Rapids Face Must-Win CCL Game

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

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

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

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

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.