Gargoyle Blanco Helps Fire to Win Over Rapids

Do you want the good news or the bad news? The bad news is that we lost. The good news was that this was so much better than last week. The Colorado Rapids certainly bounced back from last week's poor performance against San Jose. They played with far more intensity and better creativity. The nagging doubt in the head is that, when they go down a goal, it always seems so hard for them to get back in the game. We did it against Kansas City but there remains a question as to how consistently we can do that.
The line-up was different. One forced change with John DiRaimondo out with an ankle sprain. Pablo Mastroeni made his first start of the season and played with great intensity as usual. It was almost a relief when he was subbed because he looked like he may get a red card. The Rapids were incensed at the end of the first half with Chicago's number 25 and Pablo baited him throughout the second half when he was on. Tom McManus came in for Omar Cummings and continued to play with great heart just as he had done against San Jose. Congrats to him for his first goal in the burgundy and blue. Kelly Gray, who had impressed in last week's reserve game, came in for Kosuke Kimura. A little tough on Kimura who seemed to be making the right back spot his own.
We made some poor defensive errors and the defense was practically non-existent on the second goal. But I think we lost the game in the midfield. Blanco may be one of the ugliest of people (we thought he looked like a gargoyle - Blanco is a gargoyle, Blanco is a gargoyle, la la la la, la la la la; maybe we can get a song going when he visits DSG Park?) but he was more creative than his counterpart on the Rapids, Christian Gomez. His pass was instrumental in the first goal and he made a number of creative moves to make chances for his teammates.
To be honest, a draw might have been a fair result and we almost clinched it in the end with Herc putting the ball just wide and Bouna almost creating the greatest moment in Rapids' history when he came up for a last second corner and just headed over. Can you imagine if that had gone in? He would never have stopped talking about it. And neither would the fans. But it wasn't to be. We move on to a big game next weekend against DC United who seem to be getting back to the form we all know they have.

A Bad Day at The Office as Seniors Go AWOL

Colorado Rapids' coach, Fernando Clavijo, said he had fully expected the youngsters to crash in a game eventually after such a successful start to the season. He just didn't expect his senior players to all crash at the same time in the same game. Coach Clavijo told me after the Reserves game this morning that yesterday's defeat to San Jose was a bad day at the office. He said that the senior players didn't really show up and that is what disappointed him the most. It is hard to disagree with him when you look at the performances of the likes of Cooke, Burciaga and Christian Gomez who struggled, despite some good passes, to find any rhythm. What I would say is that Clavijo said all this not with a sense of despair. You get the sense he has the confidence in the players this season that they will bounce back and play a lot better next time. Maybe it was just one of those games. A banana skin against an expansion team. Just as just about everyone got carried away with the thumping of the Galaxy on opening day, maybe we should not read too much into this setback.
The Reserves drew with San Jose Reserves 1-1 on a beautiful morning at DSG Park. There were more chances in a few minutes in this game than all of last night. The Rapids largely dominated the match only to let in an equalizer against the run of play late in the game. Kelly Gray, who impressed defensively throughout (if he stays fit this week and continues his good form, he looks likely to get game time next week against Chicago), scored the Rapids' goal. San Jose scored from a very well taken free kick which goalkeeper, Chris Sharpe, told me afterwards he only saw very late. Not surprising. I was standing behind the goal at the time the shot was taken and it was in the net, round a wall, in approximately 0.2 seconds. It makes you wonder how they ever make any saves. Other important items of note included Pablo Mastroeni playing 60 minutes of this game and he looked sharp and hungry. He told me afterwards that this was the first 60 he had played since last season and this game had given him the butterflies this morning. Good to know he has the fire in him. No doubt about that (he got booked in the 11th minute to prove that!). Looks likely he could be starting, subject to fitness, next week. John DiRaimondo, who went off at the end of the first half last night, is out for a few weeks with an ankle injury. There was also game time for some of the substitutes last night including Herculez Gomez, Tom McManus and Rafael Gomes.