Welcome back, Rapids fans! The start of the 2012 Rapids campaign is just a little more than a month away. Preseason conditioning has already begun and the Rapids will soon be playing their first preseason matches versus Chivas USA and the San Jose Earthquakes in California this week. Near the end of February, the Rapids will finish up their preseason by participating in the Hawaiian Islands Invitational, facing teams from Japan, Korea and Australia.

The Rapids had anything but a quiet offseason this year. From our last blog update, the front office and coaching staff have completely revamped, bringing in a new philosophy for soccer in Colorado. As there have many changes since 2011, we’ll list the most important:

Out: Jeff Plush, Managing Director
In: Tim Hinchey, President of the Colorado Rapids

Out: Gary Smith, Head Coach
In: Oscar Pareja

Out: Steve Guppy, Assistant Coach
In: Wilmer Cabrera, Paul Caffrey

Players:
Out: Caleb Folan, Sanna Nyassi, Danny Earls, Miguel Comminges
In: Jaime Castrillion, Tony Cascio, Hunter Freeman

With one of the biggest offseason shakeups to the Rapids organization in recent memory, there are still many unanswered questions about what the team will look like by the start of the 2012 season. Taking a broad view of the offseason changes, the Rapids will start to become a more creative soccer team with influences from South America and a new focus on youth. Both front office and coaching staff now appear to be on the same page on soccer philosophy and rumor has a new, young South American designated player on his way to the mile high city soon.

While there’s much to still talk about, I have to say the best offseason move has been the hire of team president, Tim Hinchey. His openness with the fans (which can be seen by his use of social media via Twitter @tkhinchey3) has been outstanding to date. With Plush, we got a lot promises but no action. Skepticism set in and I could see Rapid’s fans contemplating their season ticket renewal. Hinchey has slowly righted that ship and trust between fan and front office is starting to become a strong bond. To Mr. Hinchey, job well done so far and remember, respect comes from openness, truthfulness and the ability to execute on your word. In the Twitter words of Hinchey, #COYRapids!

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS), Player Transaction, Rapids News and Analysis

On October 3rd, the Rapids will take on their nemesis FC Dallas. You can take on poverty by helping the Rapids support The 1010 Project.

Based right here in Denver, The 1010 Project partners with people through business and community development to end poverty in Kenya. I had the privilege of serving as Executive Director of this organization for a couple years, and saw first hand what a small band of passionate, creative people can do…both in Kenya, and here in the US…to end poverty.

Purchase specially discounted tickets here for just $25, and check out:

• Facebook Event
• More about The 1010 Project
• Rapids & The 1010 Project Flyer (PDF)

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Columbus Crew

MLS fans have struggled to find a TV home, with matches relegated to local TV partners. While we appreciate someone televising it, everything about the quality of MLS needs to (and is) improving, and this includes the quality of TV coverage. MLS may have found it’s partner in the NBC Sports family. From the press release:

The partnership calls for 45 MLS games and four U.S. Men’s National Team contests to be televised live across both NBC and NBC Sports Network each season. This marks the first rights deal for the newly-named cable channel that will be re-branded from VERSUS on Jan. 2, 2012…

Each season, NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games and two appearances by the U.S. Men’s National Team, marking the first time four MLS matches will be broadcast on English-language network television since 2002. The NBC Sports Network will televise 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. Men’s National Team matches. All telecasts on NBC and NBC Sports Network will consist of pre-game and post-game coverage. According to the agreement, the NBC Sports Group obtains digital rights across all platforms and devices for the games it televises.

What do you think? Will the re-branded Versus provide a dedicated home for MLS on TV? Will the quality of announcers and coverage improve? Do you see yourself watching more games?

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis NBC Sports

A test against the kings of the East, and the Rapids were more than equal to the task. They dominated every phase of the game, slowly constricting any attack out of the Crew and then finishing them off with a Mullan golazo and a Cummings breakaway goal.

It was an open match for much of the game, with the Crew creating chances down the left wing from speedy Robbie Rogers. In the first half every pass and each final touch was just a bit off. Nyassi and Cummings nearly linked up several times, but the Rapids first half three shots on goal weren’t terribly troubling for the Crew’s William Hesmer (GK).

In the second half, the Crew simply ran out of steam against the constant Rapids pressure, and never really looked likely to score. Mullan put home a highlight reel goal from 30 yards in the 55′, and from there it was all Rapids. While Cummings touch was still a little off all match, Nyassi’s assist to the Jamaican in the 79′ was sublime. Sanna made a turn around 30-40 yards out, and he and Cummings ran parallel 10 yards apart all the way to goal. Sanna’s softly served ball along the green carpet was promptly  placed by Cummings into the back of the net.

This Nyassi / Cummings partnership just gets better and better. Like twins separated at birth, they simply have to think “which run would I make,” or “which ball would I want served?” Like always we were solid in the middle, Larentowicz and Mastroeni choking up the middle for the Crew. Kimura and Wynne teamed up well to protect the left wing against Rogers, and the Rapids got their just desserts.

Three points. The Champs…look like it.

Major League Soccer (MLS) Brian Mullan, Columbus Crew, Omar Cummings, Sanna Nyassi, William Hesmer

Whatever Sanna Nyassi had before the game (insert Red Bull joke), he needs to do it again next game…and the game after that for the rest of the season.

I arrived at the field 2 minutes late, just in time to hear DSGP erupt. Nyassi made a run into the box on a delicious give and from Cummings go that Sanna slotted into the top corner. Out of nowhere the Gambian hit a low shot in the 27′ from what seemed a foolishly long distance away. It was deceptively fast and struck the post, falling benevolently to the feet of Wells Thompson. Wells took a nervous first touch, but then calmly drove it under the goalie’s reach and into the net for the second goal of the night, Rapids 2-0.

In the 32′, Nyassi again turned absolutely nothing into something off an assist by Cummings and Moor. Nyassi took on 3 Red Bulls defender, zig-zagging and plunging a dagger into the heart of the back line. He buried his shot in the top left this time (just for variety sake), for his 2nd goal of the night, the third for the Rapids, effectively ending the match before halftime.

Not five minutes later, Cummings was back at it, setting up Wells with a low beauty behind the back line. An absolute sitter, all it needed was a touch into the open net, but Wells got his feet crossed up and shanked it. There is little doubt that the trumpets would’ve blown and Christ appeared in the clouds if Nyassi and Wells both registered braces in the first 45.

In the second half the Rapids offensive trio of Cummings/Thompson/Nyassi kept on trucking. In the 51′ the ultra-confident Wells let rip from 30 yards a low scorcher that Rost just finger-tipped wide. Cumings followed with a shot into the side netting off the corner play. In the 57′ a deflected Mullan pass sent Cummings, who just beat Rost to the bouncing ball, but his touch just went wide.

Then in the 61′ minute my brain actually exploded. Nyassi was fed the ball at about 30 yards, and made 3 Red Bulls defenders look…well let’s just say it was deja vu all over again, except this time it was a low driven ball under the goalie and in for a hat trick.
In the 66′, Henry showed his world class in a goal he’s probably scored 100 times. Agudelo cut the ball back to a trailing Henry who calmly passed it into the bottom corner…Pickens hadn’t a chance. Agudelo made more dangerous runs, and was really the only creative force of any kind for the Red Bulls.

Nyassi is just a different player in the middle. Previously we’ve seemed to place him on the right wing, where his crosses are mediocre. In the middle, it give us a speedy striker set with Cummings more South American or Spanish in appearance than your typical American/English target striker setup. It was fun to watch, and the results were staggering. Nyassi’s hat trick was the first since Casey’s in 2009, and he looked constantly dangerous when he turned on defenders and made devastating runs through the middle. Now can he do this on defenses like LA or RSL?

Cummings is regaining the form we all know, with several half chances of his own to score, and a remarkable trio of assists. Wells is never the most technical of players, but his speed alongside Nyassi gave the Rapids midfield a pace we’ve been sorely lacking with our solid (but aging) midfield.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis New York Red Bulls, Omar Cummings, Sanna Nyassi, Thierry Henry, Wells Thompson

After our first match against Seattle this year, something changed. There were many mixed emotions after the Brian Mullan tackle earlier this year. I heard the emotions in the press box, in the stands and I could see it on the field. The one thing that came out of that match and the days after was my personal rival with Seattle. As someone with a voice, biased towards the Colorado Rapids, I had and still have to bite my tongue when I see the countless comments from the Seattle Sounder supporters on the web. To me, they are like baseball’s New York Yankees; you either love them, or hate them. Of course the biggest difference is the fact the Yankees have Championships to back up their obnoxiousness. Sorry, but the Open Cup is not a fair assessment of a championship caliber team. The Sounders had one win and five losses in the CONCACAF Champions League last year. This only proves the point that an Open Cup championship doesn’t prove anything but an easy way to get in the Champions League.

Losing to Seattle today hurt. Not because it was another loss, not because we scored three goals and still lost and not because we have anything to prove to Seattle. It’s because I secretly wanted to do the Jeff Larentowicz’s goal celebration clap to every Sounder troll on the internet. I wanted to say, “Get over yourselves. You haven’t done anything meaningful in this league yet.” Maybe it’s because I’m also secretively jealous of the Sounder fan base, the fact they have a jersey sponsor, their front office’s ability to scout new talent and sign designated players.

Do I need to settle and realize we’re a small market team? That we don’t have the passion from our ownership and fan base like Seattle does? Last season the underdog won the MLS Cup. Last season I saw a city get behind their team, our supporter groups grow in size and sell-out crowds come playoff time. The Seattle Sounders are everything I want our team to be, the jewel of Major League Soccer, but also everything I hate in sports, which is the popular club, a club that buys their talent and a team that feels like they should win every match.

Not even discussing how the Rapids played this week (which was similar to every other match this season), my disappointment lays in the fact I wanted to prove to the popular crowd that a small market team can be consistently better than one with designated players or a 36,000+ average home crowd backing their team. I wanted the Rapids to be the clear winner of the match, not on the losing side, looking for more reasons why we continue to lose big matches. The truth is, as much as I don’t want the Rapids to be on the short end of the stick, we are. After all, isn’t the average person an underdog? That’s where the true majority lays. The struggle we see on the pitch this season reflects the highs and lows we struggle with every day, but it’s when you succeed when you need to that matters most. See you in the playoffs, Seattle.

JMH

CONCACAF Champions League, Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Brian Mullan, Jeff Larentowicz

Rapids players were grateful in after the match interviews for the “W.” Fans’ frustration in seeing draw after draw is exceeded only by that of the players. And while a 2-1 victory over the bottom-dwelling Whitecaps isn’t scintillating, a victory is what you expect of champs at home and its what the boys in burgundy delivered.

Talk amongst yourselves

What did you think of the Cummings/Casey/Folan top three? An experiment worth repeating? How about Earls getting the start? Smith is obviously trying to mix things up..what would you do

Video Highlights

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Caleb Folan, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Vancouver Whitecaps

If I had to pick the Rapids starting eleven mid-season it would look like this:

Goalkeeper: Matt Pickens
Defense: RB Kosuke Kimura, CB Tyrone Marshall, CB Drew Moor, LB Marvell Wynne
Midfield: RM Brian Mullan, CM Jeff Larentowicz, CM Pablo Mastroeni, LM Jamie Smith
Forwards: F Conor Casey, F Omar Cummings

I think it would be very much aligned with what Gary Smith envisioned at the start of the 2011 season. We added Caleb Folan in the offseason to add competition to our group of forwards as well as add much needed depth since Mac Kandji tore his ACL on the game winner in the 2010 MLS Cup.

I’m personally a fan of Folan, his work ethic, his hustle and his will to score. You can see his desire for a goal in his play lately and I believe if he could will the ball into the back of the net he could at this point. Our group of forwards is very deep and our strongest position on our roster.

Taking a look at our defense. The obvious hole is left back. Both Wynne and Kimura are natural right backs. When Wynne joined at the beginning of the 2010 season, I assumed he would give Kimura competition at his position and eventually take it over. However, Kimura has out worked his way to one of our most consistent players year over year. He wins Most Improved Player this year and I trust him fully at right back. Tyrone Marshall is the best offseason move we made, coming from the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Process and shores up our central defense, giving Wynne flexibility to play outside or inside depending on the match.

The issue this season is left back. We do have four solid starters for our defense, but not a true left back. Coach Gary Smith rotates our back four as often day turns to night, and while I’m OK with the four starters we have, this doesn’t give our players a consistency of where they will be playing each match. While I do think Anthony Wallace is our left back of the future (hence why we asked for him back after the Portland Timbers acquired him during last year’s MLS Expansion Draft), he’s still not quite a consistent, starting left back. He has shown flashes of excellence, which earned him a call up to our US Men’s National team earlier this year, and with some more time, will be a great player for years to come.

Moving to our midfield. We are a solid defensive team, in part, to our defensive minded central midfielders. Outside of Larentowicz, our starting midfield is aging. Mastroeni is 35, Brian Mullan is 33 and Jamie Smith is 31. It has been obvious this year that our captain has lost a step or two. In my opinion, our biggest flaw this year has been not challenging our central midfield with another capable player. The more I watch Pablo play this year, the more I clearly see where our lack of offense is coming from. As much as I think Larentowicz is about as boring a player to watch as possible, he’s solid as a central defensive midfielder and is very good at his role. However, Pablo is playing that exact same role, not by design, but by his aging years. Gary Smith has a tough decision. Pablo is our captain. He’s retiring soon. But the longer the 2011 season progresses, it’s becoming more clear we need a central attacking midfielder, something Pablo can not fulfill. Larentowicz is the clear choice for CDM which leaves Pablo…? On the bench? Our forwards, a group I’d argue is the best overall group of forwards in the league, need distribution. Our outside midfielders can get the ball in the box, but we struggle up the middle.

In summary, our needs at this point in the season are a starting (true) left back and most importantly, a new, more youthful creative central attacking midfielder. Sure I’d take another outside midfielder but the major need is in the middle of the pitch. This might make Gary Smith change the formation he’s used to running, however it’s a change that needs to take place. With Pablo suspended on yellow cards for our next match at home versus the Vancouver Whitecaps, we’ll get the chance to see a new Rapids lineup and possible formation. Saturday, I’ll get to see a midfield without Pablo and still succeed, or I’ll be wrong and see the importance of our captain in the midfield. I don’t like to be wrong.

I’ll leave you with this:

In 17 games played this year, our Captain has 0 goals and 2 assists. 6 shots and 0 on frame.

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Gary Smith, Pablo Mastroeni

“Well once we get our strikers back…”

“Well once we get Mullan / Wynne back…”

I’ve been waiting for a variety of situations to resolve themselves, and then for the Rapids to make their charge. Last summer we had doldrums too. Then Smith found the magic XII, we hit a hot streak, and next thing you know a trophy was at DSGP.

We have Wynne back. We have Mullan back. We have Cummings and Casey back. We still look like a team destined to draw every match.

We have scored 20 goals and given up 22 goals, both middle of the pack totals, for a deflating -2 goal differential. This isn’t rocket science: we are in 5th place in the Western Conference and the teams above us have:

1. LA Galaxy: GD +10
2. FC Dallas: GD +9
3. Seattle Sounders FC: GD +7
4. Real Salt Lake: GD +9

In 2010, our goal differential of +12 was decidedly in the upper half of all of MLS. We scored 1.5 goals a game, and gave up 1 goal a game. Compared to last year, we simply need to score more goals. We have our strikers back, and I believe we will see the Casey & Cummings duo start to pick up the pace. However it is the midfield that concerns me. Pablo is a hero and a legend, but isn’t getting any faster. Paired with the uber defensive minded Larentowicz, there is almost no attack coming down the middle of the field. Without a change in the midfield, I think we’ll make a playoff run, but not a title defense. Without some new creativity in the midfield, I worry we’re just not good enough.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Brian Mullan, Conor Casey, FC Dallas, L.A. Galaxy, Marvell Wynne, Omar Cummings, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders