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

“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

Home struggles continue as the LA Galaxy snap the Rapids nine game unbeaten streak. The Galaxy, who now bring their streak to nine games undefeated, beat the Rapids 3-1 at Dick Sporting Goods Park without the help of David Beckham and Landon Donovan. The Colorado Rapids played in front of a packed house Saturday night with the final attendance number at 18,277.

Because David Beckham was a “late scratch”, the seats filled up fast tonight with anticipation of getting the chance to see him play. However, an hour before kickoff, the clubs announced Beckham didn’t travel with the Galaxy. Out of all the years he has been in the league, he has only made one league appearance at Colorado. Disappointing for soccer fans in Colorado and even more disappointing for the paying fan at tonight’s match.

Beckham drama aside, the Rapids failed to make anything dangerous in the first half and headed to the locker room down 2-0. After a deflection off Drew Moor opened the scoring for the Galaxy, Juninho had a cracker of a goal from 25+ yards out which should easily find it’s way on the ballet for Goal of the Week. Omar Cummings reenergized the crowd with his half time substitution for Sanna Nyassi. Tonight was the first time since the opening match of the season that both Conor Casey and Omar Cummings were on the field at the same time. They connected on a goal (by way of goal post) where Cummings fired a shot at the lower left corner, which took a deflection to Conor Casey’s foot.

At the end of the day (along with more poor officiating on a questionable Caleb Folan ejection) the Rapids failed to impress at home. A packed house deserves better, whether that’s a win or better visibility when star power isn’t even on the plane. If you came to see the Rapids win at home for the first time since April 3rd or to finally get the chance to see Beckham in person, you left disappointed, a reoccurring theme at home matches.

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Caleb Folan, Conor Casey, David Beckham, Drew Moor, Juninho, Landon Donovan, Omar Cummings, Sanna Nyassi

“Winning.” The Rapids have done all but Charlie-Sheen their opponents, playing solid but without the (insert catchphase, e.g. cutting edge / killer instinct). We’ve avoided defeat, but also winning, and the honeymoon period with this particular streak is over. Currently at 5th place in the west with 19 points out of 14 games, the Rapids need to make a move.

Back on March 19th, the Rapids showed their champion form with a convincing 3-1 win. The Timber should again be a team against which the Rapids can control the flow of play. The question, as will all the previous 8 matches, is whether or not the Rapids can end those periods of possession with a goal.

The Timbers are coming off a streak of their own, dropping the last two games against Chivas USA and DC United. The Timbers are just two spots behind the Rapids, however, with three games in hand (19 points from 11 games). So going into this game, we are fairly even on points, highlighting how costly all these draws have been.

Omar Cummings is out, so the Rapids will again be looking to depth at striker. Will we begin to see the goal production we need out of our makeshift striker team? Casey is back in the fold, can he regain scoring form? The Rapids will almost undoubtedly dominate possession, but can they put points on the board, and gain points in the table?

Main, Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Portland Timbers

It was a night and day difference since their last home match. A good 30 degrees warmer at DSG Park tonight since facing the Chicago Fire back on April 30th. In terms of the quality of soccer, it remained stagnant. You’d have to go back to April 3 versus DC United to find the last time we won at home. Yes, it’s true the Colorado Rapids are undefeated in their last 5, which sounds better than it looks. A team built around defense, the Rapids could not get anything going in the final third of the pitch. They managed to only put two shots on frame and never really challenged Toronto FC’s goalie and captain, Stefan Frei.

On paper it appeared the Rapids started with five defenders, however Kosuke Kimura got the start as a right midfielder playing in front of Marvell Wynne. Kimura’s quality has improved this season including his decisions making skills and he brings a defense first mentality to the team. He’s arguably the most fit player on the team, which allows coach Gary Smith to use him for a full 90+ minutes as a right midfielder. However, Kimura has defense on the brain and doesn’t quite have the skill to go one-on-one at opposing defenders. You can’t find fault in his work ethic, only the lack of offensive prowess.

In the end, Matt Pickens walks away with the Man of the Match award, having to come up with a couple big saves (with some help from the crossbar). The Rapids have another solid defensive team this year and only appear to be susceptible to goals from counter attacks. Even with a pile of injuries to our forwards, the Rapids are still getting points in large part to our stingy defense, the framework for our championship team last year. The match tonight might not have helped with the recent lull feeling but getting the chance to see our boys play at home has helped raise the spirits. The beauty with a team like the Rapids is that as long as we don’t lose matches, we should be playing in the post season for the MLS Cup and we all know how that story turned out last year.

We aren’t losing, but we aren’t particularly fun to watch right now either. Keep getting the points now and we’ll have a chance to defend the cup at the end of the season. A tough midweek game at New York versus the Red Bulls takes place Wednesday, May 25th at 6:00 PM MST followed by a home match Saturday versus last place Sporting Kansas City. See you then!

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Conor Casey, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Matt Pickens, Stefan Frei

You’d have to go back to September 14th, 2008 since the last time the Colorado Rapids have beat the Chicago Fire. Last night’s match marks the third straight tie and a string of 5 games against the Fire, the Rapids have been winless. The final score line was 1-1 with goals coming from Marco Pappa in the 43rd minute and Andre Akpan in the 49th.

The best take away from the match was Akpan’s first start as a Colorado Rapid as well as his first goal in MLS league play. Akpan was the Rapids first overall pick in the 2010 MLS Superdraft (22nd overall) and came from Harvard as the all-time leading scorer with 127 points, leader in assists and tied for first with 47 goals. His first MLS goal came from the run of play when Omar Cummings drew in two defenders on the right side and laid off a pass to Akpan in the inside of the 18-yard box. Akpan gave a quick turn and buried the ball passed Conway. His immediate thought was to run over to the Rapids bench and celebrate with the crew he spends most of his time with. A great first goal for Akpan and an inspiring story for the subs he embraced in the 49th minute.

From the fan’s perspective, the refereeing was very tight at DSG Park last night with four yellow cards given. The referee, Jorge Gonzalez, slowed the game’s tempo down quite a bit which in turn hurt the Rapids from putting one more into the net. More of our woes came from our inability to score from set pieces. Six corners and a handful of good positions off twenty Chicago fouls failed to materialize anything dangerous. My opinion stands that Jamie Smith seems to be a touch off the majority of his corners and free kicks this season and Conor Casey is missed when the Rapids have these opportunities.

The Rapids, wanting the win last night, will now go on a three game road trip against Houston, the Revolution and DC United. Make sure to come out and support our boys in burgundy when they return to DSG Park on Sunday, May 22nd against Toronto FC. Here’s hoping for warming weather!

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Andre Akpan, Conor Casey, Jamie Smith, Jon Conway, Jorge Gonzalez, Marco Pappa, Omar Cummings

In a night where neither Omar Cummings nor Conor Casey started, the Rapids came away from the Home Depot Center with a 1-0 victory over Chivas USA. This was the first time in 63 games that at least one of them did not start. Omar was on national team duty with the Reggae Boys and Conor has had a troubled calf muscle this week. The lone goal came in the 32nd minute from always hustling, Quincy Amarikwa, compliments to a through ball from Jamie Smith. When I often question the technical ability of Amarikwa, he proved me wrong with a cheeky chip over a sliding Zach Thornton and finishing in an open net.

The 2-0 start is the first time in Rapids history beginning a season with two victories; a good indication that last season was not a fluke. Paired with Quincy for the night was the newest acquisition of the Rapids, Caleb Folan. The big man did well for his first MLS game and gave us a superb option while Conor works back towards match fitness. Once again our midfield and defense were solid and earned their first shutout of the season.

Looking back at the match yesterday, it had a tough act to follow. The US Men’s National team had a game against Messi & Argentina in a sold out Meadowlands Stadium. I do love the MLS but watching the Rapids play Chivas USA was a little rough after watching Messi, 2010 FIFA Player of the Year, exhibit his magic on the same pitch as our Comeback Kids. Also, I’m probably not the first person to say it, but Chivas USA is not an exciting team to watch. They are probably the one team I can’t wait till the match is over. We’ve dominated them in recent memory and last night’s match marked the fourth straight Chivas shutout. However, our Boys in Burgundy came away with a road victory and as well as a historic start to the 2011 season.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team Caleb Folan, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Quincy Amarikwa

Here we are, 10 days away from MLS First Kick 2011. There’s something in the air this year that feels different from past seasons. From the perspective of a Colorado Rapids fan, maybe it’s because for the first time, our boys in burgundy are defending a Championship title. Maybe it’s the thought that for the first time, we’ll get to see CONCACAF action at DSG Park later this summer. (It sure isn’t the Open Cup since we lost another coin flip for hosting matches… Again.) Or maybe it’s just because I see professional soccer gaining traction in Colorado. After all, the Rapids are the latest Champions in the Denver area since the 2000-2001 Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. Note: The Colorado Mammoth won the NLL Championship in 2006.

“Colorado! This is your Championship team!”

Outside of the things we get to look forward to at Dick Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids front office has been working hard to gain more traction in the area. Our supporter groups are steadily growing in size and the Rapids staff works very hard growing those relationships. I expect the supporter terrace to be filled with more fans this year and to give the north end of the stadium an amazing environment to cheer and celebrate. On top of this, being the reigning champions means every team is coming to play us with the mentality, that we’re the team to beat. From a fan’s perspective, the quality of soccer will be raised. It has to be in order to defend the title.

Sure there are still a few gripes with the front office, whether that’s not being able to own the new kits until June, the lack of star power without a DP (we’re down to the last few teams in the league without ever having a DP slot filled) or utilizing the Rapids official website in ways like Seattle and New York have been, like preseason match streaming, but slowly they’re improving. Just like in the case with Don Garber and his vision for MLS, I think he’s doing things the right way, even though there are plenty of little improvements that would help the league. Capping off at 20 teams for awhile, will give the league time to grow and put the focus on teams like the Rapids to ramp up soccer in the area and grow a larger fan base. The MLS 2011 season has much to look forward and with last year’s success, the Rapids have changed the winds of soccer in Colorado.

JMH

Major League Soccer (MLS) Conor Casey, Don Garber, Drew Moor, Matt Pickens, Omar Cummings, Pablo Mastroeni

The Rapids have finished a very good preseason trip to Arizona where Gary Smith made some final adjustments to the lineup. Caleb Folan, currently under contract with Hull City, appeared to team up well with both Conor Casey and Omar Cummings and hopefully will stay with the Rapids for the start of the MLS season. Folan is about as close to a DP as the Rapids have had and while Smith is trying to keep him within the salary cap, the Rapids front office still has to finalize a loan with Hull City to see him stay in Colorado.

Having been capped by the Republic of Ireland and seeing time in the Premiership, Folan potentially (and hopefully) brings another big body leading the attack. Matching Conor at 6’2” and just a year younger, these two “boys” might be one of the biggest attacking pair the MLS has ever seen. Teams had trouble defending Conor last year so adding Folan to the mix makes for twice the chore. If not for different backgrounds, Conor and Folan could be mistaken for twins and if the Rapids can find a deal, that means double the trouble for opposing teams.

With Casey Conor and Omar Cummings having long tenures with the club, it’s been nice to have consistency each year in knowing who the starting forwards will be. Last year’s addition of Mac Kandji made the Rapids attack more deadly and gave the team much needed depth at this position. Since the Colorado Rapids will be participating in the Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League, along with the regular MLS season, it will be very important for the Rapids to add Folan to keep the bench deep with talent. In years past, the Rapids always seemed to be light with forwards and any deal that can take place with Hull City for Folan’s talents will be another huge step towards another successful season.

JMH

CONCACAF Champions League, Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US Open Cup Caleb Folan, Conor Casey, Macoumba Kanji, Omar Cummings

The Rapids gave a characteristically gutsy performance, Casey got his goal, and we got a bit of luck off the knee of George John to win the 2010 MLS Cup. A minority in the media gave the Rapids a chance, but that didn’t seem to bother us at all as we scrapped and clawed our way to our first MLS Cup in club history.

Photo by www.EdClementePhotography.com (from last week)

In the near-winless dog days of summer I can’t say I expected to see the boys in Burgundy on a cold night on our northern neighbor’s finest pitch. But that’s exactly what happened. Two ugly goals, some blood, some sweat, and a few tears earned us the finest prize in American Soccer.

Critics said FC Dallas had the better goal keeper, but it was Matt Pickens who played out of his mind in the final minutes of over time, with fingertip saves leading our 10 man desperate defense. Jamie Trecker went so far as to say we had nothing but nice jerseys…those jerseys sure do reflect well off the MLS Cup.

It was a nervy first few minutes as both teams grappled with a wet, cold surface. FC Dallas scored first in the 35′ from the brilliant Ferreira. The Rapids answered with pressure, but couldn’t score before the break. In the second half it was back and forth, and Conor Casey (MLS Cup MVP) got the goal he deserved in the 56′.

Immediate response ensued from FC Dallas, and a fantastic save by Pickens kept it out of the net. Pickens would be called on again in the 71′ and repeatedly in the last few minutes as the Rapids were down to 10 men.

“Unfortunately I don’t know what is wrong with my leg but it was worth it.” Mac Kandji took the defender on one-on-one, and a diving toe poke sent it off George John and into the back of the net. He took a nasty step on his extended leg, and it looked pretty nasty. Kandji had come on for the gimpy Omar Cummings, and we were out of subs.

You could say we got lucky, you could also say we were terribly unlucky on what looked to be a stone-cold penalty on Casey in the 28′. Casey appeared to be swiped in the box right in front of goal as he went around the defender.

At the Trophy ceremony, the Rapids kissed the gorgeous cup, passing it around from player to player. It was sheer ecstasy for the toughest, gutsiest, hardest-working, best team in Major League Soccer.

To everyone in the Rapids organization, to Gary Smith, and especially to all who bleed burgundy…good night. And Go Rapids.

Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis Conor Casey, David Ferreira, Gary Smith, George John, Macoumba Kanji, Omar Cummings