Deja Vu At The Dick

Stop me if you've seen this before...

For the 3rd time in 7 games the Rapids face Toronto FC tomorrow out in Commerce City.  It will be warmer (but not much) than the 3 degree kickoff we had in February at least.  Toronto has been preoccupied with their success in the CCL (which started on that cold night by beating us 2-0) and faces Chivas in the first leg of the final next week.  Because of that TFC coach Greg Vanney said this about the Rapids game:

It’s very simple: We’re not prioritizing the Colorado game, there’s no sense even saying we are. Anyone who is healthy and hasn’t been playing a ton will find their way onto the field. I don’t know what my lineup will be. I don’t know what my shape will be.

 So, we have that going for us at least.  Because of Canadian TV kickoff is an odd 1pm tomorrow so the tailgate starts at 10am.  Come join us for brunch!  Those who can't make it can catch 'Celo and Fleming on Altitude as usual.

Player Availability:

Injuries:

OUT: D Kortne Ford (L MCL sprain); D Marlon Hairston (right knee surgery)
QUESTIONABLE: D Eric Miller (calf); D Danny Wilson (undisclosed); M Shkelzen Gashi (calf injury); M Enzo Martinez (undisclosed)

So, yeah, that's not great.  Essentially we're as limited as we were last week in Dallas.  I'd look at TFC's availability but from Vanney's comments it sounds like he's just going to run the second team out there anyway (they even made 3 signings from their USL team this week to fill out the roster for this match).

That selection of Serna is largely wishful thinking from me.  Colvey did not look good last week so I really hope we see Serna getting a chance.  Otherwise I don't think there's going to be any changes from what we saw last week unless Gashi, Martinez, or Wilson are a lot closer to being healthy than it appears.  I do think we see Boli as a sub this week though.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Mason.  Despite the talk of "the greatest team of all time" (which, to be fair, they appear to be backing up in their CCL play) TFC hasn't beaten us in a game we wanted to win since 2015.  They haven't beaten us in Colorado in almost 10 years (Aug of '08).  I don't see those streaks ending tomorrow with a makeshift Toronto lineup.  Toledo is the ref, which means something crazy is likely to happen, and we haven't played 90 minutes of soccer yet this season so I doubt either side gets a clean sheet.

Rapids Drop Points At The End...Again

For the third game (out of four) this season the Rapids dropped points by conceding a goal in the 89th minute or later.  Colorado has now dropped as many points this way as they've gained this season, 5.  Its an unacceptable pattern.  Seeing it happen 3 times during a season would be border line unacceptable, to see it in 75% of a team's games is atrocious.  Until Hudson and the players can solve this problem this team is going nowhere.  Last year 5 points was the difference between 8th place (missing the playoffs) and 4th place (hosting the wild-card game).  There's a very good chance that this year we'll see a similar difference and we really don't want to be on the wrong side of that.

Other observations:

• The second big takeaway from this match is that our big offensive signings can't get on the field.  Of the 21 competitive matches the team has played since Aigner was signed, he's started 5 and came off the bench in 5 others.  I understand the club is trying to let him feel physically comfortable with playing but at some point he either needs to start earning his salary or get out.
• For Gashi its not much better, 41 starts and 6 sub appearances in 74 possible matches.  So combined for those two that's 46 starts and 11 sub appearances out of 95 matches.  That's a horrible rate for a DP and a TAM attacker.
• Similarly I think it might be time to call the Boateng signing a bust.  He looked ineffectual in this one as a starter and he hasn't looked good in any match since his injury.
• Price is a card magnet, with 3 straight yellow cards now.  I like what he brings but we have to expect he's going to miss 2-3 matches this season due to discipline.
• Gotta love Badji and Mason running towards goal like they did on the score.  That's going to make some defenses play back this season.
• Its also going to make it hard for Boli to get on the field, a nice problem to have.
• Our midfield is non-existent this season.  We have yet to break 46% possession in a game and our midfield's inability to hold the ball is largely why.
• Wynne was beat on the goal, again.  He's just not MLS starter quality.  I understand we were limited in choices for this one due to injury but Miller would be a better choice.  And once Wilson is healthy Sjoberg should take Ford's spot.
• Colvey was,,,not good.  The kid got a chance but he's not ready.  Serna should play the next couple of weeks while Hairston heals.
• Howard did not look good on the goal.  Could he have saved it?  Probably not.  Should he have at least made an attempt?  Yeah.  His habit of standing there watching goals go bye this season is not exactly confidence-building.
• But hey, he got us some national media coverage after the game!
• Odd subs in this one, bringing Azira in after the tying goal had been scored.  Glad to see him finally but we needed him before the goal.
• I love the fact that we've scored every game but the stats don't back up us being that dangerous.  We rarely get corner kicks and as mentioned, we aren't controlling the ball.  I'm afraid a reversion to the mean is coming.

Man of the Match: Joe Mason.  Yeah, I went the easy route and chose the goal scorer.

Rapids Head To Their Favorite Playoff Stadium

In case you missed it :D

We're off to see our old friends in Dallas tomorrow.  Sadly its a regular season game where we're hit and miss in Texas, unlike our general success in the playoffs.  Of course Oscar 'traitor' Pareja is still in charge of F*C* Dallas though most of the former Rapids have moved on from the roster (Figueroa is still there).  Game time tomorrow is 6pm and the game is on Altitude 2 (channel 900 on Denver Comcast systems).  C38 will be at Celtic, which has been announced as the permanent home for C38 this season, with the exception of some special occasions.

Player Availability:

Injuries:

OUT: D Kortne Ford (L MCL sprain); M Shkelzen Gashi (calf injury)
QUESTIONABLE: D Marlon Hairston; D Danny Wilson

Dallas has 4 players out and another two questionable, so both teams are hurting.  Losing two key components of our defense hurts.  I feel confident with our backups for Wilson, less so with Hairston.

We could also see Wynne pushed out to Hairston's position and Miller playing in the middle but I'm guessing Hudson will want to minimize changes on the back line.  The forwards are a toss up but I expect Boli to come off the bench before he gets a start.

Prediction: 2-1 loss, goal by Mason.  The Rapids have not been a good road team for a while (one win in the last 19 road games, with never more than a single goal scored) and the Dallas is finishing a 4 game homestand to start the season.  Odds are not good for Colorado to break its road woes tomorrow.  I think we continue to improve and we don't look outmatched, but Dallas gets the result.

In The Market

Excuse a little shameless self-promotion, we'll return to our Rapids coverage later tonight with the Dallas game preview. I've found myself back in the job market recently.  If anyone in the Denver area is looking for a good technology leader with a strong QA background, feel free to drop me a line.

BadjiBadjiBadjiBadjiBadji!!!

That was certainly unexpected.  The Rapids played probably their worst half of the season on Saturday night.  Luckily it was the first half and they followed it up with their best half since maybe the 3-1 win over FSL in July of 2015 (where we scored 3 in the last ~12 minutes of the game).  Of course the accolades are rightfully going to Badji but there were a lot of contributors to that hat trick.  Blomberg, Smith, and Aigner were all key to the goals as well.  This was a nice boost heading into a rough part of the schedule.

Other observations:

• That was the first hat-trick for the team in almost 7 years.  That was a long drought.
• If anyone told you a month ago we'd have 6 goals in our first 3 games, all from our strikers, you wouldn't have believed them.
• The team looked awful through the first 30 minutes or so, vintage 2017 stuff.  They picked it up a bit near the end of the half and turned it on in the second.  That's a step up from last week when it was 20-30 minutes of good play and 60+ minutes of 2017.  Baby steps I guess.
• Howard didn't have to do much but when he did, he was there.
• Discipline are becoming an issue quickly.  Price already has two cards in three games.  I expect him to miss at least two games this year for caution accumulation.   Overall we're getting a bit of a rep.
• Seeing Hairston and Wilson go down was not good.  Hairston in particular looked bad.  The silver lining is that we got our first look of the season at Sjoberg and Serna and they looked up to the challenge.  Axel in particular stood out, taking his place in the back 3 like it was no big deal.
• Mason was quiet in this one, but when your strike partner puts up a hat-trick you don't need to do much.
• Blomberg is quietly turning into a key part of the offense.  Its going to be hard to pull him out as Aigner and Gashi get healthy.
• Up 2-0 late with a hat-trick on the line I have no problem with Badji being selfish and getting the third goal,  If we're losing or tied though he needs to pass that ball to the wide open Aigner.
• Speaking of, Aigner!  He made some good runs and looked dangerous in his short time on the field.
• It was quite cold out there, much cooler than was expected.  I'd be happy for a warm game soon.
• Up next, our old friends down in Dallas.

Man of the Match: Dominique Badji.  Duh.