Preseason Friendlies Recap

3 days, 2 games, lots of lineups.  Lets get to it.

Saturday it was the Ventura County Fusion, a USL Division II (formerly known as the PDL) team for two 30-minute halves.  We went with this group for the full 60 minutes:

Howard

Rosenberry - Sjoberg - Smith - Serna

Price

Acosta - Feilhaber

Mezquida

Rubio - Shinyashiki

This group went to town on the lower competition, as you would expect.  Mezquida scored in the first 30 seconds, after 23 minutes the team was up 4-0 with both Mezquida and Rubio having a brace, and in the 51st minute Shinyashiki got on the board to finish the scoring at 5-0.  Good to see the team doing what it should do against a lower-league team, but beyond that there's not much to take from this.

This afternoon the Rapids faced Toronto in a 75 minute game (45 minute first half, 30 minute second).  Things didn't go as well.  Our starting XI:was the same as Saturday

Howard

Rosenberry - Sjoberg - Smith - Serna

Price

Acosta - Feilhaber

Mezquida

Rubio - Shinyashiki

Toronto scored inside the first 10 minutes and the Rapids didn't mount much of an attack in the first half.  At halftime the Rapids made a number of subs:

Howard

Rosenberry - Sjoberg - Anderson (Academy) - Serna

Price

Bassett - Feilhaber

Mezquida

Rubio - Shinyashiki

Blomberg subbed in for Feilhaber later in the half.  This group did better, creating a number of chances, but not scoring.  Toronto got a second before the end of the game.

No need to panic yet, but 3 games in and our offense has only shown up against the lower-league side.  It would be good to get some goals when we play the Galaxy.

One thing I think we can take from the first 3 games is that we have a really good idea who the starting XI will be on March 2nd, assuming everyone is healthy.  The starting lineup in these games is pretty much it, except that Kamara will clearly start over Shinyashiki and I'm almost certain Ford will start over Sjoberg.  The only unsettled spot I think is left back.  Vines has been injured and if I had to bet money on the starter I'd put it on him, but the fact that Serna is getting time there over Wynne is interesting.  It could mean that they've settled on Wynne as the starter already, or it could be that Wynne may not get much time at all this season.  That's the one battle that bears more examination.

RIP Fernando Clavijo

We'll get to the recap of this weekend's friendly tomorrow, but more important news happened Friday.  Fernando Clavijo, former Rapids manager, former National team player, Hall of Famer, and general all-around all U.S. (and Haiti) soccer guy lost his battle with cancer.  My condolences go out to his friends, family, and anyone who knew him.  He was particularly close with another member of our Rapids family, Marcelo Balboa.

Balboa is a key part of probably my favorite Clavijo memory, their hall of fame induction game.  In August of 2005 Balboa, Clavijo (then head coach of the Rapids), John Harkes (working for DC), and Tab Ramos were added to the Hall of Fame and to celebrate Colorado and DC played a friendly at the HoF.  Balboa and Clavijo suited up for the Rapids while Harkes and Ramos suited up for United.  At some point in the game the Rapids got a PK and Balboa stepped up to take it, but they played the old trick of the kicker timing his kick to push the ball forward just as another player, in this case Clavijo, raced into the box to shoot on goal.  I can't even remember if the shot went in or not, I just remember everyone on the filed having a good laugh over it.

I actually started this blog back as a time when I needed to vent about the Rapids, which was at the time Clavijo was in charge.  I may have disagreed with him often, but I  never doubted his passion for the game and his team.  He may have moved to one of our rivals and stolen our coach, but he will be missed.

Weekly Camp Update

It seems that in this no-drama preseason all we're going to be hearing out of the Rapids is weekly updates and game reports.  Doesn't leave much for a blogger to write about. :D  Anyway, this week's report is out and a few players have been released from camp.  Draftees Marcelo Borges and Robbie Mertz were not asked to continue with the team to California and we'll have to find their next career step elsewhere.  Also former Academy player Enoch Mushagalusa was told that he wouldn't be joining the team.   Along with that Academy player Oliver Larraz who trained with the team in Florida is not part of the travelling group to California.  Lastly Switchbacks player Jordan Schweitzer has returned to the Springs.

That leaves Academy players Abe Rodriguez (GK) and Sebastian Anderson (D) travelling with the team to Chula Vista along with invitee Kofi Opara (D) and draftee Jacob Hauser-Ramsey (D).  I think its safe to say that with Howard, Irwin, and Rawls already signed Rodriguez is there as a 4th goalkeeper in training and to get experience, not to try to land a contract for 2019.  The same is probably true for Anderson but getting time as a high school junior will help him if/when he earns a homegrown contract.

So its down to Opara and Hauser-Ramsey competing for roster spots.  With 26 signed players we have room for both of them, but if I had to bet its a two way competition for one spot.  Going seven deep at CB seems unlikely.

Also in this update is an injury report.  Everyone is currently in camp in Chula Vista except for Sam Raben, who is training with the Switchbacks.  I think we can assume he'll be spending 2019 on loan in Colorado Springs.  Sam Vines has picked up a quad strain that will limit his activity for another week or so.  Otherwise Ford, Kamara, and Nicholson are all still on their timetables to be fully back by the start of the season, which is good to see.  Their fitness levels at that point may necessitate them not being ready to start but they would be available off the bench at least.

Below is the updated camp roster:

Goalkeepers:

Tim Howard - Designated Player

Clint Irwin

Andre Rawls

Defenders:

Kortne Ford - Homegrown Player

Sam Raben - Homegrown Player (Training with Colorado Springs)

Keegan Rosenberry

Axel Sjoberg

Tommy Smith - International

Sam Vines - Homegrown Player

Danny Wilson - International

Deklan Wynne

Midfielders:

Kellyn Acosta

Nana Boateng

Cole Bassett - Homegrown Player

Johan Blomberg - International

Benny Feilhaber

Shkelzen Gashi - Designated Player, International

Nicolas Mezquida - International

Sam Nicholson - International

Jack Price - International

Dillon Serna - Homegrown Player

Forwards:

Matt Hundley - Homegrown Player

Niki Jackson

Kei Kamara

Diego Rubio

Andre Shinyashiki

Trialists:

Abe Rodriguez - Goalkeeper (Academy)
Sebastian Anderson - Defender (Academy)
Jacob Hauser-Ramsey - Defender

Kofi Opare - Defender

First Preseason Game

Colorado played its first preseason game down in Bradenton yesterday, against the expansion Cincinnati FC.  There were minimal reports on Twitter from the team but we do know the basic details.

The starting XI

Shinyashiki - Rubio

Mezquida

Feilhaber - Acosta

Price

Serna - Smith - Sjoberg - Anderson (Academy)

Howard

So minus our injured or unavailable players (Vines, Ford, Rosenberry, Kamara) that's our expected starting XI on March 2nd.

In the 32th minute Bassett replaced Fielhaber.  No reason was given for the switch.

The teams ended the half scoreless, a almost full second team was sent out for the second half:

Jackson - Hundley

Gashi

Bassett - Blomberg

Schweitzer (Trialist)

Serna - Wilson - Raben (Draftee) - Borges (Draftee)

Rawls

That team gave up a goal on a corner in the 59th minute.  A header from a set piece, no surprise it came after we subbed out our taller defenders.

The game ended 1-0, the Rapids returned to Colorado for a couple of days before heading out to Southern California for the rest of preseason.

That will be the last game time we see from Bassett for a little while as he and Academy player Armando Munoz have been called up to the U.S. U-18 roster for the camp in California this week.

Camp Update

Well, I didn't expect it to be 8 days before we got our first news out of camp, but here we are.  The Rapids released its first camp overview today and it has some interesting information.

Lets start with the injuries.  You never want to see two sure starters (Ford and Kamara) and a regular member of the rotation (Nicholson) injured this early into camp but the good news is that they're all expected to be healthy by opening day.  I'm actually more concerned about Ford and Nicholson than I am Kamara.  A pulmonary contusion is not a normal injury and certainly not one related to his age,  There's some bad luck there.  Ford and Nicholson's injures continue a pattern for them and its concerning to see them dealing with them so early in the season.  Especially for Nicholson as back injuries are notoriously hard to get over.

Outside of the injury news we also got information about who's been invited to camp.  Our three unsigned draft picks have been joined by three Academy players (Anderson, Larraz, Rodriguez), former Academy and Colorado Rush player Enoch Mushagalusa, Colorado Switchbacks player Jordan Schweitzer, and Kofi Opare.  Now this just lists the invites, it doesn't say who accepted them, though I expect all but one are there for sure.

The rumors about Opare signing were running fast last week but have died down since then.  When queried about it Steven Goff, one of the sources of the rumors, tweeted that the deal was done and they must be waiting for a physical or something.  That tweet was responded to by Opare himself:

Who says I’m going to Colorado? I haven’t agreed a deal with them.

So, yeah.  That's not an ideal response.  So he may be in camp or he may not.

My bet is that the three Academy players are in camp more to get them exposed to how things work on the first team and not really as a trial for a roster spot in 2019.  The other six are trying to win spots on the team.

Below is my updated camp roster with the trialists:

Goalkeepers:

Tim Howard - Designated Player

Clint Irwin

Andre Rawls

Defenders:

Kortne Ford - Homegrown Player

Sam Raben - Homegrown Player

Keegan Rosenberry

Axel Sjoberg

Tommy Smith - International

Sam Vines - Homegrown Player

Danny Wilson - International

Deklan Wynne

Midfielders:

Kellyn Acosta

Nana Boateng

Cole Bassett - Homegrown Player

Johan Blomberg - International

Benny Feilhaber

Shkelzen Gashi - Designated Player, International

Nicolas Mezquida - International

Sam Nicholson - International

Jack Price - International

Dillon Serna - Homegrown Player

Forwards:

Matt Hundley - Homegrown Player

Niki Jackson

Kei Kamara

Diego Rubio

Andre Shinyashiki

Trialists:

Abe Rodriguez - Goalkeeper (Academy)
Sebastian Anderson - Defender (Academy)
Marcello Borges - Defender

Jacob Hauser-Ramsey - Defender
Kofi Opare - Defender
Oliver Larraz - Midfielder (Academy)

Robbie Mertz - Midfielder
Jordan Schweitzer - Midfielder
Enoch Mushagalusa - Forward