Rapids Enter Their Death Zone

In climbing, everything above 26,000 feet is the Death Zone

In 6 competitive games in Seattle (4 in MLS, 2 in USOC). the Rapids have lost 6 times, scoring 4 goals and allowing 16.  Tomorrow the Rapids will enter their Death Zone again as they're in my hometown for a late game.  Both teams are coming off of 4th of July games, Seattle was held to a scoreless draw in Sandy.  Game time tomorrow is an unusually late 9pm MDT and the game will be nationally broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.  If you have access to Direct Kick or MDL you can watch Koz try to lead his new team against his old rivals as Portland plays FSL at 7pm MDT.

Injury Report:
OUT: MF Pablo Mastroeni (headache symptoms); DF Anthony Wallace (L Achilles tear)
PROBABLE: FW Conor Casey (R hamstring strain);  FW Omar Cummings (L ankle sprain); MF Jamie Smith (R ACL tear)

Disciplinary Report:
SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT YELLOW: MF Jeff Larentowicz
SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT 2 YELLOWS: MF Jaime Castrillon; DF Tyrone Marshall

Wynne is finally off of the in jury report and , sadly, there's no need to list Koz anymore.  So the injury looks as good as its looked all season.  Seattle has 6 players questionable or worse, including Steve Zakuani who's  possible playing time is being kept under wraps by Seattle.  My guess at the starting XI:

Casey - Cascio

Castrillon - Larentowicz - Rivero - Mullan

Zapata - Moor - Wynne - Freeman

Pickens

At this point the only real questions are if Smith is ready to start (I doubt it) and if Cummings or Cascio will start.  With Omar still fighting the ankle injury I'm guessing he gets a rest so he doesn't have to play on Seattle's turf

Key To Look For: A team game.  Every group has to be firing on all cylinders if we're going to win this one.

Prediction: 3-1 loss.  Goal by Casey.  I don't see why this Rapids team will change history and get any points in Seattle.  Seattle hasn't been playing well, but that seems to be typical when we go to Seattle and we always look over-matched there.  Casey will find a way to get a goal, but the team won't be able to control the game and the Sounders will overwhelm our iffy defense.

Deja VancoUver

First of all, read my recap of the last Vancouver game.  Now that you've done that I can skip most of my recap of this game.  The Rapids dominated this game and lost 1-0.  17 attempts on goal to 3, 6 shots on target to 1.  Vancouver's 1 shot went in, none of the Rapids shots came close.  That was the difference.

My key was the rested squad versus the tired one.  Vancouver made it easy on us by packing it in, playing for the 0-0 draw, and hoping to steal a goal and 3 points.  Well, they did.

Other Observations:

• The goal was scored when Drew Moor whiffed on a clearance and the ball fell to Mattocks.  Wynne was also in the area and couldn't clear it but the primary responsibility was Moor's.  an easy clearance that just got stuck under him and allowed Mattocks an easy goal.
• Despite having 17 chances and 6 shots on goal, none of them were great chances.  The closest was Casey trying to bring the ball down in front of the net but having it glance off his thigh.  Everything else were either long shots or easily saved.
• Larentowicz had a particularly bad game IMO.  his passes were just being sprayed everywhere.
• Cummings is either still significantly injured or he's lsot his mojo.  Trading his roommate and best firend today probably won't help.
• Casey had another solid game back.  He could have done better with the one chance but he did a lot of work for the attack without much support.
• Just a generally poor game across the board from the team.  They just weren't up for the biggest game of the year.

Player Of The Game: Luis Zapata.  Hard to pick anyone as particularly playing well in this one, but Vancouver was never a threat down the elft side due to Zapata's play.

Kosuke Kimura Traded

A day that would always eventually come, but none of us hoped to see so soon. Koz is no longer a Rapid. This afternoon he was traded to the Portland Timbers for allocation money and an international player spot.

Its no secret that Koz is (or was, now) my favorite player on the Rapids. That said he's had a rough year and has been passed on the depth chart by Freeman and Zapata. If the Rapids can use the allocation money and the international spot well, this could turn out to be a good trade. The timing of the trade with the transfer window being open and Paul Bravo being in Africa last month leads me to believe the team has something lined up already.

If they fumble this away though this could really hurt the team. There is now almost no depth on the backline. Literally the only backups we have anywhere on the bakcline now are Marshall and Palguta. *gulp* Add to that the wide dissatisfaction in the fan base with this move (even if its somewhat a gross overreaction) and the Rapids are going to have to do something soon.

To Koz, thanks for 5+ years of great service. Good luck in Portland.

Rapids Try To Burn Whitecaps

The burning of York

200 years ago the U.S. fought the War of 1812 against Britain, mainly in British-held Canada.  As part of the war the American forces burned York.  Tonight the Rapids will try to recreate the victory over Canada by beating the Vancouver Whitecaps on Independence Day.  The game will be followed by the traditional fireworks show.  Kickoff is at 7:30 so the tailgate starts at 4:30 and the game is on Altitude.  As regular readers know I will not be present for this game as I have my own event to celebrate, my 14th wedding anniversary with my wonderful wife.  

Injury Report:
OUT: MF Pablo Mastroeni (headache symptoms); DF Anthony Wallace (L Achilles tear)
PROBABLE: FW Conor Casey (R hamstring strain);  FW Omar Cummings (L ankle sprain); DF Kosuke Kimura (L foot contusion); MF Jamie Smith (R ACL tear); DF Marvell Wynne (R hamstring strain)

Disciplinary Report:
SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT YELLOW: MF Jeff Larentowicz
SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT 2 YELLOWS: MF Jaime Castrillon; DF Tyrone Marshall

The injury report is the same as last game.  Vancouver has 6 players missing, so they're hurting more than we are.  The quick turn around between games and the fact we're going to Seattle on Saturday leads me to believe we'll see a change tonight.  My guess at the starting XI:

Casey - Cascio

Castrillon - Larentowicz - Rivero - Mullan

Zapata - Moor - Wynne - Freeman

Pickens

Cummings was noticeably limping when he came off on Saturday and I think Papi will give him this game to rest so he's ready to go in Seattle.  Though with the turf in Seattle he might play tonight and take Saturday off.  We could see Kimura instead of Zapata but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Key To Look For: Vancouver's rested squad versus our squad on short rest.  Will the big crowd give the Rapids the energy they need or will Vancouver be able to dictate the pace of the game?

Prediction: 2-1 win.  Goals by Casey and Larentowicz.  An All-American scoring duo will give the U.S. the win over Canada on the 4th of July.  It won't be easy and the winner will come late, but the big crowd and the Independence Day tradition will give the rapids the edge they need.

Rapids Sink Timbers

Sorry for the delay, a 14+ hour work day will do that.  On Saturday an almost healthy Rapids team took the field for the first time this season and took the Timbers to the woodshed.  The game was well in hand after 22 minutes and really over as soon as the teams came out of the halftime locker room and the Rapids stayed in control.

Twice in 4 minutes (the 18th and 22nd) Colorado burned the left side of Portland's defense for a goal.  On the first Freeman found space on the wing and brought it inside before crossing to a wide open Castrillon for the first goal.  Honestly the ball was good enough and Castrillon was open enough that a traffic cone would have been sufficient for Freeman to ricochet the ball off of for the goal.  Then Mullan found similar space but stayed out wide before crossing in for Casey to head home his first goal of the year.  Any resistance the Timbers had left was removed at that point.

Portland got its closest chance in the 36th minute off a Kris Boyd free kick that Pickens had to dive to save. The stats show another shot on target in first half stoppage time but it couldn't have been very dangerous as I don't remember it.  Those were the only two shots on target all night for the Timbers.  The Rapids controlled the second half and finished off Spencer's boys with a great team goal in the 89th minute.  Rivero slid a perfect through ball to Cascio who found himself 1v1 on the edge of the box.  He brought the ball deep, made Perkins commit, then crossed it to the onrushing Jamie Smith, seeing his first action of the year, for the 3rd goal.

My key was the defense and on Saturday they figured out how to work as a team.  Portland's impotent attack helped though.

Other Observations:

• A great combination of old and new players working together in this one.  There were 2 goals and 1 primary assist from players on the roster last year and 2 primary assists and 1 goal from players new to the roster this year.
• Great to see Casey and Smith get on the scoreboard for the season, and Smith in his first game, as a sub!
• Cummings was still held back by his ankle and was obviously hobbling a bit by the time he was subbed off.
• Castrillon got the goal and did a good job creating space for the other forwards.  His work in the midfield was quiet again though.  Maybe that's what Papi wants him to do but to me its not enough.,  If he wants to be a goal-poaching forward he can be Casey's backup and let Smith work in the midfield.
• Rivero didn't have a great game,, but he had a pretty good one.  He's clearly the newcomer of the year on the team.
• Wells Thompson came in as a defensive sub for the last 15 or so minutes.  Exactly the one role he's good at.
• Freeman had a great game.  He's certainly earned his starting spot.  If Koz wants to get back into the lineup he'll have to force Zapata to the bench.
• Zapata was playing a higher line than the rest of the defense for the first 30 minutes or so.  After Cabrera got off the bench to tell him to move back and a halftime adjustment he seemed to be back on the same page as the rest of the team.
• A quiet game for Pickens, he's earned it.
• Overall jsut a great team effort when the team desperately needed it.

Player Of The Game: Brian Mullan.  I had a hard time picking a player because everyone was playing at a high level so nobody really stood out.  Jake convinced me that Brian was playing a bit better than everyone else though.