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 should’ve notched one in the first half, as Jacob Petersen had three solid chances, Casey another. The absence of Cummings and Clark continues to take a bit of the bite out of our attack. Casey is an opportunistic scorer. Our MLS All-Star is a big guy who muscles his way into the action and takes advantage of opportunities that others create, as you’ll see in this highlight reel. He isn’t a one on one kind of guy, he’s a finisher. I look forward to having the “lightning” side of the thunder & lightning up front, as does El Capitan as stated to Nick Thomas

We are a side that are lacking a couple of players that make a big diference for us. The most important thing was to get three points today.

Nonetheless we found a way to get it in the back of the net, and that is what matters. We are keeping ourselves near the top, though Chivas is now 3 points ahead with one less game played. We need to continue to get three points at home, and a point on the road vs DC United Saturday is more than doable.

Also notable: LaBrocca’s hustle and much improved haircut

For more on the match

• Video Highlights
• wewantrapidman

The Rapids were “soundly” beaten by my former hometown’s team last weekend, a reminder that the Rapids are capable of playing like a middle of the pack team. Gary Smith felt the 3-0 score didn’t reflect how well the Rapids played in the first half.

The differences in the game were the big plays – the moments we don’t (make) and the ones Seattle does.

We need to regain stability at the back and an attacking edge up front. The return of Casey should assist with the latter. With the former, the French may come to the rescue in the person of Julien Baudet, though he won’t join the club until after July 15th when the international transfer window opens.

The big July 4th game is next, and Chicago is very capable of coming in and taking a point or three from the Rapids. The games played difference is still in our favor, but we need to rattle off a few wins in this home stretch and climb up the standings. Hopefully the energy of the game and the packed stadium will bring back an aggressive, disciplined Rapids team that leaves the middle of the pack behind.

Gary Smith from the Denver Post

“As it was, I thought players showed tremendous character to get something out of the game when nothing looked as though it was going to happen,” coach Gary Smith said.

Colorado got the first chance in the first few minutes on a LaBrocca header that sailed high. This was a hint of things to come, as LaBrocca got another great chance in the 15′, a near post strike, and again near post strike at 20′. While the rest of the Rapids were simply missing the target, LaBrocca lacked creativity on the finish but at least was putting it on target.

Noonan is proving to be a great addition, and played well. He is steady eddy, and his pass to Clark in the 25th was a beauty, Clark just pushing the shot wide. You had the feeling the Rapids were about to score (and really should have), with Clark’s golden chance at 25′, a Cummings header at 29′. The Rapids were generating all the offense, but couldn’t capitalize. Dallas then took over the momentum for a brief spell, and David Ferreira took one of their few chances all game, chipped it over a late charging Pickens and netted the first goal of the game.

Noonan’s header at 39 and LaBrocca’s at 45′ nearly tied it, but the Rapids were painfully struggling to get their shots on target. Before half we had at least 6 very good chances to 1 or 2 for Dallas, but went into half down 1-0.

The second half brought more of the same. Cummings missed another golden chance in the 55′ and at 65′. The finishing touch of Casey was becoming sorely missed. LaBrocca was being forced to do far too much in the attack. He is a solid midfielder, but you don’t want him taking half your shots. Gary Smith made a wise move inserting Harvey in his place. Cooke entered at 71′ for Noonan and delivered several trademark corners.

Ihemelu missed an absolutely wide open header in the 81′ off a Cooke cross, and I had the sinking feeling this one was going to slip away. It was Cummings in the end that saved our a$$es. He slashed in and a pinpoint finish could earn him another goal of the week. He just missed two more headers in the next couple minutes.

A gritty point, the lads should be commended for not giving up until the final whistle. Now a week and a half break, then we welcome the fire. Should be a great turnout (July 4th), let’s be extra loud for the boys in burgundy!

More on the game

• The Denver Post
• Video Highlights

On a chilly (and under-attended night) at DSGP, it was a tale of two halves. In the first, the Rapids looked solid on defense, but were unable to muster  a single shot until minutes before half when Nick LaBrocca made a run from the back and hit a long, hard ball on goal. There was a glaring lack of quality balls from the midfielders to the forwards. However, the Rapids’ rusty attack began to roll in the last moments of the first half and kept that steam throughout the rest of the game.

The defense in the second half was not quite so stellar on the defensive side. Gibbs apparently lost the ball in the lights, turning a simple chip pass into a Michael Kraus’ goal over a helpless Pickens. Ihemelu also made a couple questionable choices, and to my eye Kimura continues to be the weak link at the back. Nonetheless, Pickens made some excellent first half saves to keep the game even, and I think the Gibbs/Ihemelu combination has great potential.

Gary Smith was typically blunt Englishman in evaluating his team’s performance. From the Denver Post

Smith minced few words when describing his team — a squad he said is not stout in defense, not flashy and not clinical up front. For the time being, at least, is the hope.

“I’m just disappointed,” said Smith, who earned his first victory as interim coach last season against the Wizards. “Even though we won the game, there were too many times we looked like we could give the game away. We have to be better than that.”

Moving into next weekend’s game vs the Galaxy, a couple thoughts:

• If Cooke is unable to play the full 90, I would rather see him play the first 60 rather than the last 30. Jacob Peterson made some excellent attacking moves, but the Cooke’s outlet passes are the best on the team
• I wasn’t a big Kimura fan going into the season, and through two games my opinion is unchanged. He has pace, but is good for a couple dangerously poor clearances a game. I wonder if Smith will consider a change.
• The thunder and lighting combination of Casey and Cummings up front is a delight to watch, and will hopefully produce a harvest of goals this year. Cummings ice-cold finish was delightful

What are your thoughts on the Rapids performance? Leave a comment below on what did and didn’t like about our performance on the pitch Saturday.

Cummings was our second leading scorer in 2008 with six goals and four assists in 26 games and 17 starts. I have always felt he is one of our most effective subs as he immediately elevates the pace of the game. He was called up to the Jamaican National Team last year. Ihemelu started in 16 of the 19 games he appeared in, and has been a recent presence on the US Men’s National Team. He earned his second cap in the 3-2 win over Sweden in January.

From el capitan Gary Smith

This is a reward for both of these players as to what they have contributed to the club, but also a sign for what they mean to this team moving forward…Ugo has taken some big steps forward with us and is a tireless defensive worker, and Omar has proven he will be quite an asset to us throughout the coming years. We now have a number of young players under contract that we believe will be the core of this team for what we hope will be a very successful period for the club.

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.