Calling in Sick

The good news is that David Beckham is coming to town for the first time in four years. The bad news is that three of the biggest Rapids players are still out with various illnesses and injuries.

While Becks saw it fit to proclaim to the Denver Post this week that he will be here in Colorado for the first time since 2008 – the 4-0 spanking that day must have really scared him (remember Terry Cooke’s goal?) – the Rapids’ own Conor Casey looks unlikely to play any part even as he targeted this game for his first one since last July when he limped off against Seattle with a season-ending injury. Ironically, it is a simple case of a throat infection which seems likely to stop the big striker from even making it to the bench. The Rapids said today he wasn’t able to finish practice because of his lingering illness. Surely, he won’t be risked for this game even if he does perk up after a good night’s sleep.

With Jamie Smith and Pablo Mastroeni still out for what looks at least a few weeks, there seems little chance of any major changes to the line-up for the game against Goldenballs, Landycakes and the rest. That may be a shame because some of the players may need a little more competition to stir them up a bit.

While the Rapids failed to create anything offensively in the second half, the first half forward combination of Omar Cummings, Tony Cascio and Brian Mullan did a great job and managed to carve out some decent chances. For that second half lack of offensive creativity, we might want to blame the fact of Seattle’s soft goal. It was far too easy for the Sounders to score and then they closed the game down, restricting the Rapids’ chances.

And for that goal, and other situations in the game, there must be some serious concerns for Oscar Pareja about the defensive abilities of some of his midfielders. And I’m not talking about Jeff Larentowicz. It’s nice to have Martin Rivero to spray passes around and create as a playmaker but Pablo Mastroeni he ain’t. The bigger concern right now, though, may be Jaime Castrillon as a defensive midfielder. The Colombian was billed as a box to box midfielder but far too often in last weekend’s game, he wasn’t to be seen on the defensive end of things, and I’m not talking just about the goal where Cascio may have done better too in defending the corner. Maybe it’s too early to make any judgement but such weaknesses in such a crucial position may have cost the game last weekend and there were signs of this too against Real Salt Lake. Catsrillon is no doubt gifted offensively but his defensive play is not up to scratch yet in the MLS and we can only hope it improves. Pareja took him off last weekend in the 65th minute. Honestly, Wells Thompson would have been a more reliable bet defensively even if he does not have the talent going forward that Castrillon has.

BAN THE HERBALIFE IMPOSTERS

In the corresponding fixture last year, there was a whole section of apparently paid “fans” who lifted Herbalife (LA sponsors) placards every time the Galaxy did something half decent. It took the home crowd out of the game and can only have boosted LA. Seemed wrong at the time that LA could fiddle things like that to give them an advantage away from home and still seems wrong now. Let’s hope the apparently sell-out crowd drowns those imposters out if they attempt to repeat such nonsense tomorrow.

HENAO STILL ABSENT

New signing Harrison Henao has not yet touched down in Colorado and the Rapids said today they are still not sure of exactly when he will turn up. The 25-year-old midfielder is staying in his home country until his International Transfer Certificate and visa are ready for him to make the trip to Denver.

Tony Cascio is a revelation

Oscar Pareja said the Rapids have had time to put the New York Red Bulls game out of their system. Let’s hope so because that was painful to watch. The coach used the word “distraught” to describe the opening. Seems about right.

The game was over in those first six minutes as the Rapids turned the ball over in crucial areas of the field and were pounced upon by one of the better strike partnerships in the MLS in Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper. It’s easy to pick on Ross LaBauex for the first goal, as many have predictably done since last Sunday, but it was Jaime Castrillon who turned the ball over for that second goal and it was the Colombian again who inexplicably let Roy Miller coast deeply into the penalty box to gift Cooper for the final goal. That’s not to take away from Castrillon’s performance offensively which was one of the better parts of the game. He stole the ball off Rafa Marquez for Omar Cummings to score a beauty and he also came close with a great header in the first half. While we are at it, we can equally say that midfielder Wells Thompson  was largely ineffective in the game.

The point, surely, is not to apportion blame on individuals. Everyone makes mistakes and has bad games. It was an overall bad performance defensively by the Rapids and they will have to be a lot sharper tomorrow with the likes of Pappa, Pardo and Oduro to deal with.

PABLO OUT AGAIN

Once again, team captain Pablo Mastroeni is unavailable. I feel we will be writing a lot of that this season. The veteran has been reported as saying he is only one bad concussion away from retirement and he clearly is not right just now. This may well be a recurring problem throughout this season and the Rapids will have to get used to it.

The good news is that Jeff Larentowicz is back. He may well be partnered by Martin Rivero in the midfield as the young Argentinian has now received his transfer certificate. But, what message could that send to LaBauex? You made one mistake and that is that? If Pareja wants to instill confidence in his young midfielders, some of whom will no doubt be called upon regularly this season, surely the best option tomorrow would be to plunge LaBauex back into the starting line-up, tell him to forget last week and get him back on that horse. Thompson is much more established in the squad and will be a good option off the bench while Rivero is unlikely to be game ready and would be a better bench option too.

The front three of Cummings, Tony Cascio and Brian Mullan look likely to start their fourth straight game. Cascio has been a revelation. His attacking  threat last week was one of the few bright spots in the Rapids game and he is looking like a great pick. Maybe he will take a plunge later in the season as most first year players seem to do but we should all be enjoying his contributions right now.

Who goes where?

The Rapids enter tomorrow’s game with the New York Red Bulls without the grizzled central midfield pairing of Pablo Mastroeni (concussion) and Jeff Larentowicz (suspension). It is the first time at least one of those two has not been on the field to start an MLS game since Larentowicz moved West to join Colorado at the start of the 2010 MLS Cup winning season.

Game over? Well, MLSsoccer.com seems to think so. Six out of their seven pundits predict a Red Bulls victory even as Thierry Henry et al sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with two opening defeats and one goal to show for their efforts. No-one likes us, we don’t care!

They are certainly major absences for the Rapids, a perfect two and two so far. But it may well be something the squad will have to get used to, certainly in terms of Mastroeni. The veteran is having too many concussion symptoms for comfort and it would not be surprising if he plays a limited number of games this season in what could well be a retirement year.

So, opportunities abound tomorrow for the squad players. Players like Ross LaBauex could really put down a marker and get in Oscar Pareja’s face for the rest of the season, or more importantly the Colombian’s mind. LaBauex, who came on for Mastroeni in last weekend’s victory over Philadelphia, looks likely to start. The other part of the central midfield puzzle looks less clear. Wells Thompson, who has come off the bench in both games so far, could partner LaBauex or Joseph Nane may get the nod. Another intriguing option would be to put Drew Moor in a central midfield holding role, something that Pareja tried in training this week. That would allow Tyrone Marshall to play in central defense. Pareja may be tempted, however, to put Moor in his normal position up against his old friend Kenny Cooper who is likely to start alongside Henry with Juan Agudelo absent on US U-23 duty.

A tough game for sure given the circumstances in central midfield. But don’t write the Rapids off just yet. There is a resolve to this team and this will be an opportunity for them to show the much-discussed greater depth of the side in 2012.

Wells Thompson is visibly excited about the season and new coach Oscar Pareja…but can it match his excitement about his new bride and that puppy?! Check it out as Wells sends some love to Rapids Fans.

Whatever Sanna Nyassi had before the game (insert Red Bull joke), he needs to do it again next game…and the game after that for the rest of the season.

I arrived at the field 2 minutes late, just in time to hear DSGP erupt. Nyassi made a run into the box on a delicious give and from Cummings go that Sanna slotted into the top corner. Out of nowhere the Gambian hit a low shot in the 27′ from what seemed a foolishly long distance away. It was deceptively fast and struck the post, falling benevolently to the feet of Wells Thompson. Wells took a nervous first touch, but then calmly drove it under the goalie’s reach and into the net for the second goal of the night, Rapids 2-0.

In the 32′, Nyassi again turned absolutely nothing into something off an assist by Cummings and Moor. Nyassi took on 3 Red Bulls defender, zig-zagging and plunging a dagger into the heart of the back line. He buried his shot in the top left this time (just for variety sake), for his 2nd goal of the night, the third for the Rapids, effectively ending the match before halftime.

Not five minutes later, Cummings was back at it, setting up Wells with a low beauty behind the back line. An absolute sitter, all it needed was a touch into the open net, but Wells got his feet crossed up and shanked it. There is little doubt that the trumpets would’ve blown and Christ appeared in the clouds if Nyassi and Wells both registered braces in the first 45.

In the second half the Rapids offensive trio of Cummings/Thompson/Nyassi kept on trucking. In the 51′ the ultra-confident Wells let rip from 30 yards a low scorcher that Rost just finger-tipped wide. Cumings followed with a shot into the side netting off the corner play. In the 57′ a deflected Mullan pass sent Cummings, who just beat Rost to the bouncing ball, but his touch just went wide.

Then in the 61′ minute my brain actually exploded. Nyassi was fed the ball at about 30 yards, and made 3 Red Bulls defenders look…well let’s just say it was deja vu all over again, except this time it was a low driven ball under the goalie and in for a hat trick.
In the 66′, Henry showed his world class in a goal he’s probably scored 100 times. Agudelo cut the ball back to a trailing Henry who calmly passed it into the bottom corner…Pickens hadn’t a chance. Agudelo made more dangerous runs, and was really the only creative force of any kind for the Red Bulls.

Nyassi is just a different player in the middle. Previously we’ve seemed to place him on the right wing, where his crosses are mediocre. In the middle, it give us a speedy striker set with Cummings more South American or Spanish in appearance than your typical American/English target striker setup. It was fun to watch, and the results were staggering. Nyassi’s hat trick was the first since Casey’s in 2009, and he looked constantly dangerous when he turned on defenders and made devastating runs through the middle. Now can he do this on defenses like LA or RSL?

Cummings is regaining the form we all know, with several half chances of his own to score, and a remarkable trio of assists. Wells is never the most technical of players, but his speed alongside Nyassi gave the Rapids midfield a pace we’ve been sorely lacking with our solid (but aging) midfield.

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.

Peter Vagenas is the newest Colorado Rapid when the front office decided to trade Julien Baudet and Danny Earls to the Seattle Sounders earlier today. Vagenas, 32, comes to Colorado with a proven track record for consistency across his MLS career. He has two MLS Cups under his belt from his time spent with the Los Angeles Galaxy along with two Open Cup titles and one CONCACAF Champions’ Cup title. He adds much needed international experience for next season when the Rapids start their CONCACAF title quest.

In the same day, the Colorado Rapids released their list of 11 protected players in the Expansion draft, which takes place Wednesday, November 24th. The expansion draft includes two new teams for the 2011 season, the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Any team in the MLS cannot lose more than two players in the draft and any team can protect a maximum of eleven players. The following is the list of unprotected players:

Akpan, Andre
Amarikwa, Quincy
Ceus, Steward
Joyce, Ian
LaBauex, Ross
Lopez, Claudio
O’Brien, Ciaran
Palguta, Scott
Schunk, Ross
Thompson, Wells
Vagenas, Peter
Wallace, Anthony

I can’t say this list was a shocker and I knew there would be a couple Rapids that would go unprotected before Wednesday’s draft. The two players on this list I believe will be taken from us will be Anthony Wallace and Wells Thompson. Both of these young players gave much to Rapids Championship run this season and are at a perfect age for a team to be interested in their development. Our protected list is a very solid group and one that can definitely look to repeat for next season.

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?

The first chilly evening at DSG Park this year wasn’t quite as cold in thanks to the Rapids turning up the heat with another 3-0 home win, defeating the New England Revolution with ease. After coming home from a 3-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls last week, the Rapids displayed another fine attacking show with the first two goals coming in the first half from none other than smoking hot Omar Cummings and our hometown hero Conor Casey. In the second half, we were privileged to see Wells Thompson’s best Brandi Chastain impersonation after he put away his first goal for the Rapids in league play to help wrap up another home victory.

Click the link below to watch the match highlights:

Rapids vs Revolution 9/18/10

Also, be sure to check back for a more in depth analysis at how our latest trades and signings have helped to solidify a deep Colorado Rapids team.

- JMH

Rapids Nation has spoken. Those who bleed burgundy hereby decree:

• Smith (despite his pooch) is the #1 choice, with over 80% of the vote
• Ballouchy is no longer in the top 5 midfielders
• Only 20% of respondents thing midfield is the right position for Cummings
• Wells Thompson is about as popular as Congress right now

Talkback

Leave your comments below…

• Are you surprised Smith was the strong #1?
• Lopez is working his way into the hearts of fans, will he finally get a start?
• Despite the unpopularity of the position, will Smith still start Cummings at winger?