Injuries Force Changes as Rapids Head East

The Colorado Rapids, unbeaten in the past three games, are now headed to New York for a tough game on the turf against the Red Bulls. Much has been made of the consistency of the team in those recent games. Unfortunately, injuries mean there will have to be some changes in tomorrow night's line-up. Out goes Tom McManus who was injured in the draw against New England and has not trained all week. Omar Cummings and Conor Casey will start up top. While the back four and Preston Burpo will remain unchanged, Terry Cooke will not start given persistent problems with a hamstring injury. Nick LaBrocca will take his place on the right flank with Mehdi Ballouchy coming in to the right center of midfield. Rapids' interim head coach, Gary Smith, said it was unfortunate that Cooke cannot shake the hamstring problem. "Terry has been fantastic at home and the turf will not be good for him," he said. "We know how important those home games against Houston and Salt Lake will be and he should play a big part in those." At the same time, it gives an opportunity for the recently injured Ballouchy. "Mehdi is raring to go after his concusssion," Smith said. "He will be very creative on the turf."
This could be a game for Christian Gomez to maybe shine if he gets enough opportunity to show his skills off as a substitute. Kick off at Giants' Stadium is 5.30pm MT tomorrow night. See you at SoBo.