A 2-2 draw may not have been exactly what Rapids fans were dreaming of, especially considering Sporting KC was riding a 3 game losing streak. But after a disastrous start, the Rapids showed considerable heart and a creative flair to claw their way back into a point.

First Half

Pickens was uncharacteristically shaky, 1st Half

The Rapids carried injuries into the game before 15,269 at DSGP, including Cummings, Mastroeni, Mullan, and Marvell Wynne. The makeshift back 4 had a nightmare start, giving up a goal just 71 seconds. Teal Bunbury made a run into the box, completely unmarked, and headed home a simple cross from Sinovic. The Rapids responded with some positive offensive movement of their own, but still looking vulnerable down the wings, in the middle…basically everywhere in the back.

Casey was open on goal in the 12′ thanks to sloppy passing by the KC defense. Uncharacteristically, but as might be expected from the long layoff, hit the shot directly DIRECTLY at the head of the goal keeper who made the easy save. His first touch let him down, but an “in form” Casey would’ve put it home.

Waiting to taste goal again

A minute later Pickens made a  huge save to deny a second KC goal off a Kei Kamara volley. But they he made an absolute mess of a throw from Matt Besler, not taking the long toss cleanly, and Bunbury calmly hit the ball into the open net.

Rapids down 2-0, just 14 minutes in. Sigh.

Casey tried a spectacular volley off a cross in the 19′, but didn’t hit it cleanly. In the 25′ Nielsen made a spectacular kick save after his own poor clearance on a set piece let to a Drew Moor shot. The Rapids continued to press, with Rivero and Castrillon creating, but there seemed an absence of understanding with the forwards about the where’s and when’s of their runs. Casey managed to make an absolute nuisance of himself in and around the box nonetheless (a foreshadowing of things to come), which was an encouraging sight for the Rapids faithful.

The final verdict in the first half: while the Rapids controlled most of the flow of play, and kept much of that possession in KC’s half. And while KC had just one more shot on goal than the Rapids (5-4), the chances they did have were clear cut and KC took them.

Second Half

The Rapids continued “keep away” in the second half, moving the ball methodically back and forth across the pitch. Rivero, as only South Americans can, made an shady tackle look like first degree assault. The result: a yellow card, and a free kick about 35 yards out. On the ensuing free kick, Rivero send a perfect…I mean purrrrfect ball to the edge of the 6 yard box, where Tyrone Marshall made up for some questionable defending with a gorgeous header; hard, low, and across the keeper into the net. Rapids now down only 2-1, 52′.

Forget SpaceX. Jeff Larentowicz's free kicks are the real rocket launch.

A picture perfect cross from “Rapids #9″ almost, and probably should’ve resulted in goal #2 off Castrillon’s head just feet from goal (Castrillon is having some issssues finishing IMHO). But it was another set piece that delivered the equalizer soon after. With three men lined up, Larentowicz sent a blistering, scorching low ball low and to the Nielsen’s left. He did well to palm the ball away, but the Conor Casey makes a living out of eating up messes in the box. Casey collected the rebound and sent a hard low pass back into the 6 yard box, which Kosuke Kimura side-footed home to level the match. Rapids 2 – Sporting KC 2.

Sporting KC began to press, setting up set pieces of their own which the Rapids defended much more aggressively. Sporting KC continued the pressure, getting their back four all the way up to midfield and forcing the Rapids to play from the counter which is not their strength. The game slowed down, and KC started lobbing in cross after cross. But the previously porous Rapids defense stood firm, and Pickens took to punching instead of catching the dicier crosses.

The game began to open up with just minutes remaining, with Kamani picking Rivero out in the midst of traffic. Rivero’s header had pace but was too centered between the posts and Nielsen saved without too much trouble. Sporting KC countered but couldn’t do anything with a generous free kick earned 25 yards out. The final minutes were frantic, but the score held for a draw.

Takeaways

The spine of the Rapids was the key to the Rapids success over the last 2 years. With Casey & Cummings up top, Larentowicz and Mastroeni in the midfield, and Wynne and Moor in the back, the Rapids were extremely difficult to break down. With injuries affecting all but Larentowicz and Moor, with Cummings’s inconsistency, and with a new style of play, we’ve lost some of that stability in the middle of the pitch.

Nonetheless the Rapids coalesced in the second half to prevent any further bleeding. And the offensive output showed there is no shortage of creativity on the pitch. Casey, Rivero, and Cascio all look dangerous every time they touch the ball. What we lack is that understanding built over several seasons; knowing the run a forward will make before he makes it.

The Rapids showed a lot of courage, and Marshall deserves a lot of credit for raising his game. Moor and Larentowicz were predictably strong, and Rivero showed that creative flair we’ve all been looking for throughout the match.

It may have only been a draw, but after a terrible start, most Rapids fans left considerably heartened by the boys in burgundy’s gutsy performance.

Kosuke talks about the rebuilding in Japan, and building a new style for the Rapids under Pareja. A perennial fan favorite, Kosuke talks about enjoying relaxing Colorado summers and taking vacations back to his homeland. Unsurprisingly he takes little time off, devoting the off season to training! That’s called “work ethic” boys and girls!

It was the start of the Oscar Pareja era…but let’s to the boys in burgundy who took the pitch: Who was the best? Click “read more” and vote!

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

Before fans had even found their seats, Brian Mullan battled for the ball and went to the ground. He got up aggrieved, feeling a foul was justified, and it may have been. But his response was not justified. He went after the ball, then went in hard and high on Steve Zakuani According to my friend Tim, just 10 rows away, it sounded like a broken bat. Zakuani’s leg flailed around like rubber, surely fractured.

It was an ugly tackle, and it cast a pall over the stadium for nearly the entire rest of the game.

The damage was done on the scoreline just a quarter of an hour later when the Rapids were undone and outnumbered on an excellent counterattack. White setup Rosales, who supplied Montero on a ball that went under the wickets of Matt Pickens. Pickens appeared to get his legs caught under him, and really should’ve done better.

Despite being outnumbered, the Rapids controlled the pace of play for most of the rest of the game. It wasn’t exciting, but it was effective. However, needing to keep men back to protect against another counter, when the Rapids did create chances there were insufficient numbers in the box.

Kimura was the standout player of the game, showing tremendous confidence in taking on defenders and creating chances. He pushed up the wing, and made a handful of good moves into the box, putting shots on goal.

There was an awkard, nervous tension in the press area at half. Everyone looked a little shell shocked, and several from the Sounders entourage were visibly disturbed or even angry.

I think this is a major gut check for the Rapids. After looking positively champion-like in the first 3 games, we’ve appeared to lose our step in the last 3. Certainly we could feel a bit unlucky with eary key injuries and a late call against RSL. And tonight the lapse in judgment by Mullan derailed what looked setup to be a dominating performance by the Rapids. You always felt tonight that full strength our control of the game would’ve developed into scoring chances if Cummings didn’t have to drop back and play basically as a midfielder. However, this is the hand we’ve been dealt, how will respond?

Gary, get the boys up and on their feet. The rest of the MLS is gunning for our cup.

In a nightmare that keeps repeating itself, a late goal from a questionable call downed the Rapids on a blustery night at Rio Tinto. A soft free kick in the waning seconds led to this:

The free kick itself was an unwelcome, though probably justified intervention on a night where the referees overall let the boys play. The refs rightly flagged the aggressive goal scorer Fabian Espindola two times, one ruling out a goal in the first half. However, it looked like they missed this one.

Nonetheless, Rapids fans would be amiss to focus on this one moment. The Rapids went toe to toe with their rival, at their house, and the two teams effectively neutralized each other for most of the game. The effort from the boys in Burgundy was everything we expected, if it lagged at the very end.

However, the performance again reiterated a problem that emerged last week versus FC Dallas: a creative void. The midfield pairing of Larentowicz and Mastroeni would never be compared to Xavi and Iniesta in their creativity on the ball. However, the arrival of the Ginga Ninja freed Mastroeni to be distinctly more aggressive in the attack than he has been in recent years. Jamie Smith floated on the wing, sending in crosses or cutting inside and supplying balls to Casey / Cummings, or even Kimura pushing up the wing. Without Mastroeni, we simply have not found a creative force in the midfield, and that is our greatest void right now.

The injury bug has hit hard early season, and it’s true the loss of Casey has hurt. However, Folan has shown a capable replacement. He has pace, a remarkable work rate, and gets off great shots both from his boot and in the air. The greatest loss with Folan is the understanding Cummings and Casey have built over the last few years, but I suspect that will come. Also, Jamie Smith and Quincy Amarikwa both had to be subbed, with apparent hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively. On a defensive note, Tyrone Marshall put in a solid 90 minutes. and the back line was able to maintain a high line affectively versus a pit bull RSL attack. Bottom line, the makeshift front line and back line appear to be more than adequate.

It is the midfield that concerns me. I’ve said that I believe the midfield was the linchpin of our success:  Larentowicz / Mastroeni paired with Moor / Wynne did indeed form the steel of our defense, but Larentowicz / Mastroeni also did a solid job providing supply to the wings, to fullbacks pushing forward, and to the spear of our attack up top. We simply did not look dangerous often enough, and RSL looked the more likely team to score. We had chances, but far less than Rapids fans are used to, and far less than we need against a squad as solid as Fake Salt Lake.

If we are to compete to defend our crown, not to mention the other competitions we are in, we will need to address this shortage at midfield. Smith is adequate in midfield, but is missed on the wing. Wells worked his ass of, but also does not have the touch and supply in attack that Jamie brings. Like Wells, Nyassi brings pace as a sub, but neither is a 90 minute solution.

Gary Smith: if Stan is paying attention, we need another creative Central Midfielder. Pronto. Without it we are still a playoff team, but that’s not good enough anymore. We want to be in the conversation for the title until the very end, and that won’t happen without better supply to our attack.

Pablo, get better soon.

The Rapids began much like last season ended, with Omar causing more trouble for opposing defenses than Charlie Sheen caused for Two and a Half Men. At 8′ he broke a corner trap and sent the ball in across the 6 yard box, off GK Perkin’s fingertips, creating a sitter for Jeff Larentowicz.

In the 29th minute, Cummings was released on goal, and a great save from Perkins was short-lived. Cummings collected his own rebound and sent it home.

The robust crowd at Dick’s barely had time to collect it’s breath before Jamie Smith took a one-time shot off a ball deflected towards the Timbers goal. It was a shot of the week (even of the month) nominee, a 25 yard scorcher that struck the underside of the crossbar and deflected in.

The Rapids lost their shutout in the 80′ when Kenny Cooper sent a low shot through the wall on a set piece. Kosuke was the player sent to jump / run at Kenny, the ball appeared to glance off his spikes and perhaps take even one more deflection on the way past a diving Pickens. It was a fine strike, but not a great set piece defense by the Rapids, one of few blemishes on a stellar night (the others involving Salazar’s lack of officiating consistency).

The Rapids’ early lead allowed Smith to rest Casey early on in the second half. Fan favorite Quincy Amerikwa received several ovations for his tireless work, but I was far more impressed with his improved technical ability. He’s still a Tasmanian Devil out there, but a perfectly weighted pass from the outside of the foot to Wallace on the wing showed he’s improving his finesse as well.

Smith’s 25′ scorcher was a real beauty, and in the 84′ a fingertip save by Perkins was all that kept a 40′ from stretching the net. Smith’s crosses and set pieces…not so impressive. Perhaps some early season rust at work there, I’m sure he’ll have them back on a dime within a few games.

Sanna Nyassi got a bakers dozen of minutes late, and made a case for many more. He showed real creativity, getting two shots on goal in his first 5 or so  minutes on the pitch.

The Rapids looked like champions. The Timbers brought a great contingent, and looked like the expansion team they are. Rapids 3 – Timbers 1.

As we prepare for tonight’s clash versus FC Dallas, let’s take a visual walk back through our moment of glory thanks to the grippingly talented Ed Clemente of Ed Clemente Photography.

Colorado Rapids – 2010 Eastern Conference Championship from Brian Rants on Vimeo.

An unlikely hero led the Rapids to the MLS Cup…must be a few millennia of samurai blood coursing through the veins of Kosuke Kimura.

The Rapids had several golden chances, especially in the second half, but the goal that send the Rapids to the MLS Cup Final in Toronto was a fantastic cross that Busch and San Jose just couldn’t handle. As you might expect, the ‘Quakes defense was focused on Cummings, who whiffed and the cross found the side netting in the final minutes of the first half.

It was a bitterly cold day, and the game was generally as tight as Jamie Smith’s hammy (which meant Wells Thompson got the nod). The ‘Quakes seemed stayed very compact, with a high line in the back, and never sending too many men forward. While it kept the Rapids in check, it also limited the creative abilities of Giovanni and Wondolowski, other than the first 15′ of the second half.

It nearly worked for San Jose, as the Rapids managed to squander a number of golden chances in the 2nd half: Casey header wide, Cummings one-v-one with Busch off the post, Mastroeni open shot from top of 18′ box saved by Busch, and more.

In a tight, highly-contested, bitterly cold game at home…you would expect the Rapids to find a way to win, and that’s exactly what they did.

The backline, as always was solid. Wynne and Moor are tighter than a drum. Cummings was a troublemaker. Mullan made consistently dangerous runs. Wells was adequate, but I’m hoping for the return of Smith; his quality on crosses and set pieces was missed. And Kimura…never the most skilled player on the pitch, but his runs down the right created issues for San Jose. Just as importantly, he made several last ditch, perfectly timed defensive runs to save the shutout.

The Rapids now wait for the winner of the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas. Once again we will likely play on a cold night against a warm weather team…and one more gutsy performance for the Rapids could earn us a trophy and a season for the Rapids lore. Go Rapids!

First time I saw Anthony Wallace at DSGP, I had my doubts. He seemed unable to shut down opposing wingers, and his crosses were rarely on target. Just goes to show you can’t trust first impressions.

As Anthony has adjusted to the Rapids system, and gained regular time on the pitch, he has become that unicorn of US soccer: a quality left back.

He has the pace to both push up on attack and track back, and his touch on the ball has increased considerably. When he is pushing down the left hand side it allows midfielders like Smith and forwards like Kandji to tuck inside and make runs.

The left and right back positions have seen considerable turnover throughout the year; Kimura, Wynne, Earls, and more have made appearances.

Earls certainly has the effort, but Wallace brings more pace and class. If he continues to put forth full effort, he deserves the nod…every match.

Backtalk

• Do you agree that Wallace is our best left back option?
• What is still his greatest weakness?
• Greatest strength?