In evaluating the Rapids form at this point in the season, I think of the US Men’s National Team. There was a carousel of players in and out, different formations, different styles of play, and inconsistent results. Once Bob Bradley arrived at a final 11 and somewhat of an identity, the results at the Confederations Cup were staggering. I believe the Rapids have yet to find that identity.

One of the first areas this shows up is the lack of a default starting 11. If you look at the Rapids losses on 3/21 to Chivas USA, 4/19 to Houston, 6/28 to Seattle, 7/4 to Chicago, and 7/18 to DC United, these are the players who started.

1. Matt Pickens
2. Preston Burpo
3. Jordan Harvey
4. Ugo Ihemelu
5. Scott Palguta
6. Cory Gibbs
7. Julien Baudet
8. Kosuke Kimura
9. Nick LaBrocca
10. Mehdi Ballouchy
11. Jacob Peterson
12. Pablo Mastroeni
13. Greg Dalby
14. Colin Clark
15. Conor Casey
16. Pan Noonan
17. Omar Cummings

For the 6/24 and 7/4 losses there was some turnover due to international duties (Casey, Cummings, Clark), however if you look at this list I can’t say who El Capitan is going to pick for our upcoming match against New York. Not only that, but how players are used is also in question. Is Kimura effective enough as an attacking defender to make up for deficiencies in shutting down attackers? How does Noonan fit into our attack, can he mesh soon enough to make an impact this season? Is Baudet a helpful addition to the squad, or are we disrupting our defense by inserting him mid season?

And what is our style? Are we hard nosed and aggressive like Mastroeni? Are we quick on the counter like Clark and Cummings? Are we fluid like Ballouchy? I realize all of these can coexist at some level, but it seems like individual players have their own style, but the Rapids have not developed a style all their own.

If we can identify the starting 11 that perform well together and have the best chance of creating a cohesive style, we might achieve some consistency and get back into the playoff picture.

What are your thoughts?

The Rapids take on Fake Salt Lake tonight without MLS player of the week Conor Casey. Casey, in a great move by Bob Bradley, was called up to the USMNT to face Honduras. The Rapids rely heavily on his ability to finish, so it will be interesting to see who can fill that gap.

I want to stay positive, but without Casey and Captain Mastroeni, I have to predict RSL 2 Rapids 1. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

A cocktail of the US MNT training camp and a week with Scottish champions Celtic proved to be a potent combination for Sasha Kljestan. With a big ol’ goose egg in previous international appearances, Sasha sizzled with 3 goals in an international friendly between two quality footballing countries (albeit sans their respective stars).

Aside from Kljestan the man of the match seemed to be the omnipresent Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo). In previous games his performance as a finisher has been underwhelming for me. However, in this game his hardnosed performance earned key free kicks, including the one Kljestan put across for goal number one. His setup for Kljestan’s third goal was simply glorious, leading me to wonder if he can thrive in a setup role.

From the Rapids, Ugo Ihemelu got a cap as a substitute, though he let Dahlberg escape to score Sweden’s second goal.

View highlights of the game, the Bradley/Kljestan interview and Jeff Carlisle’s excellent game summary at ESPN’s Soccernet.com.

Colorado Rapids defender Cory Gibbs has been called to the US National Team’s training camp by coach Bob Bradley, as reported on the official Rapids website. Cory missed out on the 2006 World Cup with a knee injury, and will hopefully stay healthy on the road to the South African World Cup.

Gibbs will be the only Rapids player in the training camp, and we wish him well!