Rapids Crash; Cooke Nowhere to be Seen

Two major defensive errors and a lack of delivery upfront ensured the Colorado Rapids crashed to a 3-1 defeat away to DC United. Colorado managed to take a fortunate lead through an early own goal but the defensive lapses in the opening 20 minutes or so of the second half were all too much. The Rapids played their best soccer after going down 3-1 but it was all too little too late. The game was crying out for some trademark Terry Cooke crosses into the path of Conor Casey or Omar Cummings but the Englishman was nowhere to be seen and it seems increasingly likely that he has played his last game in a Rapids shirt. With no Colin Clark to provide service from the left wing, Colorado's penetration was reduced to taking on DC one on one and it didn't work. It seemed very odd that Cooke wasn't thrown into the mix just to offer up a different dimension to a strategy that wasn't working but it didn't happen. Compound that with the errors of experienced players like Pablo Mastroeni, who can have no complaints about pulling back Christian Gomez in the box, and Julien Baudet, who tried to see a ball out for a goalkick but allowed Gomez (when did he ever play as well for the Rapids?) to nick in and get the ball back for it eventually to get to a waiting Emilio to smash it into the empty net, and it was all over. It desperately needed an offensive tactical change and Cooke appeared to be the obvious choice but it never happened. A very poor second half by the Rapids and a curious tactical one at that. Let's hope for better things next week at home against the league's worst team.

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."

Rapids Looking for Win and Pretty Football

Thank God, the Rapids players and coaches must be thinking this week as they prepare for the first of nine matches out of 12 at home tomorrow against Christian Gomez and DC United. After a lengthy stay on the road in the opening games of the season, the Rapids look to set the tone tomorrow night for the home games going forward. They also play Dallas at home on Wednesday but Gary Smith isn't thinking that far ahead."I am taking every game as it comes," he said today at training. "We hope the team will stay in good health," adding that line-ups will probably stay similar for both games. Conor Casey may be back in time for next week's game but will clearly not feature tomorrow as he remains in South Africa with the US team. I would expect Omar Cummings and Jacob Peterson to start upfront with new signing Pat Noonan also expected to play some role, albeit unlikely to be a full game. Terry Cooke's role tomorrow will be limited at best as he struggles with a hamstring injury and the defense will likely be predictable with Kosuke Kimura perhaps coming in off the bench in either his new right midfield role or at fullback. Tomorrow and Wednesday's game are key in setting the tone. Two good wins and some good attacking football would be just the ticket. "We would clearly love to get what we want out of it, which is the three points, but I hope we also have a bright and purposeful performance," Smith said. "I am looking for a Seattleesque performance." If the Rapids can play the same attacking soccer they showed against the Sounders last month, that would be ideal, minus the last 15 minutes of course when the team was disappointed to not seal the win.

Rapids Salvage RSL Tie

"Omar Cummings, out of nothing, ties it." Having just watched the highlights, that seems to sum up the weekend's game. Apologies for not offering anything immediately after the game but I was out in deepest Oregon and miles from a computer. I hadn't seen any of the action until just now and that was a sweet strike from someone who was just getting a little frustrated with his own lack of scoring despite the numerous assists and great all round play. As you will no doubt alreday know, it was sweet enough to earn MLS Goal of the Week. Looks like this was another characterful performance to preserve the unbeaten streak and pick up a point when we could so easily have folded. No Casey, no Pablo and shorn of further attacking options when Terry Cooke had to go off injured in the first half. Looked like a pretty able defensive effort to get the draw. The Rapids now enjoy a week off before embarking on a three-game stretch in eight days starting next Saturday, June 20, at DSG Park against Christian Gomez and DC United. Check back in soon.

Rapids Send United Packing in Dominant Display

That's more like it. Everyone got very excited about the thrashing of the LA Galaxy on opening day but this victory over DC United was maybe as dominant and impressive. The midfield largely ran the show with DC's dangerman, Gallardo, barely featuring. I can't really remember Bouna having to make a real save because the defense marshalled things so well and the attacking play was frequently exciting to watch.
It took everyone a few minutes to work out the line-up. No starting place for Cooke, Clark or Burciaga and three strikers on the field. Well, two and half really. Jacob Peterson really played as more of an attacking right midfielder with Omar Cummings and Tom McManus up front. Finally, Christian Gomez had two strikers to play with. There were also starts for Ugo Ihemelu in central defense and a first MLS start for reserve team captain, Jordan Harvey. It was kind of a 3-4-1-2, certainly going forward anyway, with Harvey playing a little more forward than the rest of the back line and then reverting to a regular left back when defending. Full marks to coach Clavijo for trying something a little more edgy.
And it worked. The Rapids could have had a few goals in the opening ten minutes. Cummings and McManus both came close with headers and probably would have expected to score. Both full backs, Harvey and Kimura, were linking very well in attack and, just as importantly, getting back comfortably to their places when defending, something that was missing against Chicago last week. LaBrocca and Mastroeni were pretty tireless winning the ball in midfield and it was very good for the team that Pablo got 90 minutes under his belt. Despite all the chances and the dominance, it was scoreless at halftime with the deadlock only broken in the 52nd minute when Jacob Peterson walloped in a screamer from about 15 yards after a pass from Christian Gomez. I know a lot of people have been frustrated by Christian Gomez since his much-heralded arrival but he was instrumental in both goals today and played a really important role in the game. His ballwinning also led to the goal for his fellow Argentine, Facundo Erpen, who headed in a delightful chip from Terry Cooke who had come on as a substitute for Peterson barely a minute before. Cooke, himself, should have made it 3-0 a few minutes later when he pushed a shot wide after a good move from Herculez Gomez and Colin Clark. These two substitutes combined very well when they came on and created a lot of chances. Food for thought for Clavijo with the next game selection. Herculez had come on for Cummings in the 60th minute. Cummings played well and will have done his chances no harm for possible call-up to the Jamaican national squad whose coach was watching in the stands. His striking counterpart, McManus, who had impressed so much in his recent games, was not at his best today, his first touch letting him down a bit. But he ran his heart out and deserves a good run in this team. Great stuff overall. The boys are back.