smith is happy to sign a new contract for next year, but not if he has to continue to work with Technical Director Paul Bravo.

Apparently Paul and Gary don't see eye to eye on some of the decisions made this season. There's no details as to which issues have caused the conflict, but given some of the reaction I've heard from various points in the Front Office I'm willing to bet that some of it stems from the choices made for the CONCACAF Champions League. Needless to say this leaves Managing Director Jeff Plush a big problem he'll have to handle quickly to keep it from becoming a distraction.

If it were up to me I would tell Smith that Bravo's the Technical Director next year and he can either accept that and sign the contract offer or he can choose to leave. Its no secret that I have been less than thrilled with Smith's decisions this year and I'm not sure I want the Rapids to bring him back anyway, despite him being the best coach in Colorado history (unfortunately not a tough bar to cross). To add this on top of it means I wouldn't be all that interested in going out of my way to make Smith happy.

**********************

On to better things. Over the course of the season I've been picking my Rapids All-Time Team, which I finished last night. For those who came in late or just to jog your memories, here's the full team:

Cannon

Vermes - Balboa - Kotschau

Limpar - Mastroeni - Paz - Henderson

Cummings - Casey - Spencer

Head Coach: Gary Smith

Bench: Hahnemann, Bent, Moor, Karanak, Ben Dayan, Valderrama, Bravo

Assistant Coaches: Glenn 'Mooch' Myernick, John Murphy

What do you think? Who would be on your team? Discuss in the comments or in the BigSoccer thread I created.

Rapids All-Time Team: Bench

2011-10-11T18:33:00.002-06:00

The bench is kind of the "Honorable Mention" category of the All-Time team. Players (and coaches) that were in the running but didn't quite make the cut.

Marcus Hahnemann - GK (1997-1999): Hahnemann was the first player that developed at the Rapids and moved on to better pastures. Marcus stepped in after a bad 1996 season and gave the team a rock to build from.

Jason Bent - D (1998-2000): Bent has been the only player to really claim the left back spot for more than a season. While the skill level of the league has passed the level he played at, at his time he was solid player out wide and going forward.

Drew Moor - D (2009-present): Honestly if I had done this list next year Moor probably would have been a starter. He hadn't missed a game as a Rapid until late this season, and his goal-line clearance at the end of MLS Cup preserved our first championship.

Aitor Karanka - D (2006): Karanka had more skill than any defender we've seen on a Rapids uniform. The only 3-time Champions League winner to ever play for the Rapids he brought a wealth of experience, and even showed up at the start of training camp in 2007 hoping to work out a new contract even though the team didn't want him.

Dedi Ben Dayan - M (2005-2006): Ben Dayan was electric on the left side of midfield. He was dangerous every time he touched the ball. Eventually though he returned home to his family in Israel, making for a far too short career in Colorado.

Carlos 'El Pibe' Valderrama - M (2001-2002): Probably the biggest name (and certainly the biggest hair) not to make the starting XI. El Pibe was the best player in MLS in its first decade and even in his final year in Colorado he was still hitting pinpoint passes to the forwards. The one knock against him was that it seemed like he never moved outside a 20 yard circle all game, and played almost no defense.

Paul Bravo - F (1997-2001): The only member of the Gallery of Honor not to make the starting XI, Bravo was the closest thing the Rapids had to an offensive powerhouse in their first 5-6 years. Until Conor Casey arrived Bravo held most of the team scoring records. Now he serves as the team's Technical Director. If I could have figured out a way to put 4 forwards on the field I would have.

Glenn 'Mooch' Myernick - Coach (1997 - 2000): As I said in my post about Gary Smith, Mooch was the only other head coach even in the running for this list. Until Gary Smith's MLS Cup win last year Mooch was the only coach to take the team to a final, and his record is second only to Smith's. Sadly Mooch passed away in 2006.

John Murphy - Coach (2006 - 2008): Murphy was largely credited for the Rapids great draft classes in 2006 and 2007, and coaching the reserve teams to their Reserve Championships in 2006 and 2007. Those teams produced players like Omar Cummings, Kosuke Kimura, Nick Labrocca, Bouna Coundoul, and Jordan Harvey.

Rapids All-Time Team: Head Coach

2011-10-09T17:10:00.003-06:00

The head coach for the Rapids All-Time Team is Gary Smith.

How Joined: Hired as a liaison for the Arsenal Academy.

Years In Colorado: 2008 through present

There have been 6 total head coaches in Colorado's history, but there were only two under consideration for this spot, Glenn 'Mooch' Myernick and Gary Smith.

Gary Smith joined the Rapids in February before the 2008 season through Arsenal with the idea that he would work with the Arsenal youth academy program based out of DSG Park. He was almost immediately promoted to assistant coach under Fernando Clavijo though, a move rumored to have been made by the Front Office and not Claivjo. When Clavijo's family issues forced him to leave the team Gary was given the title of interim head coach for the last third of the 2008 season, then had the interim label removed shortly after the end of the season.

He took over a Rapids side that was teetering on the edge of playoff elimination and kept them ion the race until the final day. 2009 played out similarly as Colorado was eliminated with their loss to FSL in the final game. In 2010 Gary finally had all the pieces and while the team only finished 7th overall they clinched a playoff berth with 2 games to play, and of course they took that momentum all the way to their first MLS Cup victory. This year the team has played very similar to prior years under Gary Smith, and once again we are on the edge of clinching a playoff spot or being eliminated with 2 games left.

In comparison to the rest of the coaches in team history only Mooch comes close. Myernick took over a worse team and let them to MLS Cup in his first year (losing to D.C.), and he also took the Rapids to their only U.S. Open Cup final (losing to Rochester). However Gary Smith's teams average 1.44 points per game in league play, the best in team history (Mooch's teams averaged 1.35). The MLS Cup combined with the best overall record beats Mooch's two finals for the all-time best coach.

Rapids All-Time Team: All-Around Forward

2011-10-05T19:02:00.002-06:00

The starting all-around forward for the Rapids All-Time Team is John Spencer.

How Acquired: Transferred for free from Scottish side Motherwell.

Years In Colorado: 2001 through 2004

How Departed: Retired after the 2004 season.

For the final player pick on the All-Time team I went with possibly the biggest heart the team has ever had (though Kimura gives him a run for his money) the wee Scotsman John Spencer. The heart and soul of the Rapids in the early 2000s, Spencer was the face of the team under Tim Hankinson. His fiery play led the team and made him a fan favorite.

In his first season Spencer scored 14 goals in 22 games, a Rapids record for goals in a season (since broken by Conor Casey), and was named to the league's Best XI squad. After an injury-plagued 2002 he repeated his 14 goal total in 2003, once again making the league Best XI and becoming one of the finalists for the MVP award. Spencer scored the first hat-trick in Colorado history, and he still ranks in the top 3 in most of the Rapids goal-scoring records. He is probably the best international player ever found by the Rapids, with Anders Limpar being his only real competition for that title.

Beyond the numbers Spencer brought a level of emotion to the field rarely seen in Colorado. As a fan you knew that he was giving it all for every minute he was playing, and he would have nothing left when he came off the pitch. Not only that, but woe be to the referee or opposing player who Spenny thought had done him or his Rapids teammates wrong. Somehow he had a way of showing his...displeasure...with whomever ticked him off without looking like he was losing it like Pablo often does. He was rightfully named captain most of the time he was in Colorado and was the team leader on the field.

That wraps up the starting lineup for the Rapids All-Time Team. This series is not over though as there are other positions still to be named.

Rapids Learn You Wynne Moor With Good Defense

2011-10-03T19:00:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the double pun. ;) Saturday night a solid game from Colorado resulted in a much needed 3 points. Much like MLS Cup (but not quite as bad) the game wasn't pretty but it was successful.

The Rapids had the better of the play for most of the first half, punctuated by 2 shots on goal between the 23rd and 26th minute. The first forced a big Hartman save off a Sanna Nyassi blast from about 25 yards out. The second was a header from Drew Moor crashing the box on a corner kick. That one was not saved and the Rapids had a 1-0 lead. Dallas wasn't going to go away quietly though and turned up the pressure at the end of the half. In the final 5 minutes the former Burn forced Matt Pickens into two huge saves to preserve the lead and a 3rd play right at the post that probably would have gone outside the post but better safe than sorry.

The second half was more even and much sloppier. Despite the ugliness of the play though, only one shot on goal was recorded. Jamie Smith blasted it from 30 yards out to force another save. That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of chances. Nyassi missed an open net from a wide angle 30 yards out. Dallas had a chance to hit an open net when Pickens came out and didn't get the ball but they put it over the crossbar. At one point a Dallas attacker had it on his feet at the 6-yard box but couldn't get a shot off. Things got really interesting in the final 15 minutes when Comminges (correctly) got his second yellow and the Rapids played down a man. At that point though it looked like Colorado outplayed Dallas for the rest of the game.

My key to the game was how well splitting the team worked. Well 2 wins in a week is about the best you can ask for.

Other Observations:

Once again Gary Smith proves that what he says to the media and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar (to paraphrase the great Jayne Cobb) On Tuesday he was quoted as saying that anyone who went to Metapan would play no more than a sub role in this game, leading me and others to question why he was sending Omar Cummings. Saturday night Cummings started.
Drew Moor's goal was a textbook example of a corner kick play. Perfect cross into the box from Nyassi and Moor crashed in to hammer it home.
Pickens really showed the two sides to his game this season. Great saves at the end of the first half, but twice in the second half he looked indecisive on whether to stay on his line or come out. The first was cleared by Wynne, the second resulted in that chip over the bar mentioned earlier.
Kimura may never turn out to be a great player, but he's turned into a good one. just another solid performance from him, especially after he had his bell rung.
Along those lines, buy a Kimura shirt to support Japan relief!
Comminges got two correct yellow cards. The first for time wasting when he grabbed the ball for a throw-in then wandered over to the bench for water. If he gets the water before grabbing the ball he probably gets away with it, but that was too blatant. The second was for clearing out a Dallas attacker that was going to beat him.
Dallas was forced to make a sub in the first half to bring Jackson off before he was red-carded. The difference was that Jackson committed a yellow-card foul, and committed a second close-to-yellow-card foul a few minutes later. By not being as obviously a yellow card as Comminges foul it allowed the ref to give Jackson a stern talking to, which prompted Dallas to sub him out.
Nyassi really should have hit the mark on his 30-yard miss. Hartman charged out but Nyassi beat him to the ball and Hartman slid to block a shot before Nyassi did anything. Nyassi could have taken an extra second to make sure he got it on target, touched it around the sliding Hartman and shot it on target, or with his speed touched it around Hartman and dribbled in closer before shooting.
Great use of subs by Smith. Marshall came on for Mullan to restore the 4-man back line after the Comminges card, Thompson came in to spell Smith and add some defense to the midfield, and Kandji came in for Cummings to run at the tired Dallas defense.
Kudos to Gary Smith for getting two wins with his strategy this week. I'm still not convinced we couldn't have done that with Smith coaching both games though.
The 3 points gets us 2 points from clinching a playoff spot, and as teams below us knock each other out I'm feeling fairly confident that our current 45 points will be enough.
Still, the next game is the Rocky Mountain Cup match against FSL. We need to win that to win the Cup back and as an added bonus we'll clinch a playoff spot. The Rapids have released the first of a Kings of the Rockies series of videos. you can see your humble writer holding the trophy at the 1 minute mark and again about 1:40.

Player of the Game: Marvell Wynne. Time and time again when a Dallas attack looked promising he was there to shut it down.

MLS Cup 2010: The Rematch (Part 2)

2011-09-30T19:07:00.002-06:00

"No disrespect to the Eastern Conference, but tonight was the championship" -- Dallas defensive midfielder Daniel Hernandez after winning the Western Conference Championship in 2010

I just wanted to throw that in as a "friendly" reminder about our guests tomorrow. I expect him to get the official Class VI welcome for 90 minutes! Prior to giving Dallas a repeat of their MLS Cup defeat Class VI and the Pid Army will be hosting their annual chili cookoff at the tailgate (this year with a corn bread category!). Due to the contest the tailgate starts at 4pm with kickoff at 7. for those of you unable to make it the game is on Altitude.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

PROBABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain / R calf strain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: FW Caleb Folan; MF Brian Mullan; FW Sanna Nyassi

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Wells Thompson

That's probably the best injury report we've seen all season. Other than Casey and Wallace who's seasons are over everyone is available. Dallas is missing 3 players to injury. Both teams played midweek Champions League games on the road but Colorado won with primarily reserves while Dallas got beat down with a number of starters. My best guess on our lineup:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Comminges

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - Smith

Folan - Nyassi

Barring a pre-game injury this is almost guaranteed to be the lineup. Gary Smith said that the group that went to El Salvador wouldn't do any more than be subs for this game so the starting XI is pretty clear.

Key To Look For: Was the split team plan this week successful? Smith made a controversial move to essentially split the the team in half, including the coaching staff, for the two games this week. The first game went to plan with the 3-1 win in Metapan, now the "first team" has had a week of rest an no travel so they should be able to run through Dallas.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Nyassi and Larentowicz. Dallas will be tough over the first 60 minutes forcing the teams to trade goals. With their midweek game Dallas will lose steam late and Nyassi's speed will beat them late for the winning goal.

I'll Take My Crow Now Please

2011-09-29T18:07:00.002-06:00

So, yeah, about that whole post where I said the Rapids will be beat by Metapan and the roster selection was not great. Well Colorado proved me an idiot with a 3-1 win last night. The reserve squad, lead by Steve Guppy and augmented by Wells Thompson and Tyrone Marshall, pulled together in a tough environment and dominated the scoreboard.

There was a pretty big mistake to start the night. The Rapids stayed in San Salvador, about a 2 hour drive from Metapan. It wasn't until the team got to the stadium for pre-game that the equipment manager realized he forgot a bag at the hotel, the bag with the team's cleats! Immediately they called their contact back and the hotel, he found the bag, and a police escort started towards Metapan. The problem was that kickoff was in 90 minutes and starters Wells Thompson and Andre Akpan didn't have boots! A number of players had kept their cleats with them, and they were able to borrow some from Metapan and run to a sporting goods store to buy others, but Thompson and Akpan were stuck wearing cleats that were too big. Just as the teams were taking the field for kickoff the bag arrived and the referees were forced to handle a delay as Ian Joyce and Omar Cummings helped Wells and Andre get the right shoes on. The rest of the starters without their normal shoes changed at half.

In the 31st minute Ross LaBauex played a ball in front of Eddie Ababio. Ababio chipped it over the keeper for the first goal. This was Ababio's first professional appearance (later int he game he would be replaced by Davy Armstrong who was also getting his first professional playing time as the Rapids first homegrown player). The lead only lasted 5 minutes as Stweard Ceus was called for a 6-second violation. I have literally never seen that called in a professional game. The ensuing indirect kick inside the box was finished off to level the score. Metapan was very unlucky not to score right before half as they had a wide-open volley go off the crossbar.

Right after half Amarikwa put the Rapids back into the lead with a volley off a header form the top of the box that the Metapan keeper fumbled and let get behind him. Cummings finished off the scoring with a classic Omar goal, running onto a long ball ahead of the defense and beating the keeper. At that point Metapan knew it was over and folded up shop.

As you can see, the Rapids proved me wrong. Colorado was really outplayed for a good part of the game, especially in the first half, but they manged to do two things that have been lacking recently. The first was finishing their opportunities. The 3 goals were really their only 3 good chances in the game (and Amarikwa's was only half a chance at best) and they finished all of them. The second was that they didn't make any defensive blunders. The couple of good chances Metapan got came from them outplaying us (or int he case of the goal, a horrible call), not from the keeper playing a bad ball or a defender not seeing an attacker on a pass. Combined they were worse on the field but better on the scoreboard.

My humble pie now eaten, I still stand by my belief that Smith skipping this game was an insult and a poor decision, regardless of the result. Just because the Rapids won doesn't change the questionable decision-making process.

Colorado Proves CCL Game Is Meaningless

2011-09-28T07:44:00.002-06:00

Colorado faces Isidro Metapan tonight in El Salavador at 8pm MDT. The game is delayed until 10:30pm on FOX Soccer Channel but can be watched live on the CONCACAF Champions League site. The supporters groups are gathering at the British Bulldog for this one, presumably to watch the live stream on big screens.

The Rapids sent a mostly reserve squad to Metapan, with Cummings, Thompson, and Marshall as the only players who get regular playing time. Apparently the game is so unimportant that Gary Smith can't be bothered to travel, sending assistant coach Steve Guppy with the team to coach the game.

I actually agree that this game should have a lower priority. Our playoff chances are teetering on the edge while our odds of advancement in the CCL are very low. A loss in either of our next two games eliminates us, and even a draw makes it difficult. Getting wins in El Salvador and Mexico would be a long shot for a fully healthy Rapids squad, with the injuries and the importance of our remaining league games its time to punt. Had we started full lineups in either (or both) of the Real Espana games and gotten the wins that were there for the taking we'd be in a different situation, but since we didn't we need to move on from the CCL.

That said, its ridiculous that Gary Smith isn't with the team. He's the head coach and this is a first-team game. Unlike the players, the only physical exertion he has to perform at a game is to get off the bench to pass instructions once in a while. A flight to El Salvador and back shouldn't cause any problems with that. Its less than 200 miles further to Metapan from Denver than to Boston. If the Rapids had a midweek road match in New England, would he skip that as well?

Sending Omar Cummings, and to a lesser extent Wells Thompson, is also an odd choice. Cummings is our best healthy striker with more goals+assists than anyone on the team. Thompson is a backup, but with Jamie Smith having a history of pre-game injuries Wells has been pressed into service on a moments notice more than once. Now, with a critical league game on Saturday, he sends them both with the reserves to Metapan and says anyone on the trip won't play more than a substitute role on Saturday. So we can expect to see Folan and Nyassi up top and we have to hope Jamie Smith stays healthy.

Clearly this is a game Gary Smith has written off. If he can't be bothered to show up and support his team, why should I bother even watching it?

Prediction: 2-0 Rapids loss. A reserves team couldn't get it done against a weaker Real Espana team at home, there's no reason to think they can get it done in El Salvador.

This Is Getting Old...

2011-09-26T19:31:00.002-06:00

Sigh. Another game, another lack of attack until its too late, another failure to win. The Rapids spent a good 60 minutes doing essentially nothing in the offensive third, and by then they were down 1-0. They showed some life in the last 30 minutes and were somewhat unlucky not to find two goals, but at the same time they were lucky to get one.

Once again Colorado conceded an early goal. This time it was an 18th minute 30+ yard blast from Khari Stephenson that Pickens inexplicably just chested right back to the center of the box. Wondolowski beat Moor to the ball and it was an easy shot past Pickens for the 1-0 lead. Wondo got another good look in the 35th minute, but Pickens was up to the challenge this time around.

After half the Rapids started to get moving, and they controlled the game for the final 30 minutes. This was largely due to San Jose taking former-Rapid Jacob Peterson off and Colorado putting former-Earthquake Brian Mullan on. The Rapids created plenty of chances but mainly converted them into corner kicks that were cleared. In the 70th minute Drew Moor got a snap header off form a corner, only to see 'Quakes keeper Jon Busch make a last ditch save to push it over the bar. On the ensuing corner though the ball pinballed around in front of net and Moor was able to slam it home to level the score. Folan almost won it in stoppage time, but Busch once again cleared it off the line.

My key to the game was our ability refocus on the league after the end of our CCL hopes. It seems like we haven't been able to focus on anything recently.

Other Observations:

Pickens is the only person to blame on the goal. A MLS-level keeper has to do better with a long-range shot than chesting it back into the center of the box. Moor let Wondo get behind him, but the difference was a split second reaction to a scenario that should never have happened.
At one point int eh second half Koz freed Cummings down the right side and Omar played a crossing ball right into the path of an onrushing Folan. It was an easy shot to put on target and force a big save. Somehow Folan managed to kick it out for a throw-in behind him on the far side. *shakes head*
Nyassi had 2-3 good chances to get a goal, only to come up with weak or off-target shots.
Comminges still hasn't quite settled in with the team yet, but I'm liking most of what I'm seeing.
Somebody smack the DJ that decided to play 'Rock the Casbah' as the fans left the stadium. Do they not know their league history?
And for those of you who don't (or don't know music) the San Jose supporters group is called the Casbah, because the Earthquakes were originally called the Clash. The Clash is also the group that sang 'Rock the Casbah'.
The Rapids have now gone 7 games in all competitions without a win. This ties Smith's record from 2010 and 2009. Unfortunately looking at our up coming schedule with games @Metapan, against Dallas, against FSL, and @Santos it could be a while before we see a win if we don't figure things out.
Luckily we finish @Vancouver, the worst team in the league. 3 more points will all but wrap up a playoff spot for us.

Player of the Game: Drew Moor. Not only for the goal, but for keeping San Jose quite most of the night back in his regular center back spot.

Western Foes Meet In Rematch Of Eastern Championship

2011-09-23T21:09:00.004-06:00

The last time the Earthquakes were in town the Rapids sent them packing after a crazy goal by Koz and the trophy celebration to the left sent Colorado to MLS Cup. The stakes aren't quite so high tomorrow night but if the Rapids have any hopes of repeating they need to repeat the result from that night to solidify their playoff position. Kickoff tomorrow is back to the normal time of 7pm, which means the kegs will be tapped at 4 and the grills fired up at 5. I hope to be there by 6 after the Washington-Cal game. ;) Those of you not going can watch the game on Altitude.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain / R calf strain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: MF Brian Mullan; FW Sanna Nyassi

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Caleb Folan; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; MF Wells Thompson

The injury report is getting better, especially since Jamie Smith was able to play for a few minutes on Wednesday night. San Jose is missing 9 players to injury or suspension, so they're in bad shape. My guess on our lineup:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Comminges

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - Thompson

Cummings - Nyassi

I don't think Smith will get the start, but he'll be the first start off the bench, spelling Thompson who played 90 on Wednesday. Mullan and Koz also played 90, but I think they'll both start at home with Mullan being another likely sub.

Key To Look For: How well can we refocus? The CCL is gone at this point, the only thing to play for is the league. Can we put ourselves in that mindset?

Prediction: 2-0 win, goals by Nyassi and Larentowicz. San Jose is a bad team on the road after playing in Portland on Wednesday. If Colorado can't beat a team like that then we might as well close up shop for the season. Nyassi uses his speed to get behind the defense for a goal and Ginger ninja powers one in from long range.

I Love It When A Plan Falls Apart

2011-09-22T18:58:00.004-06:00

In 2005, a not-so-crack soccer team was sent to the reserves by a coach for skills they didn't possess. These men promptly escaped from a minimally-interested Front Office to the Denver underground. Today, still not missed by the fans, they survive as minimum wage MLS players. If you have a game...if no one else cares...and if you can find them...maybe you can start...The B-Team.

Ironically because it was a CCL match and not a league game the A-Team theme was not played before the game like normal last night. Just in writing that I think I spent more time thinking about the game than Gary Smith did prior to writing his lineup card. In a game we had to win to hopefully have a chance to get to the knockout rounds we ran out a b-team lineup supplemented by Koz and Mullan (who were by far the players of the game). Not surprising, given their results in the reserves, we got a b-team result in the form of a 2-1 loss.

And really, that's all the time I want to spend on this game. Our CCL campaign is essentially over and Gary Smith doesn't seem to care, so why should I?

Rapids Face Must-Win CCL Game

2011-09-20T20:12:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow night Real Espana becomes the final CCL team to make the trip to Denver for the group stage. In August we faced them in Honduras using mostly a team of reserves and drew 1-1. The only members of our best XI that started that game were Kimura, Larentowicz, and Cummings with Moor getting 20 and Nyassi getting 10 minutes late. Colorado was under siege that game, with only some bad shooting by Real and good saves by Ceus keeping us from losing.

This is pretty much a must-win game if the Rapids want to get pout of the stage. Assuming that Isidro Metapan doesn't pull the upset of the stage by winning in Mexico on Thursday, Colorado can clinch a spot in the knock-out rounds with wins tomorrow night and next week in Metapan. Given that we are almost certainly going to fail to get points in Mexico, given how our first team played against Santos last week, winning the next two games is really our only shot at getting out of the group. Of course we also really need to best San Jose on Saturday, so Gary Smith has to figure out how to juggle the lineup.

Prediction: 1-0 Rapids win. Real Espana looked dangerous against the back line of our reserves, but a starting team that has worked together would have successfully stopped much of their attack. Our offense isn't exactly clicking on all cylinders though, so I don't expect us to do much better than our reserves did. Of course this prediction assumes we see something close to a first-team starting XI.

Same Play, Same Result

2011-09-19T19:15:00.003-06:00

For yet another game a complete lack of offensive ideas doomed the Rapids to a loss. After a boring first half where the teams combined for 1 decent attack Toronto came out re-energized for the second half while Colorado spent 15 minutes waking up from halftime. Unfortunately by then they were already down 2 goals.

The goals were mirror images of each other. In the 53rd minute a cross from the left found a badly marked Koevermans in the box and he put it past Pickens. 7 minutes alter a cross from the right side of the box found an unmarked Koevermans and he once again put it past Pickens. That put Colorado in a hole it was going to be hard to get out of.

The Rapids did make a game of it. In the 70th minute Nyassi made 60 yard run into the Toronto box before passing the ball off to Cummings. His eventual shot was stopped but the deflection fell back to Nyassi unmarked at the far post, and he put it in to half the deficit. After that both Larentowicz and Moor had shots cleared off the line. Moor's shot was in stoppage time and cleared off the same goal line as Moor cleared Cunningham's shot in extra time stoppage time of MLS Cup. In the end the deficit was too much and Colorado lost to Toronto in

Toronto for the 5th straight time.

My key to the game was our ability to score. We didn't show any hope of it until it was too late.

Other Observations:

Really only one observation this week, the team looked like it was just going through the motions, especially on offense. There's just no spark or creativity once the ball gets to the midfield or the forwards. If the team can't turn that around quickly we're going to be out of the CCL running, and probably out of the playoffs.

Player of the Game: Sanna Nyassi. The only thing resembling an attack came through him.

Rapids Return To Scene Of Their Greatest Triumph

2011-09-16T18:40:00.003-06:00

The last time Colorado was in Toronto they left with their first ever win at BMO Field, and more importantly, the MLS Cup! Tomorrow they try to make it two in a row North of the border. The Rapids probably need 1 more win to really assure themselves of a playoff spot and their best chances are tomorrow and next week when they host San Jose. Game time is the very odd 11:30am Denver time, due to Toronto's TV contract. The game is on Altitude here in Colorado, and the supporters groups will be gathering at the British Bulldog to watch the game.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (R knee arthroscopic surgery)

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain, R calf strain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: MF Brian Mullan

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Caleb Folan; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; MF Sanna Nyassi; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

Same injury report we've seen recently. I expect that Jamie Smith will not play. Toronto has 8 players questionable or worse, so they're hurting. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - Thompson

Cummings - Nyassi

Most of these players started the disaster against Santos, but I think GS wants to get that win ASAP so he'll roll them out again, despite the Real Esapna game on Wednesday. We might see our new signing Comminges in for Moor or Wynne. Of course if he decides to rest players we could see Earls, Palguta, LaBauex, Kandji, or Folan.

Key To Look For: Can we score? Its been 4 weeks since our last league goal, and we need to figure out how to turn that around.

Prediction: 1-0 win, goal by Nyassi. Toronto is a bad team that's beat up. Even though we traditionally play horribly in Toronto I think the team will get an added bonus from playing on the field where they won MLS Cup, and that combined with the embarrassment of Tuesday night will propel them to a win. This prediction does assume at least an almost complete first choice team.

Rapids Embarrass Themselves On And Off The Field

2011-09-14T18:43:00.003-06:00

Where do I start with this mess of an event. From the big things to the small things it was an embarrassment. Might as well take it chronologically.

1. I get en email from my ticket rep saying "No parking passes for this game are needed". I write back asking if that's true for the tailgate lot. He says yep, no passes. I decide to bring mine anyway (Well, its permanently in the glove compartment, it was coming either way) sure enough, you need the tailgate lot pass to get to the lot for this game.

2. Nice job removing all the porta-potties from the tailgate lot guys. Did you think the season ended at Labor Day?

3. Same email from ticket rep said all Santos fans had to go in on the East side, all rapids fans had to go in on the West. Of course as I go in on the West side I see plenty of Santos fans going in with me.

4. The roster sheet being handed out at the gate identified our new player Comminges as being from Les Abymes, Guatemala. He's from Les Abymes, Guadeloupe. But hey, all those CONCACAF 'G' countries are the same, right?

5. That same sheet had the standings for our CCL group incorrect. Somehow they showed the Rapids as the only team with a draw. Basic understanding of sports should make it obvious that its impossible for only 1 team to have a draw.

6. I get to my seat, which of course isn't actually my seat, because they moved all the die-hard fans on the East so all the Rapids fans were on the West side and all the Santos fans were on the East side, only to find a Santos fan two rows in front of me. Of course, because this was the section behind the Santos bench there;s no shock in that, I'm sure many Santos fans would have wanted to sit right behind their team's bench.

7. Looking across to the East side and seeing 8K Santos fans. Embarrassing for the organization that their opponents outdraw the home team due to the crappy marketing this organization does.

8. Finding out that Tina and the rest of the clan, Class VI leaders, got re-seated outside the Class VI section and near some Santos fans. Nice job taking care of some of your best fans Rapids.

9. The starting lineup. Really Smith? No Pickens against the best strike force the Rapids will play all season? And don't give me any crap about needing to rest him. He was on fire in LA and he's a goalkeeper, goalkeepers regularly play 40 games in soccer leagues around the world. Putting Moor on the right and Palguta was a winning move too, I hope Koz enjoyed his night off.

10. Not to mention the stunning strategic move of playing a 4-3-3 with a team that never plays that formation. Instead of starting Mullan in our traditional 4-4-2 that's worked well for us you start Kandji. Mac proceeded to prove that he doesn't belong in a reserves game, much less the CCL.

11. Security around the Pid Army and BSG while the whole East stands are yelling ********! on every goal kick. yeah, you wouldn't want your loyal fans to feel welcome or anything, you want to make sure you can keep the once-in-a-lifetime visitors happy so they'll still never come back.

12. 90 minutes of the worst soccer the Rapids have played in years. The team wasn't moving or talking to each other, and they flat out gave up on the 2nd goal, which is about the time I gave up on the game. BTW, the goal was onside.

13. Despite that I still stayed until the end, but I couldn't even get pissed at the Class VI fans who left at 4-0. I believe you should support your team through thick and thin, but after the debacle last night I couldn't blame people for walking out.

Rapids Biggest CCL Game Tomorrow

2011-09-12T19:53:00.002-06:00

Colorado hosts Santos Laguna of the Mexican League tomorrow. This is the biggest CCL match the Rapids will play, as Santos is by far the best team in the group but a win tomorrow would put Colorado in the driver's seat for advancing into the knockout rounds. Game time tomorrow at the Dick is 8pm and the game will be on FOX Soccer Channel. Note to season ticket holders on the East side of the stadium (which would be everyone in Class VI, BSG, and the Pid Army), the East side of the stadium has been given to the Santos fans. You should have been contacted to be re-seated on the West side. If not, contact your ticket rep. Tailgate tomorrow starts at 5:30, with fish tacos on the menu!

Santos Laguna got into the CCL by being the runner-up of the 2010 Apertura season. They beat Olimpia of Honduras by an aggregate 4-3 score in the preliminary round and have beaten Real Espana at home 3-2 and lost to Isidro Metapan on the road 2-0. Santos were in the 2010-11 CCL where they were knocked out by Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals and in the 2008-09 CCL where they were knocked out by eventual champion Alante in the semifinals. They are currently 15th (of 18 teams) in the Mexican Clasura and just drew a tough game against Chivas on Saturday.

Despite their league struggles, both teams have stated that they are going to play the strongest lineups they can. Of course we've heard that before from Gary Smith. Hopefully he realizes this is the critical game of the CCL campaign. The Rapids have to be favored to beat Real Espana at the Dick next week, so a win tomorrow night would give Colorado a very good chance to get to 10 points by the end of Round 4, which would mean the only way they wouldn't advance would be the unlikely scenario of losing a 3-way tiebreaker at 10 points. That would mean the Rapids could go into the last two rounds without a lot of pressure, which is good since those are road games in El Salvador and Mexico, tough places to get a result.

Despite Gary Smith's statement, I expect to see a lineup of some starters and some reserves. I wouldn't be shocked to see Marshall, Mastroeni or Larentowicz, Mullan, and Nyassi not starting. Moor will start after being forced to sit out on Friday, and I assume that Cummings limited play on Friday will allow him to start. Against a tough team like Mexico I assume Pickens will get the nod over Ceus.

Prediction: 1-1 draw. I think a full strength Rapids side could beat Santos, but I don't think Gary smith will put out a full strength side. Because of that the Rapids will be pushed to their limit but they will manage to hang on for a draw. This will leave Colorado in the position of needing to beat Isidro Metapan on the road in order to advance.

Galaxy Stars Boil Rapids

2011-09-11T19:52:00.002-06:00

Colorado played poorly, the coaching staff made poor decisions, and the team got a poor result. The 1-0 score hides the fact that this loss should have been by 3 or 4 based on what we saw on the field. For most of the first half LA was just attacking in wave after wave, forcing Pickens into 8 saves total, two of which were back to back and as good as the MLS Cup saving tackle at the end of the championship game.

There's really only two incidents to discuss in this game. On the LA goal the defense got worked. Marshall pushes up leaving a hole in the back and with 4 perfect passes LA puts it int he back of the net. Once Marshall got beat Wynne moved in to cover for him, Kimura moved in to cover for Wynne, and nobody (Mullan?) moved to cover for Kimura, which left PrimaDonnavan unmarked in the box and he doesn't miss in that situation.

The Rapids only real threat was in the second half when a loose pass from Folan was deflected to Nyassi's feet in the box, and Sanna was able to spin and put it on net. Ricketts made the save but the rebound fell in front of Thompson. Wells finished it, but was correctly ruled offside. It was a quick play but Thompson should have done better getting onside. The only other shot on target Colorado had was a long shot along the ground in the first half from Larentowicz that Ricketts easily saved.

My key to the game was how our makeshift backline held up to the powerful Galaxy offense. Not well, as it was a shooting gallery in the first half, but that was as much about the midfield and forwards not being able to keep possession than the issues with the defense.

Stat of the Game: Kimura played in his 100th MLS game.

Other Observations:

Really poor choice by Gary Smith to leave Cummings and Nyassi on the bench but start all the other first-teamers. Scoring has been hard enough when Cummings and Nyassi have been in, its been almost non-existent since the Casey injury without them. So the starting XI had no real ability to score, but now you've tired them out for the important CCL match Tuesday. Why?
Then to compound the error Smith realized his lineup wasn't working after we were down 1-0, and took off Kandji for Nyassi. So Nyassi didn't get much rest anyway.
Caleb Folan played all 90 minutes, had one shot, two forward passes in the attacking half, and spent more time in the center circle than anywhere else. Yeah, that was a waste.
Colorado had no ability to hold possession in the Galaxy half in the first half. The defense was kicking out to the attacking players, resting for 15 seconds while the offense turned the ball over, and then were under pressure again.
MLS has figured out the Rapids are week on the left side and are driving their attacks that way. Hopefully Comminges will help with that problem.
Pablo was solid int eh first half and checked out of the second half. Not a good sign.
The Rapids did start taking the game to the Galaxy late, especially once Cummings subbed in. I don't know if LA was just taking their foot off the pedal or if we were actually turning things around.
This is the first game of 7 in 23 days. If you're Gary Smith why wouldn't you use all 3 subs to try to get some players rest? You're going to need every minute off you can get a player. At the very least Folan could have been pulled for just about anyone on the bench and not hurt our offensive chances of getting another goal.
Kandji actually looked decent in his short time, Smith seems wedded to the target forward + speed forward combo that works so well for the C+C Goal Factory that its blinding him to who the better player is.

Player of the Game: Matt Pickens. Without his play in the first half the Galaxy score at least 4 goals.

Rapids Sign Guadeloupe Defender Miguel Comminges

2011-09-09T21:56:00.003-06:00

Recap of the LA game coming later this weekend, but at half its not looking great. Meanwhile right before the game the Rapids announced a new signing. Guadeloupe international Miguel Comminges has been added tot he roster. He's a speedy defender that can play on either side. He's played in the second division in France and in the Championship, 1st, and 2nd Divisions in England. He's a regular for the Guadeloupe National Team and was on their Gold Cup squad this summer. The Rapids expect him to be available for the Santos Laguna game on Tuesday.

Rapids Try To Do Moor With Less In LA-LA Land

2011-09-08T19:35:00.003-06:00

The Rapids come off their two week break with a trip to LA to face the Galaxy. It wasn't all rest though as Ceus, Cummings, Larentowicz, and Nyassi played for their National Teams. Ceus and Cummings got 2 full games, while Nyassi only had one and Larentowicz was on the bench for one and got 15 minutes in the second. Now its time to focus back on MLS and the current Supporters Shield leaders. Game time tomorrow is a late 9pm MDT for the FOX Soccer Channel broadcast. Class VI and Pid Army will be gathering at the Celtic in LoDo for a large party with door prizes and raffles, and smaller parties at CB&Potts in Fort Collins and McCabes in the Springs.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (L knee sprain)

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain, R calf strain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: DF Drew Moor

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: FW Caleb Folan, MF Jeff Larentowicz, MF Wells Thompson (all need a clean game to knock one yellow off their total)

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; MF Brian Mullan; MF Sanna Nyassi; DF Anthony Wallace

Unfortunately the injury report isn't much better than before the break. Jamie Smith and Anthony Wallace are still unlikely to be available. With Drew Moor suspended and missing his first game ever since arriving in Colorado that leaves a weak backline. The Galaxy have 5 players listed as questionable including Old Spice himself. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Earls

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - LaBauex

Cummings - Nyassi

I'd really prefer to see a younger lineup with some of the regulars saved for Tuesday's home game against Santos Laguna, but based on what we've seen so far with the CCL I don't think Gary Smith feels the same way. I'm pretty sure we'll see the standard XI for this one.

Key To Look For: How does our makeshift backline hold up against the powerful Galaxy strikers. Keane and Prima Donnavan are probably the most talented duo in MLS, especially with Casey injured, and they'll be going up against a backline missing a regular starter and with a left back by committee.

Prediction: 2-1 loss, goal by Cummings. I don't think the Rapids can hold up to LA's firepower. Cummings will level the game after LA goes up early, but out back line will break down in the second half and allow the winner.

Rapids All-Time Team: Speed Forward

2011-09-07T19:51:00.003-06:00

The starting speed forward for the Rapids All-Time Team is Omar Cummings.

How Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd round (31st overall pick) in the 2007 Superdraft.

Years In Colorado: 2007 through present

This was the trickiest pick of the team. I went back and forth between a 4-4-2 and a 3-4-3, but eventually Cummings won out. (Don't let the titles of the forward positions fool you, I wasn't looking specifically for a Speed Forward but I needed some way to designate each of the forward positions, so the position titles are based on the players not the other way around.) Omar has been one half of the best strike duo in MLS the last 2+ seasons as his work with Casey has led to a "thunder and lightning" approach for the Rapids offense which the fans have nicknamed the C+C Goal Factory. In his 4+ seasons Cummings is already the 4th leading scorer in team history and he'll probably pass Spencer for 3rd by the end of this year. This despite not being a regular starter until his 3rd season.

Cummings is probably the best player actually developed by the Rapids in their history. Colorado has had good players sign with the team, like Conor Casey, and had players start in Colorado and then leave to become even greater, like Shawn Bartlett. Cummings is really the first player to develop as a Rapid and he looks poised to move on to a top-level club. His trial with Aston Villa this offseason went well enough that Villa and Colorado agreed on a loan deal for him, with rumors of a possible purchase if it went well, but Jamaica's place just outside the top 70 of the FIFA rankings meant that Cummings would have to appeal to get a work permit, a long process that would have used up most of his loan time. The only other player to develop in Colorado and move immediately to anything resembling a top club was Marcus Hahnemann's move to Fulham, but they were a Championship side at that point.

I expect this to be one of the more debated picks in my All-Time Team, and I can 't really disagree. There are a number of names that could have taken the final slot, both at forward or in midfield/defense in a different formation. The potential Cummings has shown and his combination with Casey up front give him the edge in my opinion.

Rapids All-Time Team: Target Forward

2011-09-04T17:59:00.002-06:00

The starting target forward for the Rapids All-Time Team is Conor Casey.

How Acquired: Acquired from Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money, allocation position, and the rights to Riley O'Neill .

Years In Colorado: Early 2007 through present

This was an easy pick. There were 3 obvious choices for this team, Balboa, Mastroeni, and Casey. Conor is, by far, the best striker to ever put on a Rapids uniform. When he first arrived in Colorado in 2007 he was still recovering from a knee injury and his first season wasn't that impressive. Since the start of the 2008 season though, he's scored more goals than any other forward in MLS who's name isn't Landon Donovan. He's also blown right by Paul Bravo's team record for career goals (48 to 39 in 34 less games) and beaten John Spencer's record for goals in a season (16 to 14). Casey is also the only Rapids player to have more than 1 career hat-trick, with 3.

Casey's game may not look like much at a glimpse. He looks a bit slow and lumbering and at time he has feet of stone. At the same time though he's always where he needs to be, he can hold the ball better than almost any other striker in the league, and he finds his strike partner, particularly Omar Cummings, with great passes more often than not. I've heard him called an MLS-level Alan Shearer, which isn't a bad description. For some reason there's a noticeable number of fans who see Casey's negatives as greater than his positives, which is mind-boggling to me. The Rapids would be a significantly worse team over the last 4+ seasons without Casey.

One final note, Casey scored the most important goal ever scored by a Rapids player, and it earned him (or his twin Casey Conor) the MLS Cup MVP award. Excuse the quality of the video, it was the best I could find on YouTube.

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Rapids All-Time Team: Attacking Midfielder

2011-09-01T18:26:00.004-06:00

The starting attacking midfielder for the Rapids All-Time Team is Adrian Paz.

How Acquired: Acquired from the Columbus Crew along with their 3rd round Supplemental Draft Pick in the 1997 draft for the Rapids 1st round pick in that draft.

Years In Colorado: 1997 through 1998

How Departed: Left as a free agent and signed by Tianjin Teda in China.

I had to ask some friends (greenie and joeyclams) for input on the early years of the Rapids, as I didn't start following them until 1998 and didn't get MLS Shootout/Direct Kick so I could see the majority of their games until 2000. So my knowledge of the first coule years of the Rapids is kind of fuzzy. The one bit of advice I got from both of them is that Adrian Paz deserved the attacking midfielder spot. From what little I saw of the '98 season, it was hard to disagree.

In an era when most MLS players, especially American players, primary skill was their fitness and work rate Paz brought a level of technique and creativity the team needed in the attack. He was working with a group of forwards that, other than Paul Bravo, will not be quickly remembered. Guys like Waldir, Wolde Harris, and Marquis White. Despite that Paz is still 4th all time in assists, and on a per game basis is second only to Anders Limpar. Paz played in all but 7 games while he was in Colorado and he only missed about 300 minutes in total of the 53 games he did play in.

Paz also holds the distinction of being one of the only two Rapids ever to score in MLS Cup. His goal in the 75th minute of the 1997 MLS Cup cut the DC lead in half and made for a furious finish to the game as Colorado was searching for the tying score. Of course it wasn't to be and the Rapids would have to wait 13 years to get another chance. Still that goal was probably the highpoint in the Rapids first 14 seasons and the man who scored it should be on the All-Time team.

Exhausted Rapids Beat Down In Chicago

2011-08-29T19:15:00.003-06:00

The Rapids traveled to Chicago on Saturday, but everyone might have been better served by Colorado forfeiting the game and staying home for the rest. A 2-0 loss where Colorado was outplayed and out-hustled all night wasn't any better than the 3-0 forfeit score line and added rest would have been.

I'd break down the play and the goals, but honestly they're what you would expect for a tried Mile High Club. Chicago found the weak point between Marshall and Moor, exploited it, and scored twice. The insult to injury was the fact that the second goal was from former Rapid Cory Gibbs.

My key to the game was how tired the Rapids were, and it really was the key to the game.

Matt Pickens wasn't at fault on either goal, but it would be nice if he could come up with a big save to bail out the defense once in a while. That seems to have been lacking recently.
No idea what Gary Smith thinks Caleb Folan brings to the game that Mac Kandji doesn't. Smith seems wed tot he "target striker+speedy striker" lineup that works so well when its the C+C Goal Factory. It doesn't work as well when its Folan-Nyassi.
Moor picked up a yellow, so his ironman streak will end at 69 games, 2 more than the old record.
After two weeks of rest Jamie Smith and Omar Cummings better be healed and ready to play 90, we desperately need them.

Player of the Game: Elia Viviani of Liquigas. He won the stages in Steamboat Springs and Breckenridge, and would have won in Denver but decided to let his leadout man Daniel Oss take it. What, I have to pick a Rapid? Fine, Marvell Wynne by process of elimination as the only Rapid who wasn't exhausted and/or having a bad night.

Colorado Continues Road Trip In Chicago

2011-08-25T21:45:00.003-06:00

Short and early preview this week as I'll be watching the USA Pro Cycling Challenge stage finish in Steamboat Springs tomorrow. I encourage anyone in Colorado to get out and watch this race. I love following cycling and I can't wait to see them live. The best way to follow the race on-line is the Pedal Dancer blog, which is to Colorado cycling what I hope this blog is to the Colorado Rapids.

One Colorado-Chicago cycling link. The leading rider in the race for the Garmin-Cervelo racing team, based in Boulder, is Christian Vandervelde who's from Chicago. He's in second, 11 seconds behind leader Levi Leipheimer, with 3 stages remaining.

Since I have limited time I'm jumping to the last two pieces of my normal game preview.

Key To The Game: How tired are the Rapids? The last two games they've really been dragging in the second half. Do they have 90 more minutes before the two week break?

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Nyassi. Colorado looks too tired to get a win on the road, and the Fire have already set a new league record for draws this year. Again the Rapids will take the lead but not be able to hold it.

Rapids Continue Stumbling through CCL

2011-08-24T20:05:00.002-06:00

Colorado sent a young team down to Honduras, and you could tell from the play. The Rapids had few chances last night and were under siege most of the game. They managed a 1-1 draw and the one point is a good result given their youth, but 3 points was there for the taking had the coaching staff done a better job managing the squad over the last couple of weeks.

The first 20-30 minutes was fairly even, with neither team having any good chances. The last 20 minutes or so of the half though the field was tilting against Colorado. Ceus had to make a couple of saves including one point blank one, and he came flying out of his box and almost got a red card. Replays showed he didn't get the ball, but he didn't get the man either so it was the right call. Right before half the Rapids were finally able to get the ball tot he other end of the field, where LaBauex beat his man and crossed the ball tot he top of the box. Ginger Ninja ran onto it and just beat the keeper with a shot to the far post for the unlikely halftime lead.

Colorado spent he whole second half under siege. Real hit the crossbar on an open net header. They beat Ceus again only for Earls to save it off the line. Colorado didn't get a shot on goal the entire half (in fact, their only shot on goal the whole game was Larentowicz' goal). Finally the wall broke down. On a swerving cross into the box Koz could only head it away from his mark, but right back into the center where both Holody and Moor had lost their men. Rodriguez, Espana's most dangerous player all night, finished the ball to draw things level. Real still wouldn't go away and created another couple of good chances but Colorado hung on for the draw.

After the Real Espana goal Nyassi almost gave the game away. A ball was cleared to the side of the box and Nyassi ran through the back of the player to try to get it. Probably a foul, hard to tell if it was just inside or just outside the box though. The ref waved play on.
That was really the only miss by the ref all night. He wasn't falling for any dives or weak fouls.
The back line was a dangerous mess all night. Holody, Earls, and Palguta were not in sync and its obvious why they haven't been playing much.
I saw Akpan's name in the starting lineup, but I'm not sure I saw him on the field.
No idea why Amarikwa came in instead of Kandji. Comparing the two CCL games its obvious which one of them should be getting more time.
Cummings is not the Cummings of old. He's apparently nursing a sore ankle, but he doesn't seem to have the drive either.
LaBauex gets full credit for the assist. Unfortunately that's about all he did.
Moor lost his man on the goal, but he stabilized a back line that was in complete disarray.
I really think the Rapids lost 2 points not on their play int he game, but on the choices made by Gary Smith in setting the lineups and subs over the last 4 games. Anything short of a win in Chicago would be a failure of Smith's strategy.
Santos Laguna went to Metapan and lost 2-0, which means after 2 rounds the Rapids lead the group as the only team to get points on the road. Santos and Metapan each have 3 points and Real Espana has 1.

Player of the Game: Jeff Larentowicz. not only did he have the goal against the run of play, but he was a stabilizing influence for a scattered Rapids team.

Colorado Makes First CCL Road Trip

2011-08-22T18:50:00.004-06:00

The Rapids have taken 19 players on the long trip to Honduras, their first trip outside the U.S. & Canada for a meaningful game in 13 years. Tomorrow they face Real Espana in San Pedro Sula in their second Champions League match. While Pablo, Pickens, Wynne, and Smith stayed in Colorado the rest of the starters traveled with the team and will be available for selection. Game time tomorrow is 8pm MDT and the game will be on FOX Soccer Channel.

Real Espana are the defending Honduran Apertura champions, their first championship since the 2006 Apertura. They did finish second in the 2008-09 Apertura and Clasura. This is Espana's second appearance in the Champions League. Last year they made it through the qualification round with an aggregate 6-3 win over Costa Rica's Liberia Mia, then finished last in their group with 6 points and a -8 goal differential. In the first group stage game this year they lost 3-2 at Santos Laguna.

I expect Colorado to approach this game very conservatively. Despite the likes of Drew Moor, Omar Cummings, and Brian Mullan making the trip I would be willing to bet they start the game on the bench. We'll probably see LaBauex, Holody, and Folan in the starting lineup. The backline in particular could be quite young, with Steward Ceus in the nets behind them.

Prediction: 1-0 Rapids loss. I think there's enough experience on the trip for the Rapids to keep the game close, but I don't expect enough of it to start for the Rapids to get a point. Many players will be getting their first taste of being a visiting team in Central America and that's something you just can't really prepare for. I wouldn't be shocked if we pulled off a draw, but it would be a nice surprise.

Colorado Heads For A Draw

2011-08-21T19:06:00.002-06:00

Last night the Rapids tried out a new lineup but got similar results to what they've been seeing. Giving Cummings some continued rest Folan was put up front with Nyassi as a withdrawn striker underneath him. Early on it paid off, as Kimura launched Mastroeni(?!?!) down the right sideline and Pablo whipped in a perfect cross that Folan headed into the upper corner for the lead.

The scoreline would only stand for a little over 20 minutes though. Former Rapid Nick LaBrocca played a amazing through ball that new Chivas player Juan Pablo Angel ran onto. Pickens got stuck in no-man's land and Angel made him pay by leveling the score. Colorado had a couple of good chances to end the half but couldn't turn them into goals.

The second half went much like the first. Mid-way through Colorado finally got its corner kicks working. Sanna Nyassi found the Ginger Ninja in the middle of the box from the corner and Larentowicz headed it home to reclaim the lead. The Rapids continued to control the play, but 3 games in a week was starting to drag on them. Unfortunately the team came up about 5 minutes short. In the 86th minute Chivas beat the offside trip on the left side, and Lahoud got in 1 on 1 with Pickens. Matt made himself bigger, but the ball went between his legs for Chivas' 2nd of the night. Right at the end of stoppage time Kandji connected with a rebound from a corner kick, but Chivas saved it off the line to preserve their point.

My key to the game was Juan Pablo Angel. Well, he got a goal which is what Chivas brought him in for.

Stat of the Game: Mastroeni became the 4th player in league history to start 300 MLS games, joining Steve Ralston, Kevin Hartman, and Rapids Gallery of Honor member Chris Henderson .

Other Observations:

Congrats to Drew Moor for setting a new MLS ironman record for field players!
Matt Pickens did not look good. Chivas only had 2 shots on goal, their 2 goals, and Pickens did almost nothing to prevent either of them. His indecision on the first one got him stuck in no-man's land and he got nutmegged on the second, something that a keeper just can't allow to happen. Neither goal was his fault, but they were both goals that you hope your keeper can come up with at least one save in a game on.
Rumor at the game is that Gary Smith is babying Cummings' ankle, which is why he hasn't started the last 3 games. But he's been good enough to play in 2 of them after playing 90 minutes for Jamaica last week. Either don't suit him up at all (like Wednesday) or start him. There's little to be gained by giving him 20 minutes or so.
The team was really dragging in the last 20 minutes or so. 3 games in a week really caught up to them at the end. Moor and Marshall were beat on the second goal, and I think fatigue played a part in that.
The first Chivas goal was just an amazing pass from LaBrocca and a great finish from Angel. You hate to give up a goal, but if you do, that's the type of goal to give up.
Wells Thompson, sigh. A step back for his play.
Folan's goal was great, but that's about all he did last night. With equally rested, Kandji should clearly be playing in front of him.
Nyassi as a withdrawn striker behind Folan disappeared. Playing that role behind Omar he's a star. That should tell the coach something.
Now a quick turnaround and trip to Honduras for the game on Tuesday night.

Player of the Game: Marvell Wynne. His recovery late in the 2nd half prevented another good scoring chance from Chivas. Generally he was on all night and was one of the few Rapids not to look spent at the end of the game.

Back To League Play

2011-08-19T19:29:00.003-06:00

After a successful Champions League match in mid-week the Rapids are once again back in MLS play which the Under-a-Chivas coming to town. Along with the game Class VI and the Pid Army are holding their second annual home brew contest! Tailgate starts at 4pm and all are welcome to sample the entries and vote for your favorite. The tailgate will have the normal kegs, hot dogs, sodas, etc. as well. Game time is 7pm and for those of you who can't make it to the Dick the game will be on Altitude.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (L knee sprain)

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain, R calf strain)

PROBABLE: MF Brian Mullan (L ankle sprain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: FW Caleb Folan, MF Jeff Larentowicz, DF Drew Moor; MF Wells Thompson

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; MF Sanna Nyassi; DF Anthony Wallace

The injury report shows no real changes from last week. Chivas has one player out so they're pretty close to full strength. The Rapids lineup is going to have to be balanced by the fact that this iss the 3rd game of a 5 games in 2 weeks stretch. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo - Larentowicz - LaBauex

Cummings - Nyassi

This is a real guess. Nyassi and Cummings only played a combined 75 minutes in the last two games so I assume they'll start. Moor is going to set the ironman record if he plays so he'll start. After that it becomes a guess based on who's played when and for how long.

Who's Who? Yes, that's the Rapids wearing all white at home. The team is calling it their third kit, even if its just the road kit worn with the home shorts.

Key To Look For: Juan Pablo Angel. He was just traded to Chivas to free up a DP slot for the Galaxy to bring in Robbie Keane. How Chivas will use him and how well he meshes with the team could be a determining factor in how this game plays out.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Cummings. The Rapids gave themselves a bit of breathing room with the win in San Jose last week, and with a CCL game in Honduras on Tuesday something has to break eventually. I think this is a point where the Rapids will settle for a draw and try to rest a bit in preparation for next week.

Rapids Stumble Their Way To A Win

2011-08-19T15:23:00.002-06:00

Apologies for the delay, a summer flu has knocked me out for the last 24 hours. Preview of tomorrow's Chivas game will be up later tonight.

After the worst first half the Rapids have played in years they straightened things out and halftime and dominated the second half en route to a win.

The game couldn't have started any worse as Drew Moor was whistled for a penalty just 15 seconds into the game. Moor also received a yellow card that a worse ref could have made a red. Granting your opponent a 1-0 lead after 2 minutes is not particularly good strategy. 15 minutes later MLS Cup hero Mac Kandji leveled the score as he was unmarked and headed in a Scott Palguta cross.

Just as the Rapids thought hey had gotten things back to normal, their lack of mental focus struck again. Matt Pickens snagged a long ball into the box and was wiped out by an onrushing Metapan striker. Instead of staying down and making sure everyone was ready he jumped up and threw the ball out towards Koz. The throw wasn't string and Koz wasn't expecting it though, allowing a Metapan striker to run onto it and chip it over Pickens for a 2-1 lead. While there should have been a foul called on Metapan when Pickens was knocked down, there's no excuse for the dumb play by Matt. That was followed 10 minutes later by another PK call on Moor but after further review the referee (correctly IMO) reversed the call. Kardeck, who got tangled up with Moor on the non-PK call, decided to get some revenge a couple of minutes later and slammed his arm into Moor's chest on a long ball with no attempt to play the ball. He saw a straight red. A few minutes later the Rapids took advantage of the extra man as Nane and Akpan combined to get the ball across goal where Kandji could tap it in for his second goal of the match.

Right after half Colorado would finally take the lead. Once again Mac Attack was involved as he brought the ball into the box, and tried to play a 1-2 with Thompson. Wells got the ball stuck on his foot but managed to slide it an unmarked Akpan who made it 3 goals for the Rapids. The rest of the half was Colorado killing off any Metapan chances while trying not to get hurt or get any more cards.

The officiating looked very anti-Colorado in the stadium, but watching the broadcast I felt the it was equally bad for both teams. Wells Thompson probably should have seen a red at some point, but so should 1 or 2 other Metapan players. A horrible offside decision in the 63rd minute cost moor a 1 on 1 with the keeper that could have made it 4-2.
The Rapids were not mentally prepared to play this game. They came out like this would be a walkover and almost paid for it. The fact that we played a really bad half and were tied at halftime shows you how bad Isidro Metapan is.
Based on what I saw there's no reason, barring truly awful officiating, that a full strength Colorado side couldn't beat Isidro Metapan in Metapan.
The lineup and substitution decisions made by Gary Smith for this match are ones that look like genius moves when they work, but get you called into Jeff Plush's office to explain yourself when they don't. Our manager is a bit of a gambler apparently.
Omar Cummings was seen on the concourse in street clothes and Jamie Smith spent the end of the game sitting in Class VI.
Former Rapid Terry Cooke made an appearance at the Class VI/Pid Army tailgate.

Player of the Game: Mac Kandji. 2 goals and an assist on the third, easy choice.

Rapids Start Champions League Play Tomorrow Night!

2011-08-16T19:50:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow night Colorado plays its first meaningful international match since facing Leon in the preliminary round of the old CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1998. The first opponent is El Salvador's Isidro Metapan, who qualified for the Champions League by winning the El Salvadorian 2010 Apertura. Kickoff at the Dick tomorrow is an unusual 8pm for TV, which means the kegs will be breached at 5:30 and the grills fired up at 6 for the tailgate.

Isidro has won 5 of the last 8 seasons if the Primera Division but has not fared well on the international stage. They've only made it to the group stage once, by directly qualifying in 2009-10, and finished last in the group with 3 points and a -19 goal differential. They have lost every road game in their history of Champions League play, while being outscored 15-2. What little I've found about the current team is that they are very organized defensively but lack firepower going forward.

The other game in Group B just finished and Santos Laguna beat Real Espana 3-2 at home. That's a pretty good result for us, as I think the best outcome is for Santos Laguna and Colorado to take as many points as possible off the other two teams. Santos did that, but they had to work all game to get the win and they only got a +1 goal differential out of it.

I'm not going to do a starting XI prediction or a key to the game for this one, as that really depends on how seriously the Rapids are planning to take this competition. Gary Smith said today that he wants to win the CCL, but GS is becoming a master of saying the right thing to the press but not really worrying about what he said when it comes time to make decisions. From that article I expect our normal 5-man defensive group to start and to see Cyanide up front, but the midfield 4 could have some surprises.

Prediction: 1-0 Rapids win, goal by Cummings. I expect this to be a low scoring game and I'd be shocked if there were more than 3 goals in this one. Two apparently tough defenses means that opportunities are going to be rare. Cyanide's speed will combine to expose the Metapan defense once though, and that will be enough to get the Rapids off on the right foot in CCL play.

Rapids Get Ref Assist In Win

2011-08-15T18:32:00.001-06:00

A wild and crazy game in San Jose saw Colorado return to the Rockies with 3 points. They got some help from the refs and some good play from the midfield but this game could have easily gone the other way.

San Jose had more possession but Colorado had better chances early. Seven minutes in Folan slammed a Mullan cross off the post from his head. A long ball was sent in to Folan right in front of goal, but he was tripped up by a San Jose defender. Then San Jose broke through on a cross that was tipped towards goal. Pickens reacted well and parried it away but it fell to an unmarked Gjertsen on the back post who tapped it in for the lead.

The Rapids kept the pressure up and right before half it paid off. Mastroeni tracked a ball down on the end line and crossed it back towards goal. It went behind defender Sam Cronin, but his trailing arm blocked it out of play. A penalty was called and Folan converted it to level the score. given the play a tie score at halftime was an accurate representation of the game.

The second half started out equal as well. Things changed in the 50th minute as Cronin slid in from behind on Mastroeni and received a straight red card for it. Right after the card it seemed that Colorado was the team playing a man down as San Jose really turned up the pressure. Colorado absorbed it though and turned the play back towards the Earthquakes. In the 71st minute Wells Thompson was pushed from behind right outside the box. Ginger Ninja stepped up and slammed the free kick home to give the Rapids the lead.

After the goal once again San Jose poured it on and it really felt like there was an equalizer coming. Colorado made it through a couple of tricky situations though, including a big save from Pickens to get the three points.

My key to the game was what lineup the Rapids played. Somewhat surprising to me was that we saw 8 of regular starters plus part-time starter Thompson. Only Cyanide didn't start and Cummings got 30 minutes of work in at the end. I'm not sure we get a win if the regular group wasn't starting.

Stat of the Game: The Rapids tied their quickest trip to 40 points in the post-shootout era with this win. They got to 40 points in 26 games in 2002 and 2010 as well.

Other Observations:

There have been, not surprisingly, a number of complaints about the officiating. Honestly I think Ward lost the game after the PK. The Rapids benefited from it, but it wasn't pretty.
That said, the PK call was a good one based on what MLS has called this year.m Its at least the second time this season I've seen a sliding defender called fora handball on his trailing/support hand. A bit of a grey area in the "unnatural position" part of the handling rule but at least they're consistent.
The red card wasn't a good call, unless MLS is setting a new standard for tackles from behind. It wasn't particularly hard or dirty, and probably should have been yellow at worst.
However earlier in the game Wondolowski took down Drew Moor with a scissor tackle from behind, that probably should have been red. That, along with the tripping of Folan in the box before the first goal that looked like a possible PK means the Earthquakes were on thin ice before the calls started going against them.
on the PK, Mastroeni immediately turned to the Assistant Ref and 4 times yelled "You f****** saw it!". I chuckled at it but it really wasn't a great move by Pablo. According to reports the ref was already making the signal for a penalty so it didn't influence the decision at least.
Folan had a better game, but I'm still not impressed. He goes down far too easy for a big man and his "legs spread, bent at the waist" move when the ball is too far for him to make a real effort is getting very old.
Good to see LaBauex getting another chance, but he didn't have a great outing. I don't thing withdrawn striker is his spot.
Kimura was caught completely ball watching on the Quakes goal. He's not going to make the Blue Samurai that way.
I'm coming around a bit on Wells Thompson. I still don't think he's any better than a journeyman MLS player, but he's not a hindrance to the team any more.
Now the big challenge of the Champions League starts!

Player of the Game: Drew Moor, for tying the MLS Ironman record for field players at 67 consecutive complete games, also held by former Rapid Peter Vermes. That's a tough record to match and he should hopefully set a new record Saturday against Chivas.

The Equalizer

2011-08-12T19:18:00.002-06:00

The Rapids are on the road this week, some of them on a very long road trip, in San Jose. Last time these two teams met a great Kosuke Kimura goal gave the Rapids the win and, more importantly, the Eastern Conference Championship en rout to their MLS Cup victory. I think we can expect the Earthquakes to be looking for some revenge after that loss. Game time tomorrow is a late 8:30pm. The game is on Altitude with Class VI and the Pid Army watching the game from the Highland Tap House on 32nd.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear); Anthony Wallace (L knee sprain)

QUESTIONABLE: MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain, R calf strain)

PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Caleb Folan; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Sanna Nyassi; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

Hey, look who's not on the injury list for the first time this season. Macumba Kandji! Despite being downgraded to questionable, Gary Smith reported yesterday that Jamie Smith, along with Folan and Kandji, were ready to play 90 tomorrow night. San Jose have 5 players listed as questionable or worse, so they're hurting. My complete guess at the starting XI tomorrow:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo- Larentowicz - Thompson

Folan - Akpan

With the injuries. travel, and crowded schedule coming up I think Cyanide will get the night off, and Smith will get another game to rest, though we could see him as a sub. Otherwise we'll see our normal starters. I'd like to see Mullan and Marshall rested for the Champions League game on Wednesday but I doubt it will happen.

Stat of the Game: By my count if Drew Moor starts and plays the full game he'll tie Peter Vermes ironman record at 67 games.

Key To Look For: What lineup do the Rapids play. Omar Cummings flew to China to play with the Jamaican National Team on Wednesday, the same day Nyassi played with the Gambian National Team in the Congo. Both are expected to be with the team tomorrow night. With the CCL starting on Wednesday and another game next Saturday, do some players get rested?

Prediction: 1-1 draw, Larentowicz gets The Equalizer (reference left up to you to decode). I think we'll see a few players be rested and the team be happy with a draw. San Jose isn't a real dangerous team right now but I won't be shocked when this defense gives up a goal to them.

Rapids All-Time Team: Left Midfielder

2011-08-10T15:50:00.002-06:00

The starting left midfielder for the Rapids All-Time Team is Chris Henderson.

How Acquired: Signed as a Discovery Player in 1996. First pick in the Dispersal Draft in 2002

Years In Colorado: 1996 through 1998 and 2002 through early 2005

How Departed: Left as a free agent and signed by KC. Traded to Columbus in a 3-way trade that brought Mike Petke to Colorado.

(OK, so I cheated a bit. Henderson was primarily a right midfielder, but he showed in his time in Colorado that he could just as easily play on the left.)

Henderson is the only player in team history that I can think of that played regularly for the team in two different times. Chris was one of the better players on the Rapids when he left after the 1998 season, but with the addition of Anders Limpar he was seen as surplus to the team's needs. Henderson moved on to KC for two years and then to Miami for one. After the 2001 season the Miami Fusion were contracted along with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Due to trades the Rapids held the top draft spot in the Dispersal Draft from those two teams and they used it to bring Henderson back to Colorado (The Rapids also acquired Kyle Beckerman and Pablo Mastroeni that day, possibly the best single-day haul in team history).

When you combine his two stints with the team he set records for games, starts, minutes, and assists. His games and minutes total were also league records when he retired. Henderson still holds the team assists record with 53 and is second in the other 3 stats behind Mastroeni. His combined total of 84 goals and assists is by far the team record, with Casey and Bravo tied for second at 61.

In his second stint Henderson combined with the John Spencer, Chris Carrieri, and Mark Chung to create what offense the Rapids had in that time. This is when his flexibility to play on either side of the field really came into play as Chung and Henderson would regularly swap sides during the game to confuse the defense. Henderson would get free to snap crosses into the box or make diagonal runs to free up the forwards.

Of course possibly the biggest goal in Rapids history prior to last year was scored by Chris Henderson. In the 1997 Western Conference final Colorado was facing Dallas (the first of five times in the playoffs). Back then the playoffs were a best of 3 series and Colorado had upset Dallas in Dallas in game 1. Game 2 in Colorado was tied 1-1 with 3 minutes to play, with Game 3 back in Dallas looming on the horizon. Then Henderson side-volleyed a cross into the back of the net to give the Rapids the game-winning goal and their first ever berth in MLS Cup. That was as close as Colorado got to a championship until Kandji blew out his ACL getting the Rapids the MLS Cup.

Full Champions League Schedule Released

2011-08-09T18:43:00.002-06:00

The full schedule for the CONCACAF Champions League was released today. The Rapids schedule is (all game times are 8pm MDT except for the final game):

August 17th - Isidro Metapan - DSG Park

August 23rd - @Real Espana - San Pedro Sula, Honduras

September 13th - Santos Laguna - DSG Park

September 21st - Real Espana - DSG Park

September 28th - @Isidro Metapan -Metapan, El Salvador

October 19th - @Santos Laguna - Torreon, Mexico - 6pm MDT

A tough draw with the final two games on the road. We really want to be at at least 9 points before those games.

Colorado is now at the point of the season where they need to make some decisions about which games to focus on and which games to rest some of the best players. There's no way the starting XI can play all 15 games in the next 2.5 months. Here's the combined schedule, in three sections (CCL games in italics).

Sat. Aug. 13th @San Jose

Wed. Aug 17th Isidro Metapan

Sat. Aug 20th Chivas USA

Tue. Aug 23rd @Real Espana

Sat. Aug 27th @Chicago

I think the Rapids need to go for the home wins against Isidro Metapan and Chivas USA. The tough part is the quick turnaround after the Chivas game to get to Honduras. Hopefully the Rapidswill do well enough against Chivas to pull some key players early int he second half. Colorado should put the best lineup possible out against Real Espana without sacrificing the Chivas game. For the road games in San Jose and Chicago the plan should be a mix of reserves and starters.

Fri. Sept. 9th @LA

Tue. Sept. 13th Santos Laguna

Sat. Sept. 17th @Toronto

Wed. Sept. 21st Real Espana

Sat. Sept. 24th San Jose

Wed. Sept. 28th @Isidro Metapan

Sat. Oct. 1st Dallas

Ouch, that's 7 games in 23 days. At least there's only two long road trips in this period. The Rapids should prioritize the 4 home games and not worry at all about the trip to LA. Santos Laguna is going to be hard to beat anywhere, but we really need 3 points from that one. The Rapids should be able to win any of the last 4 games in this run, but winning them all in such a short period is unlikely at best. If the Rapids have at least 9 points going into El Salvador then a draw is all they probably need to worry about to advance and the can focus on the San Jose and Dallas matches on either side of the Isidro Metapan game. If they have less than 9 points they'll need to go for the win, and (as much as this pains me) they need to accept a loss or draw to Dallas at home in the following game.

Fri. Oct. 14th FSL

Wed. Oct. 19th @Santos Laguna

Sat. Oct. 22nd @Vancouver

Hopefully by this last week of the season we'll be in a position where we've clinched a playoff spot and one of the top 2 spots in the CCL group stage. Which of those we've failed to do (if any) will play a large part in determining the priorities for this week. Obviously if we haven't clinched a top 2 spot in the CCL the Santos Laguna game will be huge. Lets hope we don't need a win because I don't see us getting one in Mexico. If we still need to clinch a playoff spot the game in Vancouver is probably a better chance than the home game against FSL, given our track record.

With these priorities I see 46-49 points as a likely finish in the league, which should be more than enough to make the playoffs. I think the CCL has less room for error, but I can see us getting 9-11 points even with this schedule, which would put us right on the edge of qualifying for the knockout rounds.

Mullan Golazo, Cyanide Take Down Crew

2011-08-08T20:36:00.002-06:00

The Rapids continued their dominance over the East with another win over the current Eastern leaders. The Rapids are 5-10-1 against the East, with the only loss being in Columbus and 3 of the 5 wins being over teams who were leading the East at the time of the game. That seems appropriate for the defending Eastern Conference Champions. ;)

The first half was really quiet. Seriously, I didn't watch a single replay in the first half from my recording, I jumped straight to the second. The second started with Mendoza getting behind Marshall at the top of the box and going to ground. Marshall may have clipped him, hard to tell for sure from the replay, but it wasn't hard enough to draw a PK call.

In the 55th minute Thompson played a square ball to an unmarked Mullan who took two touches, looked up and realized nobody was closing him down, and slammed it into the top corner to give Colorado the 1-0 lead. Amazingly this was his first goal as a Rapid, something I had to look up for myself because I couldn't believe it. Easiest assist Thompson's ever gotten as well.

The closest the Crew got to scoring was in the 74th minute as Mendoza once again got behind the back line, but Pickens was up to the challenge. The rebound was scooped up by Marshall and played out and Columbus never got another look at goal.

Cyanide would finish the scoring in the 79th minute. Nyassi stole the ball and turnned towards goal. as he reached the top of the box he played a through ball right into Cummings' stride, and Omar first-timed it inside the far post for the assurance goal. This was the 5th goal that one of them has scored with an assist from the other one in the last 4 games. After that the Rapids ran the clock out and took a much needed shutout and home win.

My key to the game was the defenses. Colorado locked everybody down and Pickens only had to make one big save. Meanwhile as expected Cyanide pealed apart the Crew defense for a goal and Mullan's golazo was a nice way to get the scoring started.

Stat of the Game: Wallace's 2 minutes is the shortest appearance by a player that had to be subbed out in Rapids history. The prior record holder was Jason Moore who started a game and left in the 4th minute. The prior record for a substitute was 7 minutes by Seth Trembly.

Other Observations:

Probably the most complete game we've seen from all 11 positions in years. Everyone was playing well and making things work.
The Nyassi-Cummings combo comes through again. Since Nyassi took over as a starter for the injured Casey, the combo has setup or scored 7 of the Rapids 10 goals.
Class VI was in a perfect position to watch Mullan's golazo sail off his foot and into the upper 90. Another great looking Rapids goal.
Drew Moor will tie the MLS ironman record if he played the full game in San Jose.
Always a good game when your goalkeeper lets in no goals and only has to make one save.
Class VI sang Ginger Ninja Happy Birthday. Drew Moor seemed to appreciate it. ;)
No good deed goes unpunished as Nyassi and Cummings are heading to Gambia and China respectively to play for their National teams on Wednesday. That leaves their availability for Saturday's game in San Jose questionable.

Player of the Game: Brian Mullan. Hard to pick a player for this one because everyone played a solid game, so I wimped out and went with the easy choice.

Annual YMCA Game

2011-08-04T17:24:00.002-06:00

Call them the bananas, call them the Village People, call them traffic cones, or call them the Crew. Whatever you call them, they're in town to play the Rapids tomorrow night. Columbus is the top team in the East but are level on points with the Rapids. The last two times Colorado has played a team from the East they were on top of the table and the Rapids beat them. Let's hope that streak continues. Game time tomorrow is at 7:30, with the tailgate starting at 5:30. The match will be nationally televised on FOX Soccer Channel.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Caleb Folan; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Sanna Nyassi; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

We may see MLS Cup hero Macoumba Kandji back this week! Let's make sure we give him a huge welcome back if he does get int the game. The Crew are much more beat up than us, which is a nice change. My guess at the starting lineup looks pretty familiar:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo- Larentowicz - Smith/Thompson

Nyassi - Cummings

Clearly our best XI right now. Why do anything else?

Key To Look For: The defenses. The Rapids have one of the worst defenses int he league, while Columbus has one of the best. However that's reversed when considering the offenses. If the Rapids can crack the Crew defense while shoring up their back line they should get a victory.

Prediction: 1-0 win, goal by Cummings. Columbus defense is good, but the speed to Cyanide will break it once. I think the Rapids defense is starting to get itself back under control and the home field advantage (both in fans and altitude) will be enough to keep a week Columbus offense off the board.

CONCACAF Champions League Group Completed

2011-08-03T18:23:00.003-06:00

Tonight the Rapids final opponents in the CONCACAF Champions League were settled. Along with Colorado, Real Espana qualified directly into the group stage as the Honduran 2010 Apertura champion. We will be joined by Isidro Metapan, the El Salvadoran 2010 Apertura champion after they defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders due to away goals 3-3 in the qualification round, and Santos Laguna, the Mexican 2010 Apertura 2010 runner-up after they defeated Olimpia 4-3 in the qualification round.

Colorado has announced the first part of the schedule for the CCL. Tickets for the first match go on sale on Friday, season ticket holders will presumably be contacted tomorrow about buying their seats.

August 17th - Rapids vs. Isidro Metapan - DSG Park - 8pm MDT
August 23rd - Rapids @ Real Espana - San Pedro Sula, Honduras - 8pm MDT
September 13th-15th - Presumably Santos Laguna
September 20th-22nd
September 27th-29th
October 18th-20th

Colorado Gets Very Definition Of Ugly Win

2011-08-01T20:15:00.003-06:00

The Rapids used two of the prettiest goals you'll see all season to get an ugly win in Philly. The heat and humidity gave the home team an advantage and they took full advantage, controlling play and out-shooting Colorado.

Despite that, it was the Rapids who went up first, from an unlikely source. A simple tackle played the ball out of bounds where Mullan grabbed it to restart play. After looking for an outlet Pablo made a run towards the box and nobody marked him. Mullan saw the opening and hit him with a perfect throw-in. Mastroeni chested it down, cut inside the Philly defender with his right foot, and curved the ball around Mondragon for a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute. As far as pure skill and ball control, probably the best looking goal of Pablo's career.

Colorado wasn't done yet. In the 45th minute Thompson broke up an attack in the Rapids defensive end. He hit Cummings at midfield and Omar headed towards goal. Near the top of the box the Union defense closed him down but Cummings was able to slip a ball through just as Nyassi broke the offside trap. Sanna hit a first time shot to the far post and Colorado had a 2-0 lead at halftime.

The second half was mainly Colorado trying to absorb the heat and the Philly attack to claim 3 points. Their job got easier in the 64th minute. Thompson slid in on Sheanon Williams and knocked him tot he ground. Williams went down calling for a card, but also embellishing the contact. On replay Thompson probably deserved a yellow for the foul, but the AR waved off the foul call. Williams jumped up and yelled at the AR, and the CR came over to break it up. Williams turned and swore at the CR, drawing a yellow card. In reaction to the card Williams swore at the CR again, generating a red card. Honestly the red card was probably unfair, but given that Sheanon Williams was the same guy who spent the Philly game in Colorado getting booed by the whole stadium, then tweeted the next day we were a bunch of HATERS, I can't feel too bad about it. ;)

Even down a man the Union seemed to be the better team, peppering the Rapids goal and forcing Matt Pickens to come up big on multiple occasions. Finally the Union broke through when Torres beat Drew Moor and Marvell Wynne in the box, leaving him a wide open shot on goal. Pickens couldn't do much and Philly got it to 1 goal in stoppage time. With the final kick of the game a cross found Torres at the 6-yard box, but his header went right at Pickens and he parried it away to preserve the win. Matt collapsed after the final whistle, having been fighting the effect of heat exhaustion since late in the first half.

My key to the game was if Smith would tinker with the lineup or give us the best chance to win. with the exception of Jamie Smith, unavailable due to injury, he put the best eleven out there and we won.

Other Observations:

I don't think you can over-emphasize the effect of the heat and humidity on the Rapids. By the last quarter of the game they were playing more slow and sluggish than I think I've ever seen them.
Folan came into the game up 2, not up 3 like I said last week. ;) Unfortunately for him he pulled his groin late in the game.
Cummings and Nyassi appear to be the new Cummings and Casey. Cummings has 4 assists on 4 Nyassi goals in the last 3 games, and Nyassi set up 2 of the other 4 goals the Rapids have scored with unofficial assists.
If Cummings and Casey were C+C Goal Factory, what are Cummings and Nyassi? Suggestions so far are NC-17 or Cyanide (CN is the chemical formula for cyanide).
Great game form Pablo yet again. Anyone who says he's past it isn't paying attention.
Palguta game in for Marshall, who was obviously gassed and nursing a hurt groin. He gave up a stupid free kick on an intentional handball. That's why he's not starting except in the case of injury.
On top of the injuries to Folan and Marshall Pablo also pulled his calf. We could be walking wounded next week.
Next week we'll hopefully have Mac Kandji back though, so that's a boost.

Player of the Game: Matt Pickens. 5 saves and everyone of them was a big time save I think. Two huge ones in the last 8 minutes and stoppage time, including the final kick of the game. All this while fighting the effects of the heat.

Rapids In Philly To Face Cheesesteaks

2011-07-28T19:18:00.002-06:00

Well they also have to play the Union, but I'm guessing that at least a couple of the guys will take the opportunity to try a cheesesteak. Its somewhat of a homecoming for the Ginger Ninja as he went to high school and college in the Philly area. The Rapids get the honor of being FOX Soccer Channel's Game of the Week tomorrow night, kickoff is at 5:30. Class VI and the Pid Army will be gathering at the Streets of London for this one.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear); MF Brian Mullan (lower back spasms); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); MF Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain); DF Anthony Wallace (R quad strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Sanna Nyassi; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

Good to see Kandji moving up to the probable status, but I'm guessing we won't see him until next week. Smith is always a question mark of course. Philly is only missing one player so they'll have the advantage there. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo- Larentowicz - Smith/Thompson

Nyassi - Cummings

Any other lineup than this one makes no sense at this point. Put our best XI out there and play.

Key To Look For: Does Smith tinker with the lineup or does he give us the best chance to win? His decisions have been hit or miss the last couple of weeks, let's hope he settles down.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Cummings. Philly is a good team, but I''m not sure they're as good as some people are making them out to be. We're equal on points (but Philly has 4 games in hand) but the Union leads the weaker Eastern Conference. They have the second best defense in the league but I think the speed of Nyassi and Cummings can pull it apart. I still have no faith in our defense getting a shutout though.

Rapids All-Time Team: Right Midfielder

2011-07-27T19:38:00.004-06:00

The starting right midfielder for the Rapids All-Time Team is Anders Limpar.

How Acquired: Signed as a free agent from Swedish side AIK.

Years In Colorado: 1999 through 2000

How Departed: Left as a free agent, signed but never played for Swedish side Djurgardens IF before retiring

Our first international player in the All-Time team, Anders Limpar might be a bit of a surprise in this position. Most of the All-Time team involves players who spent significantly more time in Colorado than Limpar. While Anders only played in 36 games over two years (mainly due to injury), his class when he was available was second maybe only to the all-time left midfielder, who we'll discuss next week.

In his time in Colorado Limpar was the perfect winger for a team who's offense was designed around crossing the ball. The Swede would bring the ball down the right wing and whip cross after cross into the box. This lead to the odd stat that in 2 years Limpar had one more shot on goal than he had assists on actual goals. His 15 assists in 36 games means he was setting up a goal in just over every two games. When you consider he often didn't play a full 90 minutes his average increases to assisting on a goal every 1.8 games. That's the best ratio in Rapids history for a player with 5 or more assists! Not only that, he was playing on a team where there was no star striker as nobody had more than 10 goals in a season while he was here.

Of course the most notable assist in Limpar's Rapids career was the setup for Marcelo Balboa's legendary bicycle kick in Columbus in 2000. Because you can never see it enough, here it is again:

Power Of Jameson Night Plays Out In Odd Ways

2011-07-25T20:20:00.002-06:00

The Jameson tradition continued as the Rapids are still undefeated against New England when Jameson Night is held. Saturday night though the Jameson power resulted in a very odd game. Two PK's, a 70 yard goal, and a goal off a throw-in all combined for a 2-2 draw.

The Rapids had complete control of the first half, with the Revolution really only making one good foray into the Rapids attacking third. Unfortunately that foray resulted in the only goal of the half. Off a throw-in the ball was headed on and found an unmarked Benny Feilhaber who headed the ball down past Pickens for a 1-0 lead. For the rest of the half Colorado continued to control the game but couldn't turn that control into goals.

The second half was when things got a little strange. It started with Cummings and Nyassi teaming up again to get Sanna in on goal, only to have him tripped from behind. A clear red card and penalty, which Folan converted to level the score. 17 minutes later Kimura scored his first goal of the season...from 70 yards! There was less than 10 minutes left and Koz was playing a long ball to try to get Folan or Cummings behind the defense. Instead Revs keeper Matt Reis misread it, let it bounce in front of him, and over his head into the net. Needless to say all 12,000+ fans at the Dick had their jaws on the floor. The power of Jameson's!

Just when the Rapids thought they had stumbled into 3 points the momentum switched. In the 90th minute Scott Palguta challenged for a ball at the top of the box and got more of the Revs forward than the ball. A PK was called and converted to level the score. The Rapids made an attempt to get the win but the game ended in a draw.

My key to the game was if the Cummings - Nyassi combo was a one time thing or a new partnership. Gary Smith decided to sit Cummings down for a half to rest him so it was hard to tell, but the Rapids were more dangerous when they were working together.

Other Observations:

I have no idea why Gary Smith rested Cummings int eh first half. He only played 62 minutes on Wednesday and had 3 assists. If for some reason he only had 45 minutes in him, why not start him and sub him off at half instead of the other way around?
Setting up for the throw-in that led to the Revs goal, Jake (sitting next to me) yelled "Hey Wells, Feilhaber is their best guy, don't leave him so much space!". 5 seconds later the unmarked Feilhaber put the ball in the back of the net.
Colorado had no hurry to their game until New England scored. The Rapids were happy to control play in midfield without making many dangerous attempts on goal. That cost them when they went behind.
The PK call on Palguta was a bit soft, but it wasn't a horrible call.
There were a number of questionable calls in the game, but that's not what cost us the win. The lack of pressure in our play left us in a position where a bad play by Palguta cost us 2 points.
Folan shouldn't see the field again unless the Rapids are up or down by 3 goals. He adds nothing to the attack and if the ball isn't played perfectly to him he doesn't try.
Just a bizarre game. A draw was probably a fair result, but there were times when it looked like we were going to lose and win this one.

Player of the Game: Pablo Mastroeni. When things worked they worked because they went through Pablo. New England's offense was also stymied int he midfield, largely due to Pablo's play (along with Larentowicz).

10th Annual Jamesons Night!

2011-07-22T19:33:00.002-06:00

The New England Revolution are in town tomorrow and long-time Rapids fans know what that means, Jamesons Night! (Go here for the history of this fan tradition) Both teams are coming off of mid-week wins, so they have momentum but may be tired. Game time tomorrow at the Dick is 7pm, so the kegs will be tapped at the tailgate at 4pm and the grills fired up at 5pm. Jameson Whiskey will, of course, be served. For those of you missing the celebrations, the game will be on Altitude.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear)

QUESTIONABLE: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); DF Danny Earls (L quadriceps contusion); MF Brian Mullan (lower back spasms); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); DF Anthony Wallace (R quad strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; MF Pablo Mastroeni; DF Drew Moor; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

No change to the injury report since Tuesday, so I'm not expecting many lineup changes. New England is only missing one player due to injury, so they should be pretty close to full strength. My guess at what we'll see:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo- Larentowicz - Smith/Thompson

Nyassi - Cummings

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 3rd game in a week you would expect some of the starters to get a rest but according to Gary Smith earlier today nobody wants to stay on the sideline. Jamie Smith is still a game time decision so I expect Thompson being ready to take his spot again. Otherwise go with what worked on Wednesday.

Key To Look For: Cummings + Nyassi, flash int he pan or a new partnership being built? We've seen a number of strikers come in and have a great game early on, without being able to repeat it. Are we going to see that pattern hold or will Nyassi become the go to guy?

Prediction: 2-0 win, goals by Nyassi and Cummings. The Revs are a bad team playing their second road game in 4 days. Colorado should be able to control this game and get a win. Given their struggles this could be the game where the defense gets a much needed shutout, and the speed of Nyassi and Cumming should be able to burn the New England defense.

Ladies And Gentlemen, Sanna Nyassi!

2011-07-21T17:29:00.002-06:00

Apparently Sanna Nyassi saw an opportunity with Casey's injury to claim a starting spot and he took full advantage. He was a couple of inches short of a first-half hat-trick, but got his hat-trick and staked the Rapids to a 4-0 lead right after half. After that it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

Nyassi got the game started with a bang, as he played a 1-2 with Cummings at the top of the box and slammed it home for a 1-0 lead after just 77 seconds. NY would quickly try to level the score, with Dane Richards getting a good look but putting it over the bar and Henry getting a cross right in front of the box that Pickens parried away (And Thompson almost put back in for an own goal!). Int he 26th minute Nyassi closed on an open ball 35 yards out and fired one in, just to hit the inside of the post and bounce out. Thompson was there to clean up the rebound (possibly with a hand ball), and double the lead. 4 minutes later Nyassi took a pass from Cummings, split 4 different Red Bull defenders, and made it 3 goals in the opening 30 minutes for the Rapids.

Things quieted down after that with both teams getting some possession in and the Rapids coming up with a couple of good chances but not converting. After the break it was more of the same with Cummings and Nyassi making the NY defense work. In the 61st minute Nyassi again took a pass from Omar, put it past the NY defense, and ran past everyone to beat the keeper to it, sliding it inside the near post for his hat-trick and a 4-0 lead. Thierry Henry is too good a player to keep out of a play completely and he followed up a shot unmarked and beat Pickens from the top of the area to get one back, but despite a couple of close chances that's all NY could get. Colorado ceded possession but not goals for the last quarter of the game and took their 4-1 win.

My key to the game was how well Cummings pairs with whomever started in Casey's place. Omar got 3 assists on 3 goals by his strike partner, so I think they partnered fine. ;)

Stats Of The Game:

Cummings 3 assists tied the team record for assists in a game
Nyassi's 3 goals and 1 assist was the best single-game offensive output in team history. The only other Rapids to be involved in 4 goals was Henry Zambrano in 2000 at New England. he had 2 goals and 2 assists. 3 goals and 1 assist is more impressive than 2 of each in my opinion.

Other Observations:

I blamed a lot of the loss in Seattle on Gary Smith. Everyone was questioning his decision to start Nyassi, at least for the first 76 seconds of the game. Now he looks like a super genius. ;)
Wells Thompson, aka Supercuts, was very lucky to be on the field to score his goal. He had an early tackle on Solli that should have been at least a yellow and could have easily been a red.
That said, that's two games in a row with a goal, so he's off the bad list for a while.
Pablo and Larentowicz didn't allow anything to develop in midfield, they forced all the play to the outside.
Kimura and Mullan double-teamed Henry to the point of pretty much making him a non-factor in the game.
Kimura in particular obviously didn't care who Henry was, I love seeing that in a defender.
Ballouchy getting a yellow for diving was hilarious.
Since Nyassi got the start and Folan and Akpan were the subs, I think we can say Amarikwa is the low man on the striker totem pole (which is actually the position of honor, regardless of how the phrase is used).
Great job by the fans last night as well!

Player of the Game: Sanna Nyassi. Need I say more?

Rapids Face NY Without Casey

2011-07-19T17:57:00.003-06:00

The picture has nothing to do with our opponent, but I found it funny. Its from an article about Wynne and Earls going to the Cat Care Society to help them celebrate their 30th anniversary. Cat Care is also where we adopted our cat from.

As reported earlier today, Conor Casey's season is over. Tomorrow the Rapids have to figure out how to handle the remaining 13 games plus the 6 Champions League games without him. The first challenge, Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls. A (thankfully) rare weekday home game at the Dick, which means a 7:30 start. Tailgate starts at 5 and for those people unable to make it tot he game it will be on Altitude.

Injury Report:

OUT: FW Conor Casey (L Achilles tear)

QUESTIONABLE: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); DF Danny Earls (L quadriceps contusion); MF Brian Mullan (lower back spasms); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); DF Anthony Wallace (R quad strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: MF Pablo Mastroeni (3 games good behavior)

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; DF Drew Moor; MF Wells Thompson; DF Anthony Wallace

The injury report was getting better, until the news on Casey today. NY is missing 3 players, including one of their DP's, Rafa Marquez. My guess at the new post-Casey starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - Pablo- Larentowicz - Smith

Folan - Cummings

There are no great options to replace Casey, but Folan seems to be the logical choice. The rest of the starting XI is set at this point, assuming everyone is healthy.

Key To Look For: How well Cummings pairs with whomever is next to him. Omar is now the key to the offense and he needs to get it figured out quickly.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Cummings. NY is a good team and the Rapids look like a bit of a mess at the moment. I have no faith in the defense shutting down Henry and Co., but I think you'll see a significant improvement from our performance in Seattle. Playing at home the Rapids will find a way to get a goal, but without Casey I don't see them scoring more than one.

Casey Out 8-10 Months With Torn Achilles

2011-07-19T10:07:00.002-06:00

Just being reported by the Denver Post. Say goodbye to our Champions League chances, its going to be a struggle just to make the playoffs now.

Rapids Defense Slashed Apart By Sounders

2011-07-18T18:04:00.002-06:00

As I predicted, the Rapids lost in Seattle by a goal. As I didn't predict it was a 4-3 goal-fest instead of the expected defensive battle. The Rapids got off to a good start, with a Wells Thompson goal off a lazy Seattle clearance in the first 5 minutes. Not surprisingly Colorado gave the lead right back within 5 minutes as the back line was beaten again, for at least the 3rd time in the first 10 minutes. This pattern would continue.

In the 38th minute Casey went down due to a non-contact injury to his Achilles. I'm not sure you can blame the turf laid over the field for the ManU friendly this week for the injury, but it didn't help matters. He was immediately subbed out for Folan, and a MRI was taken today. 5 minutes later Wells Thompson laid a ball back to Ginger Ninja and he pinged it off the post and into the goal to put the Rapids up at half.

Again though, the lead would only last about 5 minutes, as in the first 3 minutes after the break the high defensive line would be beat again for Seattle to get it second. The teams would settle down for most of the second half with Seattle continuing to slip behind the Rapids defense, but the defense recovering to prevent any goals. Unfortunately there were only so many times the back line could recover, and twice between the 82nd and 84th minute they would get burned. Suddenly a 2-2 draw turned into a 4-2 Sounders lead. Colorado would steal one back int he 90th minute after a loose ball found its way to Folan on the back post, but it was too little too late.

My key to the game was the midfield. As expected Pablo and Ginger controlled the center of the midfield, but the loss of Smith before the game and Mullan not travelling left the wings to be exploited, and Seattle took full advantage.

Other Observations:

I place a lot of this loss on Gary Smith. The Rapids high defensive line was getting slashed apart in the first minutes of the game, and Smith never changed strategies.
Not only that, but when Jaime Smith pulled up with a tight hamstring in pre-game warm-ups, Gary Smith's decision to leave Mullan at home backfired. Its bad enough to play without one of our two starting wingers, but to play with both killed us.
If Casey's injury keeps him out for more than a couple of games we're probably going to kiss any hope of a high finish goodbye. We can expect to be playing in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Kimura is being scouted this month by the Japanese National team. Lets hope they didn't see the first Seattle goal where Koz got turned inside out.
Moor did not have a great game at left back, Seattle was attacking him all game. I expect that's a one time thing though.
Nyassi, pass the #$##$! ball. He seems to want to try to beat 2 players instead of finding the open man.
Cummings was named an All-Star today. I'm assuming that's a makeup for leaving him out of the roster the last two years because he hasn't played well enough to deserve it, and that continued this game. He was pretty much invisible.
Great goal by Larentowicz, and generally a good game from him. Taunting the fans after the goal may not have been the smartest move, but I got a laugh out of it.
Pickens is coming up with some great saves, but he's leaving rebounds right in front of net. We've gotten burned on them and we'll continue to get burned if he can't punch them out further or hold onto them.

Player of the Game: Wells Thompson. A goal and an assist makes it his best game this year, possibly his best game as a Rapid.

Mullan Grudge Match In Seattle

2011-07-15T17:11:00.002-06:00

Might as well accept it. Regardless of the actual facts tomorrow the Rapids are going to be the evil thugs who are single-handedly bringing down the level of play in MLS while Seattle while Seattle is the shining example of all that is good in MLS.

OK, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. Colorado heads to Seattle tomorrow for the teams first match-up since Mullan's horrible tackle on Zakuani. Due to his back spasms, the fact the Rapids are healthy except for Kandji, the schedule (3 games this week), and a possibility of threats from Seattle fans that the Rapids FO was taking seriously a month or so ago, Brian Mullan has been left in Colorado. That's not going to change the reaction the defending champs will get form the fans in CenturyLink Field though. Due to a Mariners game next door in Safeco Field (scheduled to be Happy Felix Day!) at 7pm, kickoff for the Rapids tomorrow is 2pm MDT. The game will be nationally televised on FOX Soccer Channel and Class VI and the Pid Army are gathering at the Highlands Tavern to watch the game.

Injury Report:

QUESTIONABLE: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear); DF Danny Earls (L quadriceps contusion)

PROBABLE: MF Brian Mullan (lower back spasms); MF Joseph Nane (R shoulder strain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); DF Anthony Wallace (R quad strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Conor Casey; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; DF Drew Moor; DF Anthony Wallace

As mentioned, Mullan will not be available for this game. Kandji is the only other player not available for selection. Seattle has 3 players unavailable, all likely starters. Most of the starting XI is fairly obvious, but my guess:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Nyassi - Pablo- Larentowicz - Smith

Casey - Cummings

I'd like to see LaBauex starting in Mullan's place, but back in Seattle I think Smith will go with the former Sounder. The other 10 spots are very obvious.

Key To Look For: This game will be won or lost in midfield. Seattle might have the best full midfield in the league, but Colorado has (IMO) the best 1-2 punch of defensive mids in Mastroeni and Larentowicz. The team that can get the ball through the midfield to its strikers in dangerous positions will win.

Prediction: 1-0 loss. Honestly I can see a 0-0 or 1-1 draw happening too, but I just have a sense that this game will be ugly soccer in midfield with neither team getting a lot of good chances. The wild card will be the grass laid over the normal turf field and I think an odd bounce will fool the Rapids and give the Sounders a goal.

Rapids All-Time Team: Defensive Midfielder

2011-07-13T19:56:00.005-06:00

The starting defensive midfielder for the Rapids All-Time Team is Pablo Mastroeni.

How Acquired: First pick in 2002 Allocation draft from the contracted Miami Fusion.

Years In Colorado: 2002 through current day

How Departed: Still with the team

Next to Balboa, this was the easiest pick on the team. The Rapids essentially have two eras in their history, the Balboa era and the Pablo era. Combined they have been on the roster for every game in team history. Mastroeni is currently the team record holder in games played, games started, and minutes. He played his 200th regular-season match for the Rapids a few weeks ago, the first Colorado player to reach that mark. Not surprisingly he's also the all-time leader in both yellow and red cards, with almost twice as many as the next closest players (Beckerman, Borchers, and Ihemelu).

Pablo is also one of only two Rapids (again, along with Balboa) to play in the World Cup as a member of the team. He stepped in at the last minute in 2002 for an injured Chris Armas and helped take the National Team to their best finish at the World Cup since 1930. That solidified his spot as a regular starter for the Nats for the next 6+ years, including the 2006 World Cup team. While he never officially retired from international play he hasn't played for the team since early in 2009 and it appears his time at that level is over.

In his time with the Rapids Pablo has been one of, if not the, best defensive midfielders in the league and, barring injury, an automatic starter. Mastroeni has been the team captain for the last 6+ years, including captaining the team to their first MLS Cup last year. He's reportedly had chances to move abroad, being linked most recently with teams in Spain and Italy when his last contract expired in 2008 however he chose to stay with the Rapids and finish his career here.

You simply can not put together an all-time Rapids team without including Pablo Mastroeni.

Rapids Drench The Whitecaps

2011-07-11T17:42:00.002-06:00

To quote my game preview:

2-1 win, goals by Casey and Cummings. C+C Goal Factory find their rhythm and put the Rapids up 2, but the defense continues to have at least one breakdown a game to make things interesting in the second half.

That's pretty much what happened. Palguta got the second goal instead of Cummings, but otherwise I was dead on. The Rapids controlled most of the first half and midway through Casey took advantage. Jamie Smith played a great cross into the box and an onrushing Conor chested it down to his right foot and knocked it across his body to the far post for a 1-0 lead. As is typical for the Rapids they almost gave the lead right back on a close shot, but other than that they took the lead into half pretty much uncontested.

The second half started much like the first. In the 54th minute Folan scuffed a cross from Koz, but Casey jumped on it, got former Rapids keeper Joe Cannon on the ground, but couldn't hit the tight angle into the empty net. It was close enough that the goal music started and the cannon was fired. 14 minutes later Smith crossed a free kick into the box and Casey headed it towards goal, only for Cannon to push it away. Luckily it fell right to Palguta's feet and all he had to do was chip it over the prone Cannon to double the Rapids lead. After the goal Colorado relaxed a bit and Vancouver took control of the game. In the 77th minute the Whitecaps made it pay off. A great show of passing and finding where the Rapids weren't left Sanvezzo rounding a prone Pickens and hitting the back of the net. The Whitecaps continued to keep things interesting before Colorado could see out the rest of the time for their first home win in over 3 months.

My key to the game was controlling the game start to finish. They didn't quite get that done, but they controlled the majority of the game, and against an expansion team, that was enough.

Other Observations:

Jamie Smith had a great game and if it weren't for Casey doing even better on the end of his crosses Smith would have been the Man of the Match.
No one defender was to blame for the goal, it was a well worked sequence where Vancouver pulled everyone out of position and exploited the holes.
Folan had a better game, but still isn't gelling with the team.
Similarly Cummings hasn't re-found his touch this season. He's still the second best forward on the team by a good margin, but C+C Goal Factory isn't there yet.
Wells Thompson had a solid game, nothing more, but that's a step forward.
Wallace must have insulted Gary Smith's wife or something. There's no reason Earls should be starting in front of him.
Palguta had a good game, but he shouldn't be playing in front of Wallace either.
Hopefully this is the start of a run, but the Mullan revenge match next week could be ugly.

Player of the Game: Conor Casey. One goal, one unofficial assist, and one almost goal. He was a monster out there and looks like he wants to put the team on his back and carry them the rest of the season.

Choppy Waters Ahead!

2011-07-08T19:56:00.003-06:00

The Rapids get their first look at the team trying to swamp their control of water nicknames in MLS, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Essentially you've got turbulent river water versus turbulent sea water at the Dick tomorrow. Vancouver just traded for former Rapid Jordan Harvey, so we may see him back at the Dick for a second time this year (he already played for Philly last month). Game time tomorrow is at 5pm and the tailgate kegs will be tapped at 4, with the grills being fired up at 5. For those of you unable to make it the game will be on Altitude.

Injury Report:

QUESTIONABLE: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); MF Brian Mullan (lower back spasms); MF Joseph Nane (R shoulder strain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); MF Jamie Smith (R calf strain); DF Anthony Wallace (R quad strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: MF Pablo Mastroeni

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Conor Casey; MF Ross LaBauex; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; DF Drew Moor; DF Anthony Wallace

No official change to the injury report for tomorrow, though all reports are that if he wasn't suspended Pablo wouldn't be able to play anyway. Vancouver has 6 players injured or suspended so they're hurting more than we are. My guess on the lineup:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Mullan - LaBauex- Larentowicz - Smith

Casey - Cummings

I think that after a week's rest and not travelling to KC both Mullan and Smith will be able to go. Other than that the starting XI is fairly obvious. LaBauex has been the best player off the bench, though I wouldn't be shocked to see Nane starting instead.

Key To Look For: Expansion team, at home, with 10 of 11 starters available. There's no reason the Rapids shouldn't control this game start to finish.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Casey and Cummings. C+C Goal Factory find their rhythm and put the Rapids up 2, but the defense continues to have at least one breakdown a game to make things interesting in the second half.

Change Of Location, Same Result

2011-07-07T18:54:00.002-06:00

Before I get to the game review I wanted to mention that the Rapids have announced some of their pre-season plans for next year. They've been invited to be the MLS representative in the new Hawai'ian Islands Invitational Tournament in February. The other teams invited are the J-League's (Japan) Yokohama FC, the K-League's (South Korea) Incheon United, and the A-League's (Australia) Melbourne Heart.

Now on to last night's game. Just over a month ago the Rapids hosted Sporting KC, Casey scored in the first half, Sporting equalized in the second, and the teams settled for a 1-1 draw. Last night in KC Casey scored in the first half, Sporting equalized in the second, and the teams settled for a 1-1 draw. Colorado looked strong in the first half, with the C+C Goal Factory settling back into their familiar partnership. The big hit for the Rapids came in the 12th minute as Pablo slid into a tackle and Roger Espinoza collapsed on his leg. Pablo, correctly, got a yellow for the bad tackle which will see him suspended for the next game, but he also got a hyper-extended right knee which will probably keep him out longer. Mastroeni tried to play through it but 18 minutes later he was subbed out for Nane. 2 minutes after the sub Casey chested down a long free kick out of the back, spun, and slammed a shot past the White Puma to put the Rapids up 1-0.

The second half was more physical and more controlled by Sporting. The big change was C.J. Sapong's entry into the game for Teal Bunbury. He immediately created a chance that Pickens had to parry, leading to KC missing the open net while Matty P was on the ground. A minute later he did it again, only this time Zusi was able to hit the open net to level the score. KC would hit the post on an attack after Pickens had to come out to make a save. The Rapids best chance came off a Nyassi free kick that everybody watching on TV was sure was in. The final attack came from KC where Jesus had to palm a deflection into the crossbar and out of play to preserve the draw.

My key to the game was could we score. Once again the Rapids could only find the back of the net once and not surprisingly, didn't win.

Stat Of The Game: Pablo's suspension for yellow card accumulation will make 14 games in a row that the Rapids have had a player suspended.

Other Observations:

Great to see the C+C Goal Factory starting again. We haven't seen it since the opener.
Nane is a No-no. Most of the passes he tried ended up with KC.
Another solid if quiet game from LaBauex. I don't expect him to be taking a starting role anytime soon, but he's showing himself to be a jack-of-all-trades in midfield.
I liked some of what I saw of Nyassi coming off the bench. I think that's a great role for him right now.
One thing I didn't like was Nyassi dribbling the ball in two circles, killing an offensive charge, before passing.
Folan still isn't working if he doesn't get the perfect ball.
In the first half you could see some of the play that got us to MLS Cup last year. We need to figure out how to do that for 90 minutes (staying healthy would help).
Its too soon to have a "must win" game, but the Vancouver game is looking pretty important.

Player of the Game: Matt Pickens. He had a couple of rebounds right in front of the net (one of which led to the goal) but he also came up big on more than one occasion to keep the Rapids in the game. And honestly, there was no defense to be seen on the goal so I can only blame him so much for that.

Colorado Makes First Visit To Livestrong Park

2011-07-05T18:42:00.002-06:00

Its appropriate that Colorado, home to the Garmin-Cervelo pro bike racing team and so many American bike racers, is going to Livestrong Park tomorrow during the first week of the Tour de France (can you tell one of my other interests is bicycle racing?). Kansas City finally got a home of their own and this will be the Rapids first look at it. A few supporters are making our second-shortest road trip, but with our shortest trip (to FSL), MLS did us no favors by making it a midweek game. For the rest of us the game will be on Altitude tomorrow starting at 6:30pm. No official Class VI/Pid Army viewing party, but I'm sure there will be groups at the Highland Tavern and the British Bulldog.

Injury Report:

QUESTIONABLE: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: FW Quincy Amarikwa

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: MF Pablo Mastroeni (1 game good behavior removes one)

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Conor Casey; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; DF Drew Moor; DF Anthony Wallace

Suddenly our injury report got much worse. 3 new players added to it since Friday. Along with a 3-game week the lineup is going to be kind of hard to figure out. 4 KC players will be missing due to injury. My guess at the starting XI:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Marshall - Moor

Nyassi - Mastroeni - Larentowicz - Thompson

Casey - Cummings

Midfield is a complete tossup. I'm guessing that Smith rests both Mullan and Smith for the game on Saturday, but who knows. I'm sure he'd like to rest Cummings but they need some firepower and he has to get C+C Goal Factory working again. I wouldn't be shocked to see Palguta play for Marshall or Wynne but I think the regular back 4 will start.

Key To Look For: Can we score? Since our 8 goals in 3 games to start the season we've only scored more than 1 twice. Not surprising we've only won twice as well. No goals means no wins.

Prediction: 2-1 loss, goal by Casey. I've seen nothing in the Rapids play over the last two months that makes me thing we're going to score more than 1. Meanwhile KC is en fuego right now. I think the short turn-around+ travel is enough to give Sporting the edge in this one, but the Rapids have proven themselves to be tenacious this year. A draw wouldn't be much of a surprise.

Rapids Save Fireworks For After The Game

2011-07-04T20:13:00.002-06:00

Well there isn't much to talk about in this game. Houston came in happy to defend and take a 0-0 draw, or get a counterattacking goal to steal a 1-0 win. Colorado carried possession most of the game and created more chances, but couldn't convert and Houston got its 0-0 draw.

My key to the game was the Rapids getting a lift from the home crowd and controlling the game. While Colorado controlled the game they were incapable of breaking down the Dynamo defense. It seems that the book is out on Colorado. If the C+C Goal Factory aren't both on the field give the Rapids possession, they can't get through a defense. Colorado was only dangerous last night off of set pieces and the occasional cross.

Stats Of The Game: It has now been more than 3 months (not the 2 that I mentioned in the game preview) since our last home win. :P

Other Observations:

Amarikwa's red card was deserved, and idiotic. You can't get in the refs face after the whistle, especially after just getting a yellow card. More stupid mental mistakes from our forwards.
I'm done with the Folan experiment. While last night was better than his last couple of appearances, he's just not on the same page as the rest of the team and he refuses to actually work for a chance. He waits for the perfect pass, and when he doesn't get it he throws his hands up instead of chasing after the ball.
Apparently last night's strategy was to turn Kimura into the cross-o-matic. I think he had more crosses than the rest of the team combined. I'm not sure why this is was the strategy, there's a reason Koz is a defender.
The best balls of the night came from Smith. Unfortunately there weren't enough of them.
Mullan got a nice welcome back without being over the top for a player returning from a suspension for a dangerous tackle.
The Rapids stadium-wide tifo looked pretty good, too bad after all that build up ESPN didn't bother to show it..

Player of the Game: Marvell Wynne. The lack of chances from both offenses made it difficult for anyone to stand out, but Wynne being back really seemed to settle down the back line. Considering the only difference between the back-line in the last two games and this one was Wynne over Earls/Palguta, and in the last two games the Rapids gave up 7 goals on poor defensive plays and in this game there were no really bad plays and Colorado pitched a shutout, Wynne seemed the best choice.

The Annual Independence Day Game Is Here!

2011-07-01T19:09:00.006-06:00

OK, so this year its on the 3rd and not the 4th, but the annual Independence Day game is upon us. Houston is in town trying to do what only two teams have done before, defeat the Rapids on the 4th (3rd) of July. The Rapids have won 11 of 15 games on this holiday weekend and tied 2. Game time on Sunday is 7pm, which means the Class Vi/Pid Army tailgate starts at 4pm and its going to be a big one this week so get there early! For those of you unable to get to the Dick, Colorado will make its first appearance on ESPN2 this year. For once I will not be watching on TV, as the move of the game from the 4th to the 3rd means I actually get to attend the game, then celebrate my 13th wedding anniversary the next day.

Injury Report:

DOUBTFUL: FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear)

PROBABLE: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); MF Joseph Nane (R shoulder strain); GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain)

Disciplinary Report:

SUSPENDED: FW Conor Casey

SUSPENDED AFTER 1 MORE CAUTION: MF Pablo Mastroeni (2 games good behavior removes one)

SUSPENDED AFTER 2 MORE CAUTIONS: FW Conor Casey; MF Jeff Larentowicz; DF Tyrone Marshall; DF Drew Moor; DF Anthony Wallace

Well once again we have a suspended player, for the 12th game in a row. That means it will be another game before the C+C Goal Factory is back on the pitch. Houston is missing 4 players to injury, so they aren't in much better shape. My guess on our lineup:

Pickens

Kimura - Moor- Marshall - Wallace

Mullan - Mastroeni - Larentowicz - Smith

Cummings - Folan

Left back is still a big question mark as long as Wynne is injured. He's not on the injury report right now, but I doubt he starts his first game back, especially since this is a 3 game week. Folan seems to be the obvious choice to fill in for the suspended Casey.

Key To Look For: The Rapids have to get a lift from the sold-out crowd. Its been 2 months since our last home win, and they need to come out and play like they own their own house. Control the game, keep the Dynamo from thinking they're in it, and put up a dominating win.

Prediction: 2-1 win, goals by Cummings and Smith. Houston's not a very good team, but I don't trust our defense to get a shutout right now. The game will be closer than it should be, but the loud crowd will give the Rapids the edge they need to win this one.

2011 Midseason Review

2011-06-30T19:21:00.003-06:00

Believe it or not this week marks the midpoint of the Rapids season. 17 games down, 17 to go (plus the CONCACAF Champion's League). Time for a midseason review then!

Goalkeeping: Matt Pickens has been his normal solid self. In fact he's come up big numerous times. He's had two iffy games but has been my Man of the Match 5 times. While the Rapids could upgrade at goalkeeper it would be to a Best XI type player, and even then the upgrade wouldn't be worth the added expense.
Grade: B

Defense: Two games ago the back-line looked damn near perfect. Colorado had given up just 14 goals in the first 15 games and the signing of Marshall was looking inspired. The last two games have seen an own goal, 3 bad giveaways leading to goals, and a total of 7 goals allowed. Drew Moor is still the ironman of the squad, playing every minute of the season again. Kimura has only missed 13 minutes himself. Marshall has been great coming off the bench to grab a starting spot by filling in for injured players. The problems have come due to instability at left back throwing off the whole group. Wallace had a shaky start to the season and seems to have been passed by Earls and Palguta, but both have had horrible games recently. with Wynne injured Marshall and Moor have had to stay inside and that's exposed this weakness. Gary Smith has said he's specifically looking for a left back in the upcoming transfer window to try to solve the issue.
Grade: C+

Midfield: The best way to describe the midfield so far is strong in the center but fragile on the wings. Larentowicz has played every minute so far, and while he hasn't always excelled he's been a steady presence. Pablo missed two games due to injury but at his age that's a pretty good track record. That means the defensive side of midfield has been solid, but the offensive side has struggled. Jamie Smith has been the MVP of the team so far, but his legs have kept him from starting 4 games and he's regularly subbed off in the second half. Along with Mullan's extended suspension this has exposed our lack of depth outside. Nyassi doesn't have great field vision and he's got a bit of a hot head, which can lead to trouble. Thompson is, at best, a late-game defensive sub. LaBauex had a couple of good games but is still inexperienced. In Gary Smith's system of two defensive midfielders and two wingers, the wings really need to generate the offense and get the ball to the forwards, at the moment it seems only Mullan and Smith can actually do that.
Grade: C-

Attack: As expected Casey and Cummings have been the class of the strike core. What wasn't expected is that they would only play together for 105 minutes int he first half of the season. They got 60 minutes before Casey was subbed in the season opener, and they got the whole second half against LA two weeks ago. Otherwise they haven't been available at the same time, which has really hurt the team. The big offseason signing, Caleb Folan, has been a bust. Smith, Larentowicz, and Casey all have more goals than him, despite Folan having played the most minutes at striker. Folan got two goals in one game, and has done nothing else. There are rumors that the Rapids have been approached by teams in England looking to by Folan, if so, they should sell. With Kandji still rehabbing from the ACL injury he received setting up the winning goal in MLS Cup Akpan and Amarikwa have gotten a good chance to show their skills. They are both works in progress, but Akpan seems to fit better than Amarikwa right now. This is a two part grade. A B for Casey and Cummings and a D- for the rest of the group.
Grade: C-

Bench: The bench has gotten a serious workout this year. Outside of left back the starting XI is pretty much set when everyone is healthy and available. Besides those 10 guaranteed starters there have been 11 other starters. That's one less than we used all of last season. Only 4 players have started every game (Larentowicz, Kimura, Moor, and Pickens) while every player that's seen game time has started at least one game. Marshall has been the best bench player so far, but Akpan, Amarikwa, and LaBauex have all had good showings. There have been a number of poor performances as well, particularly Palguta and Nane. Bringing in reinforcements in the summer transfer window should be in Smith's plans.
Grade: C

Coaching: So far Gary Smith hasn't had much decision making to make. His options for the most part have either been obvious or non-existent. While I have some quibbles, such as an over-dependence on Thompson and the disappearance of Wallace, he really hasn't had many choices due to injuries and suspensions. His first real test is coming up next month when the summer transfer window opens. This team needs help, particularly at left back and outside midfield depth, and he's going to need to go out there and find some players. After that the challenge will be balancing league play and Champions League play, doing enough to hopefully advance to the next round (playoffs/knockout rounds) in both competitions. I'm giving the coaching staff an average grade so far, but it could almost be an incomplete.
Grade: C

Overall: So far the team has been very average. Only 5 wins so far is a disappointment, but only 5 losses isn't bad considering the injuries and suspensions. The team has had two really bad games (@Dallas and @Columbus) and a couple of great home games (Portland and DC). When the team is healthy it looks like a team that could compete for MLS Cup again. When the team isn't healthy (or isn't mentally int eh game) it looks like a team that will be playing in the wild-card round of the playoffs, and probably not at home. With a .500 record and .500 play, the overall grade seems obvious.
Grade: C

Rapids All-Time Team: Left Center Back

2011-06-28T18:27:00.002-06:00

The starting left center back for the Rapids All-Time Team is Ritchie Kotschau.

How Acquired: Traded Adin Brown, Scott Vermillion, and our 2002 first round pick to Tampa Bay for Carlos Valderrama, Scott Garlick, and Richie Kotschau.

Years In Colorado: Mid 2001 through 2005

How Departed: Traded to Columbus for Cornell Glen.

This pick is probably a bit of a surprise to some readers. honestly it was a bit of a surprise to me when I sat down to figure out who should claim the third center back spot. Most of the other obvious choices either haven't spent enough time in Colorado to make the cut, or made their name with another team and their time in Colorado was nothing special. Kotschau, however, was in Colorado for the prime of his career and was one of the cornerstones of the Rapids lineup during that time.

In his 4.5 seasons with the team Richie played in 116 of 132 games, making 106 starts. He's 6th in team history in minutes, games played, and games started. Balboa is the only defender ahead of him in any of those categories. In Kotschau's last two seasons in Colorado the Rapids had the 2nd best defense each year.

Unlike his teammates on the All-Time team backline, Kotschau was a pure defender. While Vermes and Balboa were good for a couple of goals every season and were always a danger on set pieces Richie only had one goal and seven assists in his Rapids career. He averaged just over two shots on goal for a season for the team. Needless to say his job was to hang back on set pieces to prevent quick counter-attacks. Due to that though, Kotschau gave his coaches many options for using him, as he spend time on both wings and at center back. Most often he played left back but he was just as comfortable on the right or teaming up with Robin Fraser or Nat Borchers in the center.

So that's it for the All-Time Defense. A back 3 of Peter Vermes, Marcelo Balboa, and Richie Kotschau. Now its on to midfield.

On To Better Things

2011-06-27T19:07:00.008-06:00

Every year the Rapids (and most teams) play a game or two where the videotape should be burned, the game forgotten, and the team moved on. Last night was one of those games. So we're moving on to the big event of the week, the Colorado's visit to the White House. The Rapids started the day getting their championship rings:

(Photo from Anthony Wallace)

Then it was off to the White House!

Has Koz let that trophy out of his sight since we won it?

The President congratulated the team and his researchers did a good job, having him mention Mastroeni, Casey, Cummings, Kimura, Kandji, and Thompson by name. Jeff Plush then presented Obama with a #10 jersey, both to represent the Rapids winning the 2010 MLS Cup and the fact that 10 traditionally represents the leader of the team. Of course I wonder if this means Mac Kandji has to get a new number now! :D

Full video of the press event, from the White House YouTube channel:

Then it was soccer on the White House lawn with kids of military families:
All in all, a pretty good day for the Colorado Rapids, one I'm sure they'll all remember for the rest of their lives (or at least until the next time we win the Cup!).