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

About every sportswriter in the building was about to submit the article they wrote in the final 20 minutes, where the Rapids and Timbers played an incredibly entertaining (but ultimately scoreless) draw. After a day of the USMNT losing to Panama, another draw…and to an expansion team…was not what I needed.

But then in extra time, Jamie Smith stepped up and delivered a trademark cross from 30-40 yards out, right into the danger area. It rattled around, Troy Perkins* (who earlier literally walked into his own goal post) made two great saves as the ball rattled around the 6-yard area. But then Drew Moor cleaned up the scraps, scoring another of his sneaky set piece clutch goals.

Here’s the Moor Goal

When I say nearly an exciting scoreless draw…it was truly a delight to watch. The Cascadia teams are developing a very attacking sort of play, and it is fun to watch. The Rapids looked just as likely to give up a goal, but in the end got their just rewards. It was not pretty, and the Rapids continue to struggle to create true chances on goal. Ever since the Casey / Cummings bromance got broken up, we’ve ever only been able to eek out a goal a game. Casey had his moments, as did Folan, but the attack is fairly underwhelming.

I’d like to say this win will break us out of our low scoring cavalcade of draws, but I’m not feeling quite that cheerful (US vs Panama hangover). Nonetheless, for tonight the Rapids pulled out a much needed win…Burgundy bleeds last minute victory tonight!

* I swear I only had one beer. I thought Joe Cannon came on for Troy Perkins, would’ve sworn by it at 11pm last night. Joe plays for the Whitecaps though (sigh).

“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

Edson Buddle scored 2 times, and both included a great deal of luck. The first opened the scoring 9 minutes in as his shot deflected off Drew Moor and wrong footed Matt Pickens. The second was a own goal deflection off his chest soon after that evened the score.

A classic run by Cummings, and the expected glorious ball across the 6 yard box was finished off by Casey to put the Rapids up 2-1 before half. Mullan nearly made it 3-1 with a fantastic strike off the post. This trend continued after half, and the Rapids and Cummings got a deserved goal.

The only surprise in the second half is that we didn’t get a fourth goal. To be fair, LA put together an excellent push in the last 10 minutes, but the Rapids were up to the task.

Gary Smith deserves major credit for creating and coalescing a squad that is well organized at the back, strong through its defensive midfield, and lethal up top. If he ever considers starting anyone other than Casey and Cummings up top however…throw a rubber chicken at him.

Oh and by the way…I know this guy who had a really long week at work, and was looking forward to the Rapids vs Galaxy at DSGP tonight. Humming Rapids songs as he drove up, he discovered that unfortunately tonight’s game was an away game. Showing up at an empty pitch…who does that, right?! (Cough, cough). Ahem.

If there was any lingering doubt on who is the MVP on the Rapids, and a top candidate for MVP of all of MLS, tonight’s masterclass by the Jamaican should clear up the issue.

The Rapids dominated the early portion of the match, and were rewarded in the 8th minute with a lovely crossing ball from Kandji that Omar toe poked into the far corner. Just seven minutes later, this time off a (predictably) gorgeous corner kick from Jamie Smith, Omar hit a direct volley past Chris Seitz, far post.

Cummings played the role of John the Baptist in “preparing a way” for goal #3. The Union stopped Cummings the only way you can (tripping), setting up a free kick in the 68′. Pablo crushed one right at Seitz, who fisted it right into the path of the onrushing Wells “John 3:16″ Thompson.

Kandji setup Amerikwa for a goal in the 86th minute after another stellar individual effort. The Union got a throwaway goal in the final minute(ish) after Jack McInerney capitalized on an uncharacteristic error by Drew Moor. Final score, 4-1.

Omar was simply unstoppable, on a run of 7 goals in 5 games, and Kandji proved a powerful partner up top. Kandji actually got better in the second half, taking on Cummings playmaker role surprisingly well. Both his assist in the first half to Cummings, and his unselfish setup to Amerikwa in the final minutes were spot perfect. At first trading for Mac seemed an unnecessary addition to a strong forward position, but having depth in our attack bodes well for the playoff push.

Following up on the pre-game keys to the match

• Will Wallace and Kimura be effective in offense on the wings, but still get back for the counter attack?
  A resounding yes. Both moved effectively, but Wallace shined in creating headaches for the Union on the left. His scorching free kick in the first half showed that left boot has power
• Will the Rapids be able to maintain control of possession and stifle LeToux and the counter attack?
  Let’s just say the Union looked about as dangerous as a golden retriever puppy. I’m not sure if it was the absence of Mwanga, but they simply couldn’t generate an attack. As Derek of Class VI mentioned here in the box, Drew Moor put in another stellar performance, not withstanding his late error that led to the only goal. (As a sidenote, his collision with Le Toux in the 60′ was scary…the sound of his neck/head against Le Toux’s shoulder was heard all the way up in the box. Send your Chiropractic recommendations to DSGP)
• Killer instinct: these are the sorts of games on short turnaround that will tell us the mental strength of this team. Can we close?
  Ok, so the Union aren’t the best team in the MLS. But the Rapids showed mental strength and toughness, and had the game put to bed by the 15′. Job well done.

P.S. nsubstantiated rumor that El Piojo actually made it on the pitch for 20′. Can’t be true, can it?

Both teams have played this year. Both wear burgundy and sky blue. And we find the Rapids again at 1-1-1.

For all the turnover in the offseason, the Rapids looked very much the tentative team that bombed out of the playoffs. We went into Kansas City full of hope after a win and a tough draw (that should’ve been win #2 but for a shameless dive). On their cute little Fisher Price field our attack simply did not cause them any concern. Sure we had a half dozen chances, but only one or two could be attributed to build up.

When I see Larentowicz or Mastroeni hitting speculative balls from midfield towards the 18 yard box, I think “patience, lads.” When I see Moor and Kimura hitting speculative balls FROM THE BACKLINE I think “Lord have mercy.”

Now the Fisher Price pitch doesn’t help a team like us that relies on speedy wingers. But with all due respect to El Capitan Gary Smith, we had an entire week to strategize for that. No excuses. We were outplayed.

Changes I would like to see in our US Open Cup rematch against the Wizards

• Backline from left to right: Earls, Moor, Baudet, Wynne. Kimura just isn’t effective pushing up the wing on the right, I’d really like to see the pacey Wynne get a look.
• Larentowicz and Mastroeni need to come back and get the ball from the backs, no more of this long ball from the back crap
• We just simply aren’t getting service to our forwards. I’d like to see a bit more of a 4-4-1-1, with Casey up top and Cummings in behind

There’s a REASON Cummings led the league in assists last year. There’s a REASON Casey nearly got the Golden Boot. Casey sucks as a midfielder, he’s too slow on the ball. He is ridonculously good at being the big man up front. Let Cummings roam around, come back to get the ball, and make his amazing runs up the field. I’m not sure if Cummings has the ball control to play this role, but it sure as hell wouldn’t hurt to try.

On first glance this seems to be an excellent trade. Larentowicz shared the midfield with Shalrie Joseph, though he appears to be more of a defensive midfielder (I’m still hoping for a Xavi clone). Thompson is called a “two-footed, wide midfielder” on the Revs website, and might address the need for wingers as I posted earlier.

Gibbs has struggled with injury and keeping his place in the starting XI with the addition of Baudet and Moor. Burpo is a great backup, but with a healthy Matt Pickens and young Steward Ceus in the wings, this is a trade that needs to happen.

Xavi (pre-cloning)

In the 90′s human cloning was extremely controversial. I think fans of the Colorado Rapids and/or the US Men’s National Team could agree an exception should be made.

Watching Xavi play this weekend versus Real Madrid, he was the spoke around which the Catalan wheel rotated. Even when they went a man down he directed the flow of play.

The Rapids have a powerful striking duo up top with Casey and Cummings. We have a less potent but still fairly dependable back line with the likes of Moor and Baudet.

What Colorado really lacks is a a creative presence like Xavi, a turret in the middle of the field firing balls forward.

With the US Men’s National Team the need for a Xavi-clone is one of possession. We lack a strong presence in the middle of the field that can absorb passes from the back, choose passes without cheaply giving up possession, do it repeatedly throughout all 90 minutes. Instead, at times, we sprint around like a track team defenders like Gooch fire optimistic balls downfield and hope one of our front men can get onto it.

These are not newly diagnosed issues. Surely the only option is to clone Xavi and get him ready for 2010.

Basics

This was a game full of annoyances. John Harkes saying “Bow-det.” The ball bouncing around on a field full of mini-moguls. Most importantly, a complete lack of service from the midfield to Thunder (Casey) & Lighting (Cummings) up top. We attempted the long ball to Cummings all game long, but it produced only a couple half chances.

Casey was frequently coming back close to midfield in the attack and becoming a 5th midfielder to try and create chances. Excellent work all day from Casey, but that far back is not where you want the best striker in the MLS playing.

San Jose played valiantly, creating the majority of the action through the game. But the Rapids persevered and gained a point.

I think it would be difficult to overstate how important the one point is. Coming into this weekend the Rapids were tied in the wildcard race at 36 points with Chivas and DC United. More importantly, Toronto, New England, and Fake Salt Lake all at 34 would have leapfrogged the Rapids if we lost. Being at 37 points ensure we stay in the thick of it regardless of what else happens.

Bonus

We worked hard and got lucky. I’m really not sure what else to say. The boys in sky blue worked hard, very hard, but simply lacked a midfielder who could dictate the pace of the game. Ballouchy can be creative, but needs a Mastroeni for muscle and possession. The lack of Colin Clark is also glaring.

But this is the “bonus” section and the fact is we never gave up, and attacked until the very last minute, earning a PK and a point.

Bummer

As I said above…the lack of midfield depth is glaring. If only Cookie was still on the bench…

The good news is, Mastroeni is coming back and hopefully he won’t elbow anyone in the face for a while.

Backtalk

How many points will it take to get in the playoffs? Marcel Balboa in the weekly show with Gary Smith said he thinks 42, which El Capitan thought was reasonable. What do you think?