Press release from the Rapids today: Looks like Steward Ceus may not quite be ready to back up Pickens. It's also time to say goodbye to Facundo Diz. One of the nicest guys at the Rapids, he didn't really get a lot of chances. Wish him and his family all the best. Maybe the Rapids are lining up another striker to back up Casey and Cummings because the talk is that triallist, Devon Hodges, will not be getting a contract.
The Rapids are due to play Arsenal Reserves today in a crazy schedule that organizes the game against a top team barely 24 hours after landing in the home country.
RAPIDS SIGN GOALKEEPER IAN JOYCE
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Tuesday, March 9, 2010) – The Colorado Rapids announced today the signing of goalkeeper Ian Joyce. Per club and league policies, financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Joyce will be added to the club’s senior roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). He is expected to join the team this week during the club’s preseason training in London, England.
The Rapids also announced several other roster moves, as the club released forward Facundo Diz and did not offer a contract to 2010 third round MLS SuperDraft pick defender Chad Borak.
The 24-year old goalkeeper and Seton Hall University product has played his entire professional career in England since joining Grays Athletic FC in 2007, then moving to Watford and most recently with Southend United. Joyce spent a brief trial stint with Colorado this preseason in February before signing with the club.
Ian Joyce – GoalkeeperHeight: 6-3
Weight: 200
Date of Birth: July 12, 1985
Hometown: Kinnelon, NJ
College: Seton Hall
Last Club: Southend United (England)
Roster Status: Senior
Transaction
MLS
Colorado Rapids – Signed goalkeeper Ian Joyce; released forward Facundo Diz and did not offer a contract to defender Chad Borak.
Showing posts with label Facundo Diz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facundo Diz. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Post Match Quotes
Quotes from last night's 1-1 tie with San Jose Earthquakes:
Pablo Mastroeni:
"It would have been nice to get three points, obviously. We can't sit and sulk and feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to show up and be the team we are capable of."
Conor Casey:
"It was a good point given the circumstances but it was a terrible game from us. Just got to be a lot better going forward. To come out with a point is fortuitous. A little sloppy finishing, a bit off today. Unfortunately, it happens. When that's the case, it's hard to win games."
On reaching the season goalscoring record:
"It feels good but it will feel a lot better when we are in the playoffs. This is crunch time and we have to get in the playoffs."
Nick LaBrocca:
"It's huge (to get the point). We just need to keep picking up the points right now and, with our schedule, if we can keep picking them up, we can make our way into the playoffs."
Gary Smith:
"Disappointing to lose Jake so early. All of our wide players are lost now. I would think it's too quick a turnaround (for the weekend) for Jake given how he hobbled off."
"We've relied heavily on those guys (Casey and Cummings) all season. Goals around the team have been very hard to come by and those two have borne the brunt of pretty much everything we have created and scored from and, tonight, we fell just a little bit short. The front two are just not quite clicking as they did early on and when you are reliant on a pair as we are and they don't click, it's a big loss."
"In the end, we are fortunate to get a point again after a lot of possession and disappointed we didn't get all three."
"The reality is we are getting down to the nitty gritty of the season and our own game is obviously the most opportunistic to get three points and we have failed to do that. The balance is not good on the schedule but it's still four points from 12."
"I think we are now putting a lot more pressure on to not concede because the creativity in the group is slowly but surely starting to wane."
"If any of them are feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, then they need to quickly snap that and get themselves together for the weekend."
"If anybody was expecting a rest, they ain't going to get one. If they're fit, they're playing."
"With the lack of pace and cutting edge out wide, we're not quite getting what we want out of the team. So, it's not going to be easy. I'll make no bones about that. We've lost three important wide players who give us something different. They can turn a mediocre attack into something special. We've got to look to other areas to produce that and only time will tell if we can."
"They'll work it through to the final breath of the game. We've got two points out of six but we could have had zero and, maybe, in other years, we might have had zero and those two points could be very important."
On Mastroeni's return:
"He was great on the ball. On a night where two or three of our midfield players just fell short. Nick being shuffled to the right, he was out of the game a bit. Mehdi found if difficult. Kosuke has been a livewire and I felt his service fell short from where it was before. Pablo was one of maybe two or three players who really tried to make something happen, to light a fuse, create a spark. He did his utmost to keep the ball moving quickly, find a little angle, get it into feet a little bit sharper and just drive the lads on quicker. It was great to have him back."
"Drew was terrific again at center back and also, Julien, in the first half, defensively. The pair of them did very well."
On Facundo Diz:
"He will certainly benefit from wide service because he's a big strong guy, he attacks crosses. The fact is, we don't have the right personnel to really bring him out of his shell but he's a very genuine and game individual and we will see a lot more of him. At some point,we may have to call on him to come up trumps for us. This may be the time."
"Our conversion rate has to be clinical because we are not going to be as freely getting sights of goal as we were because we have lost some very influential players. What we need are some cool heads, we need some confidence and some real edge in front of goal. That will be the difference and every team will be asking for that. The teams that can produce that will be in the last eight, no doubt about it."
Pablo Mastroeni:
"It would have been nice to get three points, obviously. We can't sit and sulk and feel sorry for ourselves. We just have to show up and be the team we are capable of."
Conor Casey:
"It was a good point given the circumstances but it was a terrible game from us. Just got to be a lot better going forward. To come out with a point is fortuitous. A little sloppy finishing, a bit off today. Unfortunately, it happens. When that's the case, it's hard to win games."
On reaching the season goalscoring record:
"It feels good but it will feel a lot better when we are in the playoffs. This is crunch time and we have to get in the playoffs."
Nick LaBrocca:
"It's huge (to get the point). We just need to keep picking up the points right now and, with our schedule, if we can keep picking them up, we can make our way into the playoffs."
Gary Smith:
"Disappointing to lose Jake so early. All of our wide players are lost now. I would think it's too quick a turnaround (for the weekend) for Jake given how he hobbled off."
"We've relied heavily on those guys (Casey and Cummings) all season. Goals around the team have been very hard to come by and those two have borne the brunt of pretty much everything we have created and scored from and, tonight, we fell just a little bit short. The front two are just not quite clicking as they did early on and when you are reliant on a pair as we are and they don't click, it's a big loss."
"In the end, we are fortunate to get a point again after a lot of possession and disappointed we didn't get all three."
"The reality is we are getting down to the nitty gritty of the season and our own game is obviously the most opportunistic to get three points and we have failed to do that. The balance is not good on the schedule but it's still four points from 12."
"I think we are now putting a lot more pressure on to not concede because the creativity in the group is slowly but surely starting to wane."
"If any of them are feeling a little bit sorry for themselves, then they need to quickly snap that and get themselves together for the weekend."
"If anybody was expecting a rest, they ain't going to get one. If they're fit, they're playing."
"With the lack of pace and cutting edge out wide, we're not quite getting what we want out of the team. So, it's not going to be easy. I'll make no bones about that. We've lost three important wide players who give us something different. They can turn a mediocre attack into something special. We've got to look to other areas to produce that and only time will tell if we can."
"They'll work it through to the final breath of the game. We've got two points out of six but we could have had zero and, maybe, in other years, we might have had zero and those two points could be very important."
On Mastroeni's return:
"He was great on the ball. On a night where two or three of our midfield players just fell short. Nick being shuffled to the right, he was out of the game a bit. Mehdi found if difficult. Kosuke has been a livewire and I felt his service fell short from where it was before. Pablo was one of maybe two or three players who really tried to make something happen, to light a fuse, create a spark. He did his utmost to keep the ball moving quickly, find a little angle, get it into feet a little bit sharper and just drive the lads on quicker. It was great to have him back."
"Drew was terrific again at center back and also, Julien, in the first half, defensively. The pair of them did very well."
On Facundo Diz:
"He will certainly benefit from wide service because he's a big strong guy, he attacks crosses. The fact is, we don't have the right personnel to really bring him out of his shell but he's a very genuine and game individual and we will see a lot more of him. At some point,we may have to call on him to come up trumps for us. This may be the time."
"Our conversion rate has to be clinical because we are not going to be as freely getting sights of goal as we were because we have lost some very influential players. What we need are some cool heads, we need some confidence and some real edge in front of goal. That will be the difference and every team will be asking for that. The teams that can produce that will be in the last eight, no doubt about it."
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Rapids Escape With Point From Cow Patch
Well, that was pretty scrappy and crappy. But the Rapids escaped with a point. Conor Casey continued his amazing run of goalscoring with a penalty kick in almost the fifth minute of injury time to get the equalizer after San Jose had scored one of the softer goals the Rapids have conceded this season in the 8th minute.
The game suited the pitch. How can MLS players really be expected to play beautiful free-flowing soccer on a cow patch like that? I've seen better pitches in Denver rec leagues. There really wasn't much to notice in either half and the Rapids really didn't create too many chances in the whole game. The highly debatable penalty (aren't most MLS penalties that way?) gave the team their only realistic chance all night and Casey took it, albeit Joe Cannon got a hand to the shot.
There isn't all that much to say about this game. It was generally poor. The best thing to say is that the Rapids got the point and can now come home and play some soccer on a decent pitch and get three points Wednesday against the same opposition.
I thought Gary Smith would start with Scott Palguta and push Jordan Harvey up more as he had done in the second half against Toronto. I was right about Palguta but Smith pushed Kosuke Kimura up on the right rather than Harvey on the left. And I liked the experiment. Kimura combined well all night with Omar Cummings down that right hand side and it was there that most of the few attacking chances did come.
Nick LaBrocca deserves an honorable mention for running a marathon last night. He was everywhere on the field, particularly in the first half. Somewhat surprising not to see Greg Dalby get any playing time after Smith spoke highly of his performance in Canada last week. But it was good to see Facundo Diz get some more playing time, especially as he came on as a third forward for the last 25 minutes or so. Gary Smith could sense that San Jose were there for the taking but, in the end, it was down to the solitary penalty kick to get the point the team needed.
Thank God for DSG Park on Wednesday night.
The game suited the pitch. How can MLS players really be expected to play beautiful free-flowing soccer on a cow patch like that? I've seen better pitches in Denver rec leagues. There really wasn't much to notice in either half and the Rapids really didn't create too many chances in the whole game. The highly debatable penalty (aren't most MLS penalties that way?) gave the team their only realistic chance all night and Casey took it, albeit Joe Cannon got a hand to the shot.
There isn't all that much to say about this game. It was generally poor. The best thing to say is that the Rapids got the point and can now come home and play some soccer on a decent pitch and get three points Wednesday against the same opposition.
I thought Gary Smith would start with Scott Palguta and push Jordan Harvey up more as he had done in the second half against Toronto. I was right about Palguta but Smith pushed Kosuke Kimura up on the right rather than Harvey on the left. And I liked the experiment. Kimura combined well all night with Omar Cummings down that right hand side and it was there that most of the few attacking chances did come.
Nick LaBrocca deserves an honorable mention for running a marathon last night. He was everywhere on the field, particularly in the first half. Somewhat surprising not to see Greg Dalby get any playing time after Smith spoke highly of his performance in Canada last week. But it was good to see Facundo Diz get some more playing time, especially as he came on as a third forward for the last 25 minutes or so. Gary Smith could sense that San Jose were there for the taking but, in the end, it was down to the solitary penalty kick to get the point the team needed.
Thank God for DSG Park on Wednesday night.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rapids Give It Their All But Fall Short In Canada
Well, they tried. A banged up Colorado Rapids gave it all they got against a Dwayne De Rosario-inspired Toronto and almost came up with the goods in Canada. Instead, they return home defeated for a few days to regroup before a vital home and away series against San Jose.
Conor Casey, with his 13th goal of the season, equalized early in the second half after some rubbish defending from Toronto made Kosuke Kimura's floating cross much more dangerous than it should have been and Mike Holody, in only his second MLS game, notched a crucial goal very late on to give the Rapids some hope but it wasn't to be. De Rosario had scored a beauty in the first half to give Toronto the first half lead and it was also his bit of sublime skill that led to the second Toronto goal as he chipped a great pass into the penalty area for substitute, O'Brian White, to run onto and score with a neat lob. A third goal soon after appeared to have ended the game before Holody's very skilful late strike. If only Nick LaBrocca had put that one in from point blank range just minutes before Holody took his chance, the Rapids might have escaped with a point.
In truth, it was hard to expect the Rapids to get anything out of this game given injuries, suspension and other absences. The midfield was depleted with Mastroeni out through suspension, Jamie Smith and Colin Clark out for the rest of the season injured and Mehdi Ballouchy unable to travel because of immigration issues. Such absences meant a rare start for Greg Dalby as a defensive midfielder. The Rapids were also without Matt Pickens who is out injured for at least two weeks. Preston Burpo got his chance in goal and could not be faulted for any of the three Toronto goals.
Bright spots? Many, to be honest. LaBrocca had a powerful game in central midfield and it would only have been fair for him to have scored on that late opportunity. Omar Cummings was his usual menacing self and he will be disappointed at scuffing a golden opportunity in the second half when he carved an opening out of nothing. Jacob Peterson, quiet in the second half, had a good first 45 minutes and almost scored after creating an opening with Cummings and taking the Jamaican's return pass. It was good, too, to see Facundo Diz get a chance in the last ten minutes or so. He pushed himself around powerfully and wasn't afraid to get in the mix.
Gary Smith said he wanted four points from the next three games including today's. The home and away series against San Jose looks increasingly important to reach the 40 point nirvana.
Conor Casey, with his 13th goal of the season, equalized early in the second half after some rubbish defending from Toronto made Kosuke Kimura's floating cross much more dangerous than it should have been and Mike Holody, in only his second MLS game, notched a crucial goal very late on to give the Rapids some hope but it wasn't to be. De Rosario had scored a beauty in the first half to give Toronto the first half lead and it was also his bit of sublime skill that led to the second Toronto goal as he chipped a great pass into the penalty area for substitute, O'Brian White, to run onto and score with a neat lob. A third goal soon after appeared to have ended the game before Holody's very skilful late strike. If only Nick LaBrocca had put that one in from point blank range just minutes before Holody took his chance, the Rapids might have escaped with a point.
In truth, it was hard to expect the Rapids to get anything out of this game given injuries, suspension and other absences. The midfield was depleted with Mastroeni out through suspension, Jamie Smith and Colin Clark out for the rest of the season injured and Mehdi Ballouchy unable to travel because of immigration issues. Such absences meant a rare start for Greg Dalby as a defensive midfielder. The Rapids were also without Matt Pickens who is out injured for at least two weeks. Preston Burpo got his chance in goal and could not be faulted for any of the three Toronto goals.
Bright spots? Many, to be honest. LaBrocca had a powerful game in central midfield and it would only have been fair for him to have scored on that late opportunity. Omar Cummings was his usual menacing self and he will be disappointed at scuffing a golden opportunity in the second half when he carved an opening out of nothing. Jacob Peterson, quiet in the second half, had a good first 45 minutes and almost scored after creating an opening with Cummings and taking the Jamaican's return pass. It was good, too, to see Facundo Diz get a chance in the last ten minutes or so. He pushed himself around powerfully and wasn't afraid to get in the mix.
Gary Smith said he wanted four points from the next three games including today's. The home and away series against San Jose looks increasingly important to reach the 40 point nirvana.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Banged Up and Desperate to Win
Big game today but then, at this stage of the season, they all are. The Colorado Rapids enter a home and away series against Toronto tonight in Commerce City. That will be followed by a home and away series with San Jose. Very bizarre. Gary Smith is not all that happy about the way the fixtures have been arranged but he can't do anything about it and his prime concern is getting a decent eleven on the field for tonight. No Pablo, no Cory Gibbs, no Jamie Smith, no Scott Palguta. Omar Cummings contines to struggle with a hip injury and hasn't been training much this week. Strike partner, Conor Casey, has been called up to the national team. The US Soccer Federation reported yesterday that he will not join the squad for tonight's World Cup qualifier because of wisdom teeth surgery.
Gary Smith said yesterday that he wants two wins and two draws in the next eight games to secure a playoff position. A win tonight would do very nicely and would help going into Toronto where the team will still be very short of many first team players. Toronto doesn't look a huge challenge at home with some inexperienced defenders and some trouble scoring but they will be a different beast in Canada. "They are good at home, they have great home support and a plastic pitch," Smith said. "These will be two very tough games."
You can expect a start for new boy, Drew Moor, in central defense. Increasingly, that deal to swap Ugo Ihemelu is looking at least as motivated by financial reasons as skill reasons, a bit of both anyway. Pat Noonan, who played pretty well when he came on last week against Houston, looks likely to step in because of injuries and suspensions in the midfield and I think we will see some game time for Facundo Diz. The big Argentinian striker has not had much opportunity to shine yet but has been scoring regularly in squad games and will seek to impose himself tonight should such an opportunity arise.
Gary Smith said yesterday that he wants two wins and two draws in the next eight games to secure a playoff position. A win tonight would do very nicely and would help going into Toronto where the team will still be very short of many first team players. Toronto doesn't look a huge challenge at home with some inexperienced defenders and some trouble scoring but they will be a different beast in Canada. "They are good at home, they have great home support and a plastic pitch," Smith said. "These will be two very tough games."
You can expect a start for new boy, Drew Moor, in central defense. Increasingly, that deal to swap Ugo Ihemelu is looking at least as motivated by financial reasons as skill reasons, a bit of both anyway. Pat Noonan, who played pretty well when he came on last week against Houston, looks likely to step in because of injuries and suspensions in the midfield and I think we will see some game time for Facundo Diz. The big Argentinian striker has not had much opportunity to shine yet but has been scoring regularly in squad games and will seek to impose himself tonight should such an opportunity arise.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Rapids Sign Diz
Press release from the Colorado Rapids:
The Colorado Rapids announced today the signing of forward Facundo Diz. Per club and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Diz will be available to the Rapids for this Saturday’s match against the New York Red Bulls at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 7:30 pm MT.
“Facundo adds the depth to our forward line that we have been looking for a long time,” said head coach Gary Smith. “He’s a good physical specimen, good target man, attacks the ball extremely well inside the penalty area, and from where he’s come from he has a wealth of experience. As a personality, he has already shown what a wonderful addition he will be.”
Diz comes to the Rapids having played the majority of his professional career in Argentina, most recently with Club Athletico Platense, where he scored nine goals in 15 games, helping the team avoid relegation.
Diz began his career with Club Atlético All Boys in 1997, playing with the club for eight seasons. He spent brief loan spells in 2004 with Banfield as well as Venezuelan side Deportivo Tachira before returning to Argentina and All Boys for their 2005 campaign.
Following a loan stint with Club Atlético San Telmo, Diz played the 2006-08 seasons with Club Atlético Tigre. Following a six month run with Olimpo de Bahia Blanca at the end of 2008, Diz caught on with Club Athletico Platense earlier this year, ultimately leading to his transition to MLS and the Rapids.
Facundo Diz – Forward
#10
Height: 6-2
Weight: 189
DOB: April 16, 1979
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Last Club: Club Athletico Platense
Roster Status: Senior/International
The Colorado Rapids announced today the signing of forward Facundo Diz. Per club and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Diz will be available to the Rapids for this Saturday’s match against the New York Red Bulls at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 7:30 pm MT.
“Facundo adds the depth to our forward line that we have been looking for a long time,” said head coach Gary Smith. “He’s a good physical specimen, good target man, attacks the ball extremely well inside the penalty area, and from where he’s come from he has a wealth of experience. As a personality, he has already shown what a wonderful addition he will be.”
Diz comes to the Rapids having played the majority of his professional career in Argentina, most recently with Club Athletico Platense, where he scored nine goals in 15 games, helping the team avoid relegation.
Diz began his career with Club Atlético All Boys in 1997, playing with the club for eight seasons. He spent brief loan spells in 2004 with Banfield as well as Venezuelan side Deportivo Tachira before returning to Argentina and All Boys for their 2005 campaign.
Following a loan stint with Club Atlético San Telmo, Diz played the 2006-08 seasons with Club Atlético Tigre. Following a six month run with Olimpo de Bahia Blanca at the end of 2008, Diz caught on with Club Athletico Platense earlier this year, ultimately leading to his transition to MLS and the Rapids.
Facundo Diz – Forward
#10
Height: 6-2
Weight: 189
DOB: April 16, 1979
Place of Birth: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Last Club: Club Athletico Platense
Roster Status: Senior/International
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Diz to Trot Out This Weekend?
Everyone knows that the Rapids are due to sign Argentinian striker Facundo Diz and Scottish midfielder Jamie Smith. The main question is when and who will go from the squad as a result. Word has it that Diz may be available to play this weekend against the woeful Red Bulls. The Rapids will need reinforcements upfront as Conor Casey is out due to caution accumulation. If he is ready, I can't imagine Diz would start as Gary Smith said recently he is still some way short of match fitness given that it has been offseason in Argentina for a while now. So, it looks likely that Pat Noonan will get another chance to boost his value in the team alongside Omar Cummings. Jamie Smith's transfer is not likely to be approved this week so any major news on who will be axed from the squad appears likely to hang over until next week at least. Kick off Saturday is at 7.30pm.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Unsettled Cooke Facing Uncertain Future
It will be interesting to see if Terry Cooke laces up this weekend against DC United. With Colin Clark still absent on US national team duty and the team more likely to shift back to a 4-4-2 formation now that Omar Cummings is back to play upfront with Conor Casey, it would appear as if the veteran winger may get the nod. But Cooke is unsettled. He was frustrated after the Dallas game last weekend and a large part of that appears to be linked with the imminent arrival of midfielder/winger, Jamie Smith. Gary Smith and Steve Guppy like wingers who will take on people. Smith will do that, Jacob Peterson does it, Colin Clark makes his living doing it. Even Kosuke Kimura is increasingly doing it. Cooke is your classic delivery man, not a dribbler per se. He is very good at what he does but it may just be that he does not fit into the overall plans of the coaching staff. His relative age and his salary also count against him.
I can't say much as all the conversations I have had with various people about Cooke's future at the club, including with the man himself, are off the record. What I can say is that I don't think the incident involving his child in England earlier this year will have much to do with any decision he makes or is made for him. I thought for a long time that an incident so serious could make you reconsider where you need to be and, with his career coming into the twilight years, a move back to England may be in the offing. I don't think that is the case, however. Cooke just wants to play more and he doesn't appear to mind where that would be if it has to be away from Colorado.
The facts are these. The Rapids have to part with one senior player to make room for Smith and Facundo Diz. Smith's presence puts further pressure on Cooke. If you look at the roster, there aren't that many obvious choices that could be made. The defense is overloaded but it is hard to see anybody leaving from there. There could be an argument that, with the signing of Julien Baudet, Cory Gibbs could make way but that is hard to imagine. Greg Dalby could be another player but he is hardly in the same mold as Cooke and the team is not overloaded with defensive midfielders. Cooke does appear to be the obvious choice for the sacrifical slab. Gary Smith, who did say to me that there are one or two players that have attracted interest from other clubs, knows it will come down to a very hard decision. Many people will be very upset if Cooke does go, including me, but we all have to remember this is a business like any other. It will be a decision made with a heavy heart, that's for sure. There's little doubt that next week's announcements will be the biggest trades of the season so far.
I can't say much as all the conversations I have had with various people about Cooke's future at the club, including with the man himself, are off the record. What I can say is that I don't think the incident involving his child in England earlier this year will have much to do with any decision he makes or is made for him. I thought for a long time that an incident so serious could make you reconsider where you need to be and, with his career coming into the twilight years, a move back to England may be in the offing. I don't think that is the case, however. Cooke just wants to play more and he doesn't appear to mind where that would be if it has to be away from Colorado.
The facts are these. The Rapids have to part with one senior player to make room for Smith and Facundo Diz. Smith's presence puts further pressure on Cooke. If you look at the roster, there aren't that many obvious choices that could be made. The defense is overloaded but it is hard to see anybody leaving from there. There could be an argument that, with the signing of Julien Baudet, Cory Gibbs could make way but that is hard to imagine. Greg Dalby could be another player but he is hardly in the same mold as Cooke and the team is not overloaded with defensive midfielders. Cooke does appear to be the obvious choice for the sacrifical slab. Gary Smith, who did say to me that there are one or two players that have attracted interest from other clubs, knows it will come down to a very hard decision. Many people will be very upset if Cooke does go, including me, but we all have to remember this is a business like any other. It will be a decision made with a heavy heart, that's for sure. There's little doubt that next week's announcements will be the biggest trades of the season so far.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Omar to Dash Back to DSG Park? Smith Unofficial
The Rapids enter a huge game tomorrow night. It has Must Win written all over it. After only one point in the last three games, a home win against a Kenny Cooper-less Dallas is surely that. The team will not want to go away to DC next week with anything less than three points tomorrow night. Personnel for tomorrow? As much as everyone wants Omar Cummings to do well for Jamaica in the Gold Cup, Rapids fans could have at least one selfish eye on his national team crashing out of the competition tonight. Having already lost the first two games, that is a distinct possibility. According to Gary Smith, Omar is expected to start tonight in Jamaica's final round robin game against El Salvador. If they are eliminated, Smith is hoping he can play some role tomorrow night against Dallas. "The reality is he would be a sub," Smith said. "We'll just see how he is when he turns up." Barring that, the only other major change from last weekend will be the absence of a suspended Cory Gibbs. Scott Palguta looks likely to get the nod in central defense.
Three people who will not be playing are new signing, Julien Baudet, and likely newcomers Facundo Diz and Jamie Smith. Baudet, nicknamed Dolph by his teammates for his enormous frame (big thanks to Chris Sharpe for that one), is not eligible until July 15. Diz will likely be at DSG Park tomorrow but in a suit. He's probably two weeks of training away from being considered, Smith said. Jamie Smith, a former Celtic player with Steve Guppy, is "not yet on the roster," according to the Rapids. He looks highly likely to be on it soon, however. "He's quick and he's got a good engine," coach Smith said today.
With these three signings, I make that a top heavy roster by two spots. Ciaran O'Brien in midfield and Mike Holody in defense, both players currently out on loan, would appear to be the most likely ones released to make way for them. Game time tomorrow is 7.30pm.
Three people who will not be playing are new signing, Julien Baudet, and likely newcomers Facundo Diz and Jamie Smith. Baudet, nicknamed Dolph by his teammates for his enormous frame (big thanks to Chris Sharpe for that one), is not eligible until July 15. Diz will likely be at DSG Park tomorrow but in a suit. He's probably two weeks of training away from being considered, Smith said. Jamie Smith, a former Celtic player with Steve Guppy, is "not yet on the roster," according to the Rapids. He looks highly likely to be on it soon, however. "He's quick and he's got a good engine," coach Smith said today.
With these three signings, I make that a top heavy roster by two spots. Ciaran O'Brien in midfield and Mike Holody in defense, both players currently out on loan, would appear to be the most likely ones released to make way for them. Game time tomorrow is 7.30pm.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Striker Chat; Diz Is the Man
Gary Smith has been scratching his head recently over his strikers. Having got used to the sparkling partnership of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings performing in tandem for the opening ten games of the season or so, he has since had to deal with international departures for both of them. Fortunately, neither of them have been away at the same time although it did appear at the end of last weekend's game against Chicago that Casey may have absented himself at the same time as Cummings would be unavailable, i.e. for Saturday's game against Dallas. I swear the ref took his name for the second time at the final whistle but the Rapids tell me they have heard nothing so Casey looks set to go against Dallas. He will be very eager to make up for what he and Smith knows was probably his worst individual performance of the year so far last week. Who knows? With Jamaica looking unlikely to qualify, maybe Cummings would make some contribution to the game too as Jamaica plays its final round robin game tomorrow night. If they are eliminated from the Gold Cup, it would be a tough ask on Cummings but he could play some part in theory.
Another striker piece of the puzzle is the imminent signing of Argentinian forward, Facundo Diz. Smith confirmed last week to me that Diz is the player they have been tracking for some time. He could be available after July 15th.
Another striker piece of the puzzle is the imminent signing of Argentinian forward, Facundo Diz. Smith confirmed last week to me that Diz is the player they have been tracking for some time. He could be available after July 15th.
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