Turmoil In The Front Office/All-Time Team Recap

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.

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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

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

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

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 All-Time Team: Speed Forward

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

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.

Rapids All-Time Team: Attacking Midfielder

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.

Rapids All-Time Team: Left Midfielder

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.

Rapids All-Time Team: Right Midfielder

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:

Rapids All-Time Team: Defensive Midfielder

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 All-Time Team: Left Center Back

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.

Rapids All-Time Team: Right Center Back

The starting right center back for the Rapids All-Time Team is Peter Vermes. Alas I could not find a picture of him in a Rapids kit, so I went with the U.S. kit instead.

How Acquired: Traded Kerry Zavagnin to the NY/NJ Metrostars for him.

Years In Colorado: 1997 through 1999

How Departed: Traded to KC along with Matt McKeon for Scott Vermillion and an allocation.

When looking at the history of Rapids defenders there are many good players but, other than Balboa, not many great players. It seems most of the really great players, Robin Fraser for example, had their best years playing elsewhere and not in Colorado. That leaves a lot of flexibility for formations and players. Because of that I've decided to go with a 3-man backline with two players flanking Balboa that could play equally well inside and outside.

Peter Vermes didn't have a long career in Colorado, but he was a rock on the backline in his 3 years with the Rapids. In the 96 regular season games those years he started 88 of them and subbed into an 89th. He only missed 7 games in 3 years, and he was still getting occasional looks from the National Team at this point in his career (he was the last man cut from the 1998 World Cup team). That's a Drew Moor level of health (Yeah, I just jinxed Moor on Saturday). 89 appearances are the 4th most by a defender in Rapids history.

Vermes also gave Mooch some flexibility in that he was capable of playing striker late in games when needed. Peter had 8 goals and 11 assists in his career (still a team career record for a defender). This gave Mooch the opportunity to mix and match his squad, adding a defender in the back late and pushing Vermes up to protect a lead, or adding a dangerous element on the back-line to combine with the starting strikers for set pieces.

Peter combined with Marcelo to give the Rapids a center back tandem that more than once also started as the center back tandem for the National Team. This gave Colorado the foundation to build a team around after their disastrous inaugural season, and the Rapids rode that foundation to an appearance in MLS Cup 1997. They would continue their partnership and lead Colorado to the 1998 and 1999 playoffs and the 1999 U.S Open Cup final, the second (and last) final appearance for the Rapids before last year's championship run. In 1999 the team also had the 4th best defense in the league, a significant upgrade from the first 3 seasons.

Vermes combination of skill, reliability, and flexibility was unique for a defender in Rapids history. That made him a leading candidate for the All-Time Team and when compared with the other options I couldn't find a better player to line up next to Balboa.

Rapids All-Time Team: Center Back

The starting center back and easiest selection in the Rapids All-Time Team is Marcelo Balboa.

How Acquired: First player ever signed by the Colorado Rapids team, on a free transfer from Leon in Mexico

Years In Colorado: 1996 through 2001

How Departed: Traded to NY for a 3rd round pick in the 2002 draft

Unlike many of the positions on this team, this one was a complete no-brainer. No All-Time Rapids team could be complete without Marcelo Balboa. The first ever Rapid and the face of the team for its first 6 years he held every significant defensive or appearance record when he left the team. Marcelo left the team in the fallout from the contraction of Miami and Tampa Bay before the 2002 season when Hankinson traded him to NY for a draft pick. Balboa played 10 minutes in the final game of the season in his only appearance for NY before retiring as a Rapid. After a year away from the team he joined the front office in 2004 and has continued to be a community ambassador for the team and the color man on the Rapids TV broadcasts.

Balboa was the only player to play the majority of their MLS career in Colorado to be named to the 10th Anniversary MLS All-Time Best XI and is the only player ever to play for the Rapids to be in the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He was also the first inductee into the Rapids Gallery of Honor. That's really all that needs to be said about his inclusion on the All-Time Team, so instead I leave you with his 2000 MLS Goal of the Year, still (in my biased opinion) the best goal ever scored in MLS.

Rapids All-Time Team: Goalkeeper

I'm starting a new feature for View From the Couch, the Rapids All-Time Team. Through the course of the season I'll roll out a starting XI of, IMO, the best Rapid player at each position. I've decided to go with a 3-4-3 over a 4-4-2 but it was close. There will also be a 7 man bench/honorable mention and a coach. There won't be any schedule for this, it will be a feature that I'll use to fill the down times in Rapids news. I'll start from the back and work forward.

The starting goalkeeper for the Rapids All-Time Team is Joe Cannon.

How Acquired: Traded 3 draft picks to San Jose for his rights.

Years In Colorado: Late 2003 through 2006

How Departed: Traded to LA for Herculez Gomez and Ugo Ihemelu.

There's a good deal of competition for this position as the Rapids have had a number of good keepers over the years. Adin Brown, Bouna Coundoul, Marcus Hahnemann, and Matt Pickens were all considerations. Joe Cannon stands above them all though. His 2004 season, his first as the Rapids #1, was hands down the best ever by a Rapids keeper. He played every minute of the season, facing a league high 187 shots and making 150 saves, only allowing 32 goals in 30 games with 10 shutouts. He single-handily kept the Rapids in multiple games. He was awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year (the only Rapids keeper ever to win the award) and was a MVP finalist.

Cannon continued as the #1 keeper in 2005 and 2006, starting 55 of the 64 games over the two seasons. Those seasons were notable for our elimination of FC Dallas in the first round of the playoffs each year, each time on a shootout in Dallas. In the 2005 shootout he saved Roberto Mina's attempt which allowed Jean-Phillpe Peguero to step up and win the series for the Rapids. In 2006 he broke up the post-game melee between Dallas keeper Dario Sala and Mike Petke. Overall Cannon had a 1.21 goals against average as a Rapid and one of the best personalities in team history.