Rapids Will Travel to London For Preseason

Although there had previously been doubt expressed about whether such a trip would take place, the Rapids announced today the squad will be going to the UK as part of their preseason preparations. This is what the Rapids revealed today:
For the third time in the last four years, the Rapids’ preseason plans will include a trip over 4,600 miles away to London, England. The team will be hosted by their partner club and perennial English Premier League contender Arsenal FC. The partnership between the Rapids and Arsenal, which was formed in 2007, allows the Rapids to practice at Arsenal’s facilities.
The team’s England trip will be from March 7-14 and will also include several matches against English opponents, whom will be announced at a later time.
The UK trip will follow some time at the end of this month spent in Pablo Mastroeni's back yard in Arizona. The club captain is one of several big name players currently nursing injuries at the club.

Rapids Expecting Big Roster; Arsenal Trip Unsure?

The Colorado Rapids now have at least four new players after the Superdraft last week. That number will surely be boosted by triallists and other hopefuls that Gary Smith and the coaching staff will be bringing in as preseason approaches. Up to 35 players are expected back at DSG Park for the start of preseason training. The roster has to be trimmed to the maximum 24 players by March 1.
An interesting date because that is the same date as has been rumored for a preseason game between the Rapids and an Arsenal XI in London. At this moment in time, the team is not sure of actually going to the UK for a preseason trip.

Rapids Back to the Arsenal?

A step in the right direction? After looking like the Rapids would not be making preseason trips back to England and sister club Arsenal anytime soon, I found this Arsenal blog detailing a March 1 game between Colorado and The Gunners. Hope Pablo doesn't slide tackle Robin Van Persie too hard on his comeback game.
http://eighteen86.blogspot.com/2009/12/colorado-rapids.html

Arsenal Cement Ties With Rapids as CEO Chosen

The Colorado Rapids and Arsenal appear to have taken a further step in deepening their relationship with the appointment this week of MLS deputy commissioner, Ivan Gazidis, as Arsenal's new CEO. Arsenal's long-standing chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, has come a long way from dissing the likes of Stan "We don't want his sort on our board" Kroenke to actively seeking the Rapids' owner's guidance on Gazidis' suitability for the job. Hill-Wood speaks about Kroenke's role in the appointment and Arsenal's ambitions in the US on the Arsenal website but you have to pay GBP 45 a year for the privilege and I am not going to do that.
Who really knows if the relationship between the two clubs will be more than simply a business investment for Mr. Kroenke? If Gary Smith can use his links with Arsenal to bring over some young UK talent to play for the Rapids, that might be of more relevance to DSG Park fans. Nevertheless, it is an interesting appointment. Gazidis was born in South Africa but spent most of his formative years in the UK including studying at Oxford where he managed to pick up a soccer blue. For those who don't know what that is, it means representing the university at the top level against arch rivals Cambridge. No mean feat even if rugby, cricket and the boat race are better known. Here's a good piece from The Times on the appointment.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article5237074.ece

Seattle Take No Rapids Players

The Seattle Sounders chose not to take any Colorado Rapids players in today's draft as they prepare for their entry into the MLS next season. Ten players from ten separate MLS teams were chosen in the MLS Expansion Draft. Here is a link including the complete list of the ten players selected in the draft today. http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=35400&pcid=115
The Sounders have already signed Swedish international and former Arsenal midfielder, Freddy Ljungberg, as well as former US goalkeeper, Kasey Keller, Sebastien Le Toux and Sanna Nyassi.

Arsenal Exit Making It Easier For Takeover?

Arsenal FC managing director, Keith Edelman, is to leave the club "to seek pastures new and embark upon fresh challenges," according to the BBC. How vague is that? I'm not one for idle speculation but here's some. Edelman has been a big opponent of outside investment in the London club. His shareholding is apparently small but his move would suggest any takeover may be more likely. As we all know, Colorado Rapids owner, Stan Kroenke, has a decent stake in the club. I wouldn't even pretend to know what Mr. Kroenke's designs are on Arsenal but, if he is still interested in the club, he will still have to deal with the always erratic chairman, Peter Hill-Wood, another one apparently opposed to outside involvement, particularly American. Mr. Hill-Wood does seem to contradict himself a lot on this but he did once famously say that "we would be horrifed to see ownership of the club go across the Atlantic." As if going across the Atlantic would be worse than going to deepest Moscow? The club is currently 24% owned by Red and White Holdings which is controlled by another Russian billionare not called Abramovich. Speaking of Chelski, the Rocky Mountain News has a story on its website how the chairman just bought a $36.5 million mansion in Snowmass. So many Colorado links! This truly is the global game.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7377052.stm

Rapids in UK Preseason Footage

Here's some footage of the Colorado Rapids on their preseason tour to Arsenal and the UK but why can't the people who make this video get Major League Soccer right and spell Colorado correctly? Link courtesy of blog The Offside Rules and video courtesy of You Tube.
http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2008/04/video-colorado-rapids-at-emirate.html

German Giants to Play Rapids in July

Borussia Moenchengladbach, one of Germany's most historic clubs, will be visiting Denver to play the Colorado Rapids in July, according to a report in the New York Times. The German giants, who have won the Bundesliga five times, may be a second tier club right now in Germany but their promotion looks virtually assured and they will be back in the top flight when they trot out at Dick's Sporting Goods Park this Summer. Here is the link to the NYT story.
http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/the-germans-are-coming/#more-469
This is good news for the Rapids. It is a mark, surely, of the outstanding facilties that DSG Park offers that they are one of two clubs in the US that the German team will visit. If only we could get Arsenal to pop over for a pre-season tour of the US. According to managing director, Jeff Plush, speaking on tonight's From The Pitch radio show, manager Arsene Wenger is reluctant to do such a tour right now because he doesn't see real value in it. Enjoyed the show, not least the better reception on the new station, but the background noise of the fans was a little distracting. Drums at the breaks and a few songs, yes, but background laughing during the show's discussions? Not sure that really works.

RIP David Rocastle

David Rocastle was a truly gifted player for Arsenal and England before his untimely death in 2001 at the age of 33. And he was also, more importantly, a class human being. This is a quick note to say that tomorrow will mark the seventh anniversary of his death. Please check the link below to maybe buy a commemorative t-shirt and raise money for autism research in the process.
http://www.arseshirts.com/rocky7

Rapids Say Adios to Nico, Buy Crew Defender

Maybe I was dreaming it all but the Brazilian rumor has been replaced by cold fact. The Rapids finally offloaded Nico Hernandez and bought a defender from Columbus Crew, Tim Ward. I'm not really sure what happened to Hernandez. He seemed a good prospect earlier in the season last year but abruptly fell out of favor. It didn't look to me as if his form had radically dipped even though, like everyone else, he wasn't exactly ripping the nets apart. It does kind of lead to speculation that there was some kind of falling out either with teammates or with the coach. Who knows? Anyway, he is off to Ohio so we'll just have to wave the Argentinian flag for Erpen instead. Now, we have another defender. Not sure how he is going to fit in with the current depth we already have at defense. Am I the only one who sees it as odd we have sold an attacking player for another defender when we could barely score last year? Despite the ambitious purchase of Christian Gomez, which will undoubtedly add flair to our attacking play, I'm still having difficulty in seeing just who is going to be the main goalscorer. Maybe the Rapids will persuade Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor to come over to Colorado while they are training with him this week and next? Just kidding. As much chance of that as Eduardo trotting out for the Gunners this weekend.
What a segue. Quick note on Eduardo's injury and fallout because enough has been written on it already. Martin Taylor made a poor tackle in the early minutes of a Premiership game before he was really focused on the game in hand. Eduardo is a supremely gifted player and Taylor was too late with the tackle. What has impressed me about Taylor, who has scarily received death threats from some of the nutters out there, is his trips to the hospital to see Eduardo. This guy is obviously distraught at what happened to a fellow professional. It may have been a bad tackle but it was not a malicious one and he deserves support to get him through it just as we all wish Eduardo back on the field as soon as possible. The Croatian star has been absolutely outstanding for Arsenal this season and he is sorely missed by all true soccer lovers.

Rapids Go All Brazilian?

Dick's Sporting Goods Park may be getting a touch of samba for the upcoming season, according to speculation on tonight's From The Pitch radio show. Host and former US player, Marcelo Balboa, said the Rapids may be signing a couple of Brazilians. I wasn't able to listen to the interview later in the show where Rapids coach, Fernando Clavijo, was talking but it certainly adds to the genuine excitement and anticipation around DSG Park these days. One of the players discussed is Reinaldo, currently with Queensland Roar in the Australian league. Here's a rather tasty goal we would all like to see replicated for the Rapids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWB_1NeSKps&feature=related

The other is Rafael Dos Santos but nobody seemed to be able to say what position this player would play. Again, maybe Clavijo clarified. We'll wait and see if there are any developments from the Rapids over the next few days. The Rapids fly off to my homeland Thursday to train with the mighty Arsenal. People may scoff at the marketing partnership with the Gunners but the players can only learn more from the experience of playing with some of the best players in Europe and beyond.
UPDATE: (March 3 2008)
Reinaldo apparently decided to further his Korea by going to career instead.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=703104.html

Arsenal Go Marching On; Thank God for Bungs

Another typical day in the Premiership. Chelsea win at home, Derby lose and Manchester United don't play when practically everybody else does. Arsenal come back from a goal down, not so typical, and forge a 2-1 victory away at Villa Park. They showed a lot of resistance against a wave of second half pressure, reminiscent of the days of Adams, Bould, Dixon and Winterburn. What price another unbeaten season in the league?
So Harry Redknapp thinks his arrest has ruined his chances of being the next England manager? Nice bloke that he is and fantastic club manager, this is not a person that England needs to head up a dispirited national team. Bungs and allegations apart, Redknapp is an old school type who has done wonders with underperforming clubs but where is the pedigree for leading the Three Lions? Same with Allardyce. A great manager in the small sea of Bolton, he is in big trouble at the ocean that is Newcastle. Another big defeat today at Blackburn. He doesn't have the record either for the England job. It didn't stop the suits at the FA appointing McClueless but Barwick and Gentleman Trev must be aiming higher. Notice how many England players have come out this week supporting the candidacy of Mourinho? A few calls have gone from the The Special One's people to the cellphones of some of the big England players, methinks, to help generate media discussion. Self-fulfilling phrophecy? You betcha. The Portuguese maestro may be playing his own denial games but it seems a lot more likely now than it did a few weeks ago that he could be the man to step in.

Beckham Down Under
Another meaningless tournament was announced this week. The Pan-Pacific Cup will be played in Hawaii next February with teams from Japan and Australia as well as MLS champion Houston Dynamo and, of course, LA Galaxy. The promoters can bang on all they want about how Hawaii has a "history of hosting top international sporting events.” ??? Couple of skins golf tournaments with ageing players, the ProBowl? Give me a break. Beckham can talk about top quality opposition before the MLS season. Houston, maybe, but this is a little too far. The truth is, and this isn't exactly going to endear as yet to be turned on US sports fans who are highly skeptical about soccer, it is simply another money spinner for the Galaxy. There is no problem selling out grounds to 80,000 fans in Sydney but the Galaxy is in danger of being seen simply as a glorified shopping mall unless it can get the MLS results next year. It's a very good move getting Cobi Jones on the coaching side but will Gullit's sexy football still be quite as alluring on a freezing day next April at DSG Park? My good friends at Class VI have been talking up the likelihood Beckham and Co. will be first up at the Rapids' award-winning complex next season. I wish the Galaxy and Beckham well, apart from against the Rapids of course. I really want them to have good results next season so that the MLS looks good to the rest of the world. The jaunt to Hawaii will then be seen as what it is, a pre-season warm-up in a nice sunny place good for Posh's tan. If the Galaxy fail to deliver on the MLS pitch, it will be more fodder to the skeptics.