Showing posts with label Confederations' Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confederations' Cup. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Clark In; Casey and Pablo Available For Rapids
Gary Smith will be part relieved and part disconcerted by today's announcement of the final 23-man US squad for the Gold Cup. Fearing he may be losing both Pablo Mastroeni and leading goalscorer, Conor Casey, for the July 3-26 tournament, he will be mightily relieved that neither of those two made the final squad having been named in the preliminary 30-man set-up. Casey will therefore return to DSG Park after this Sunday's Confederations' Cup Final and be available for the July 4 game against Chicago and beyond. Mastroeni also looks set for a long run in the Rapids' team, World Cup qualifiers aside. Smith may, however, be less than pleased that Colin Clark is in the Gold Cup squad. Happy one of his young players has been officially recognized but mindful of the fact he will be losing a vital left-sided cog who has played every minute of every club game this season. Great news for Clark who will be trying to build on his only experience of the national team set-up so far, last year's training camp ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Colorado against Guatemala. More to follow on this and last night's 1-1 draw against Dallas. Let me know what you think of Bob Bradley's squad for the Gold Cup.
Monday, June 22, 2009
International Call-Ups Make Second Striker Vital
Omar Cummings, Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni, three key players for the Colorado Rapids, may all be missing in coming weeks as the Rapids try to continue to build on their successful start to the season.
Cummings, MLS Player of the Week for his performance in the victory over DC United on Saturday, has been called into the Jamaican squad for the upcoming Gold Cup. Casey, still in South Africa with the US team as they continue their improbable Confederations' Cup adventure, is in the preliminary US Gold Cup squad, as is Mastroeni. Common wisdom dictates that players don't appear in both competitions so Casey may be available for the July 4 home game against Chicago but the Rapids' topscorer has not played that much in South Africa and Bob Bradley may want to see more of him. Cummings, for sure, will not be available for that game as Jamaica opens its Gold Cup competition July 3. He should be available to play this Wednesday against Dallas and in the away game at Seattle at the weekend. Gary Smith will need him as he has proved inspirational in Casey's absence, netting three times and providing the assist Saturday for Colin Clark's game deciding goal. His upcoming absence and the uncertainty surrounding Casey, however, makes the quest for another striker even more urgent.
The Rapids have filled one roster spot with the veteran midfielder/forward, Pat Noonan, who played the first 45 minutes of the game on Saturday. Smith was happy with Noonan's contribution even if he did have to pull him a little earlier than ideal. "It was perhaps more premature than I would have liked," he said of his decision to withdraw Noonan at the half. "But there are a lot of stresses in Pat’s life at the moment and I thought he was very decent. He offered up the type of shape that we require in the team and his endeavors with and without the ball were very pleasing." Before the weekend's game, Smith admitted he wanted another forward in the team by July and that may be even more pressing now with all the international games coming up. "He will come from outside the MLS, definitely, and we want him here by the end of the month working with us," said Smith. The Rapids have clearly been working for some time to net these two forwards and I would expect an announcement on the second piece of the puzzle later this week.
The game on Saturday? It had moments of prettiness but the game was really about Cummings. It was an in the end comfortable victory over a top MLS side but the Rapids still played better soccer in the Seattle 2-2 draw. If it hadn't been for Cummings, it would have been quite conceivable to be down at halftime as both the players and Smith freely admitted after the game Saturday. The second half was a different story as the Rapids scored the crucial third goal and killed off the resistance, controlling the rest of the game. "We were sloppy in parts of the the first half," said Mastroeni. "In the second half, we came out sharp and, with another goal, the altitude can kick in for visiting teams." Smith conceded the difference between the two teams in the first half, save for a great save by Matt Pickens, was Cummings. "Omar was outstanding," Smith said. "He's improved enormously and he has a much better understanding of what is required of him when he doesn't have the ball -- he is thinking about his game."
Cummings, MLS Player of the Week for his performance in the victory over DC United on Saturday, has been called into the Jamaican squad for the upcoming Gold Cup. Casey, still in South Africa with the US team as they continue their improbable Confederations' Cup adventure, is in the preliminary US Gold Cup squad, as is Mastroeni. Common wisdom dictates that players don't appear in both competitions so Casey may be available for the July 4 home game against Chicago but the Rapids' topscorer has not played that much in South Africa and Bob Bradley may want to see more of him. Cummings, for sure, will not be available for that game as Jamaica opens its Gold Cup competition July 3. He should be available to play this Wednesday against Dallas and in the away game at Seattle at the weekend. Gary Smith will need him as he has proved inspirational in Casey's absence, netting three times and providing the assist Saturday for Colin Clark's game deciding goal. His upcoming absence and the uncertainty surrounding Casey, however, makes the quest for another striker even more urgent.
The Rapids have filled one roster spot with the veteran midfielder/forward, Pat Noonan, who played the first 45 minutes of the game on Saturday. Smith was happy with Noonan's contribution even if he did have to pull him a little earlier than ideal. "It was perhaps more premature than I would have liked," he said of his decision to withdraw Noonan at the half. "But there are a lot of stresses in Pat’s life at the moment and I thought he was very decent. He offered up the type of shape that we require in the team and his endeavors with and without the ball were very pleasing." Before the weekend's game, Smith admitted he wanted another forward in the team by July and that may be even more pressing now with all the international games coming up. "He will come from outside the MLS, definitely, and we want him here by the end of the month working with us," said Smith. The Rapids have clearly been working for some time to net these two forwards and I would expect an announcement on the second piece of the puzzle later this week.
The game on Saturday? It had moments of prettiness but the game was really about Cummings. It was an in the end comfortable victory over a top MLS side but the Rapids still played better soccer in the Seattle 2-2 draw. If it hadn't been for Cummings, it would have been quite conceivable to be down at halftime as both the players and Smith freely admitted after the game Saturday. The second half was a different story as the Rapids scored the crucial third goal and killed off the resistance, controlling the rest of the game. "We were sloppy in parts of the the first half," said Mastroeni. "In the second half, we came out sharp and, with another goal, the altitude can kick in for visiting teams." Smith conceded the difference between the two teams in the first half, save for a great save by Matt Pickens, was Cummings. "Omar was outstanding," Smith said. "He's improved enormously and he has a much better understanding of what is required of him when he doesn't have the ball -- he is thinking about his game."
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