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?

In the most complete game the Rapids have played this season, they easily disassembled DC United. With Conor Casey on international duty, Omar Cummings made the fans at DSGP say “Conor who?” in a simply brilliant display of skill.

In the first few minutes of the game, it was a brisk battle for possession, neither team especially crisp. Cummings opened the scoring in the 11′ off a fantastic ball by LaBrocca, hurdling the defender and putting it in the back of the net.

Around the 30th minute, Cummings nearly made it 2-0 off a nice pass from Noonan. The ensuing corner saw a Ihemelu shot off the bar, and Masteoeni put the rebound on target, but a fingertip save directed it again off the frame.

A fantastic save in the 44th kept a Chris Pontius header out of the goal. Then in extra time, Cummings made it a brace with another spectacular finish. He intercepted a poor United back pass, but seemed to waste it with his first touch. He manger to evade the oncoming goalie by pushing it far to the right. I seemed he was far too wide, but he cut it across his body and put it over a lunging defender and into the back of the net.

Distracted by the 2 for 1 t-shirt deals, I nearly missed Cummings make another spectacular play to setup goal #3. He outran the defender to the endline, then placed a gorgeous ball across goal to Clark who stuck it in the net.

On the defensive side, Palguta at least 4 huge stops. He was a stalwart in the middle, and gets my vote for the starting role. Pickens also got a well deserved shutout. He made the saves he should, and also made a couple spectacular ones as well.

For more on the match

• Video Highlights

The golden scoring touch of Conor Casey and a bit of luck earned the Rapids a valuable point away. Casey showed why he is the  the leading scorer in the MLS, calmly delivering a deadly finish and keeping the defending MLS champs winless this season.

A good bit of credit must also go to the fist of Preston Burpo, and admittedly to the crossbar which was clearly favoring the Rapids on Saturday. A perusal of the video highlights shows how fortunate the Rapids were to come away with a point. Reigning MLS MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto wreaked havoc on the Rapids from set pieces, and his goal in the 41st minute was setup by an shaky back line.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one underwhelmed by Kosuke Kimura, as Ty Harden took his place in the back. However, a possible Harden hamstring injury forced El Capitan to put in Scott Palguta. That will be a position to watch this weekend, as we certainly need to develop cohesion at the back.

Up next: a Houston team hungry for it’s first win of the season, and another road test for our Rapids.

For more coverage of the game

• Video Highlights
• The Denver Post
• Official Rapids Website