Rapids Pick Up Valuable Point in Kansas

I have to declare an interest here. I wasn't able to see this game. All I have are the postmatch comments of both the team and friends who called me after the game to fill me in.
What I can say is that a point in Kansas is a very valuable one at this stage of the season. I know the Rapids are not picking up three points on anything like a consistent basis but we cannot underestimate the injuries that have befallen them. To lose the whole squad's only three out and out wingers is kind of freaky and leaves the team so short of options. Steve Guppy told me after the San Jose game the other night that he got one injury in his whole career. Wingers don't get injured, he said. Of course, they can, but to have all three of Jamie Smith, Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson out at the same time is very bad luck. And it means, as Gary Smith as pointed out, more pressure on the back line not to concede because so few attacking opportunities may be created.
There is still some danger this team will not make the playoffs. Next week's final home game of the season is now a must win and would take them to the "magic number" of 42 points. I think the team should get to the postseason from here but it will be one mighy uphill stuggle given the attacking deficiencies caused by all these injuries. Let's be realistic given what has happened. To get into the playoffs can be the only target for now. The team will have done very well to get there. Any more than that is probably a few steps too far.

Smith and Peterson to Take Clark Reins

Gary Smith isn't ruling out going into the transfer market to replace the unfortunate Colin Clark but don't hold your breath. At this stage in the season, the head coach doesn't want to upset the balance of the squad he already has and, as assistant Steve Guppy also said recently, it's not as if you can just go out there and pick up another Colin Clark. The team has only another ten games this season in regular play as it launches a playoff push and looks set to rely on Jamie Smith and Jacob Peterson to do what Clark has been consistently doing, i.e create, look dangerous and score goals. Ironically, Peterson hyperextended his knee the same day that Clark tore his ACL but Smith fully expects him to make a full recovery before the team's next game in Chicago.
"We have some names we have had our eye on but they are more potentials rather than the finished article," Smith said at training Thursday in response to whether the team would look to replace Clark. "And I don't want to interrupt what we have here." So, even with the slight chance the Rapids did dip into the market, it's not likely to be a player that will walk straight into the team. There isn't enough time left in the season to do that, to do a proper job.
In other news, Julien Baudet is making a great recovery from his broken forearm and could be in contention for selection for the Chicago game. Check out www.mlsnet.com for my story on him.
I'll be going to Chicago for the game, covering it for mlsnet. If you had any thoughts about how I could get some extra coverage of the game build-up etc., drop me a line with some thoughts. Got to go and check the mighty Gills and their game against Tranmere in League One. Check in next week.

Clark Out For Season as Tears ACL

The injury that affects soccer players seemingly the most and one that they all fear has happened to Colin Clark. A very bad thing to happen to a player who is vital to this team.

Press release from the Rapids: COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (Tuesday, August 11, 2009) – Colorado Rapids midfielder Colin Clark has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, the club announced today.
Clark suffered the injury in training on Tuesday and will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2009 season.
Surgery to repair the injury is scheduled to take place early next week.
Clark started in 16 games this season, playing 1,421 minutes and had three goals and a new single season career-high five assists.

Rapids Take on Chivas; Injuries and Form a Concern

Given very poor planning on my part, I will again miss the Rapids game this weekend. Two games in a row, very poor form. So, I won't be posting a match report as the chances of me both finding a tv in Philadelphia that may actually show it and be on the good side of my significant other are slim to none. So, I will just post a few thoughts following training today.
Health issues for some players are not all that great. Conor Casey is still struggling with his post All Stars groin strain. Oh how happy is Gary Smith on that one when the big fella was out for so long in South Africa and then promptly goes lame on his return from the Everton game. Pablo Mastroeni is also a slight doubt as he took a knock in training though the captain assured me he will be fine to play. Cory Gibbs only returned to training today after some calf problems. My guess is that least two of those big three will play this weekend.
Ugo Ihemelu, as frustrated as anybody at the speed of MLS refereeing decisions involving ejections, will be out after his red card against Columbus. This will surely allow recent matchwinner, Kosuke Kimura, to get the start he so richly deserves. I would also expect newcomer, Jamie Smith, to possibly start this time around which would likely see Jacob Peterson on the bench. There are some concerns about Colin Clark's form given it will clearly take him some time to get into the swing of things after his lengthy stay with the US national team where he was out of favor with the coaching staff and lost a lot of valuable playing time. He will surely start, though, so there should be some entertainment from the wings. It would be nice to see such service going to Casey and Omar Cummings as those two have barely played together in recent weeks/months. We'll have to see if the extent of Conor's injury will allow that. The game against Chivas kicks off at 7.30pm Saturday. Please do check out my preview of the game on www.mlsnet.com tomorrow.

Cooke to Leave; Smith Signed

"I'm so disappointed Dad." My four-year-old son summed it up so well when I told him that Terry Cooke had been waived from the Colorado Rapids. I'm sure Jamie Smith will turn out to be a good player for the Rapids but to see Cooke go is right up there with the departures of Bouna Coundoul and Herculez Gomez. The Rapids do seem to have a knack of getting rid of people that are fan favorites. The rational part of me can force me to think this may be the best move for the team as it seeks a more dynamic dribbling, one-on-one wing threat, the type of football it is trying to build with the likes of Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson, but there is an emotional attachment to Cooke. There is also, as importantly, a different role that he can play that nobody else can. When the team is in need of a different strategy, it knows it can rely on Cooke to deliver some of those trademark crosses. Clark may be close to the finished article at taking people on but Peterson still has some way to go to convince. When that is not working, the team has needed Cooke and now he is no longer an option. We all wish Smith well but we are so sad to see Cooke go. At least we can remember that goal against Kansas when he came on as a second half sub and whacked one into the net with his first touch. That is my favorite Rapids' moment at DSG Park. Good luck to you Terry. I know I am not alone in wishing you that.

Kimura Steps Up to Plate as Do Others

When your star players are away on international duty, you need the ones left behind to step up to the plate. Omar Cummings did it big time when Conor Casey was away in Chicago and South Africa. Now that Omar and Colin Clark are away for the Gold Cup, Kosuke Kimura chimed in with an energetic performance that won the game on Saturday for the Colorado Rapids. Long before the right-back lashed one into the top of the net in the 79th minute, he had been in top form during the game, contributing to the attack consistently and saving the defense when needed. Kimura, fast becoming a fan favorite, is a coaches', teammates' and supporters' delight. He tries his heart out, he never complains, he loves this game and he is as modest as he is hard working. "My aim is to be aggressive all the time," he said after the game. "I knew a goal was coming; I just didn't know I was going to score." All the media was, rightly, focusing on Kimura after the game. But it would be easy to overlook the significant play of others. The midfield of Mehdi Ballouchy, Nick LaBrocca and Pablo Mastroeni were rightly picked out by coach Gary Smith after the game for their unsung work in the unusual 4-3-3 formation employed Saturday. I swear LaBrocca ran about 10k just in that second half.
Coach Smith acknowledged the vital nature of this win, coming as it did after the team's worst performance of the season against Chicago and before a tricky trip away to DC United on July 18th. "We are a side that are lacking a couple of players that make a big diference for us," Smith said about the absence of Clark and Cummings. "The most important thing was to get three points today." Thankfully, Cummings will be back to play in the DC United game as Jamaica crashed out of the Gold Cup. Clark will remain with the US team and so will miss that game. In the meantime, fans can be thankful that the rest of the squad continue to perform well, the blip against Chicago the exception rather than the rule.

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.

Rapids Fail to Capitalize; Ref Can't Make Up Mind

This game turned on the ridiculous "red card that wasn't" decision. If this guy does not get hauled across the coals for his terrible refereeing, there is no justice. For what it's worth, the original "foul" was pretty clearly not a red card. But to go back on that decision, whether it was the right one or not, is just about the lamest thing I have seen on a soccer field for a while. The momentum changed abruptly, the wind went out of the Rapids' sails and it was almost inevitable that the LA Galaxy would snatch an equalizer. However, you can't really blame the decision on the fact that the Rapids failed to put this game away when they should have done. After a lifeless first half in which the energy levels of the team were very low, things started to turn in Colorado's favor in the opening 20 minutes of the second half which included a well taken goal from Colin Clark. The Rapids then needed to make the game safe but they failed to do so. The referee suffered an attack of extreme weakness, the life was sucked out of the Rapids' game and Landon Donovan netted a valuable equalizer for the visitors.
Red card or not, the Rapids still seemed to lack consistent creativity in the game. Terry Cooke, getting his first start of the season in his one hundredth game for the Rapids, created some good stuff on the flanks and Clark made some good runs but there wasn't a whole lot else. Mehdi Ballouchy is working very hard for this team but he can't seem to provide the offensive spark it needs. Sometimes last night, he was picking up the ball and doing what Pablo Mastroeni does in bringing the ball out of the defense. It wasn't necessarily his fault but it isn't really what he should be doing.
There is clearly a lot of work to do before next week's game against Real Salt Lake who somewhat soundly thrashed New England with six second half goals yesterday. I guess we can be thankful we are playing them at DSG Park and not in Sandy, Utah, where they have also rolled over the Columbus Crew this season.

Smith Reaching For Stars With Feet on the Ground

Well, it was Wednesday rather than Monday but I did eventually manage to talk with Gary Smith, the head coach of the Colorado Rapids. Here are some of his thoughts less than a month away from the start of the season.

Gary Smith, head coach of the Colorado Rapids, wants 40 points to make the playoffs. That is the first priority of the team. If the Rapids do make the postseason, then aims can be modified and priorities reset. For some, aiming for just 40 points may seem a little light on ambition but Smith is realistic enough to know that he is still working with a relatively inexperienced core of players and that it is vital for the team to make that stage first having missed out in the past two seasons. "I am excited but realistic and we have to make sure both inside and outside the club that we don’t get too carried away," Smith said. For Smith, there is now a core group of players recently signed to multi-year contracts that are the future of the club. Aside from veteran club captain, Pablo Mastroeni, Smith sees the likes of Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark, Ugo Ihemelu, Omar Cummings, Jordan Harvey and Kosuke Kimura, as the mainstay of the club in the coming years. But many of those players still have not typically played much more than a dozen games a season and are still developing their talents. Clearly, Smith is not just thinking about this season but the next few too.
The opening six games of the season will have a big say on the probability of reaching that target of 40 points. The Rapids will play four of those six games away, two of those being at Houston and Columbus. "Any away game is tough in this league and to have games against the current champions and the champions of the previous two seasons makes it even tougher," Smith said. His aim is for the team to get something out of both of those games. "If we can come out of the pack from these opening games, we are going to be in a good spot," he added. There then follows a long stint with a majority of games at DSG Park before more road games towards the end of the season.
The team is now just one or two players away from finalizing the 24-man roster which has to be in place March 2. Smith has been very public about bringing in one or two extra forwards to back up Conor Casey and Cummings. One of those could be a big name forward from Europe, probably in the summer once the seasons finish there. It may also be possible to bring in a player of good caliber from either South America or Africa in time for the season opener. Smith said he had been working on this for the past six weeks and admitted to some frustrations with the players he is targeting. One of those is the much-discussed English striker currently with Southampton, Jason Euell, whom Smith is talking with on a regular basis. There are problems with financial discussions, he said. Clearly, this is a problem with European players used to much higher salaries. The Rapids do have their Designated Player spot available again after trading Christian Gomez but I wouldn't hold your breath they will be able to fill that slot with a big name player based on what Smith is saying.
If strikers are added, clearly one or two more players would have to go. Only one triallist remains at the club, Ivorian Serge Wawa. Expect one of the developmental players to be moving on in the next week or so as the March 2 deadline approaches. The team heads to California to play San Jose on Friday followed by more preseason training and a game next week in Los Angeles.

Gomez Goes as Rapids Acquire Guerrero

Big news in the soccer world today. First, Chelsea sack Scolari as manager and then the Colorado Rapids not so surpisingly trade an unhappy Christian Gomez back to DC United. For Gomez, the Rapids will get experienced international player Ivan Guerrero (will this be the competition for Colin Clark?), a designated player roster spot and a second round superdraft pick for next year. They also partly solve the goalkeeping conundrum because they are trading back-up goalie Mike Graczyk as part of the deal. There were just too many goalkeepers on the roster. Looks like a pretty good deal to me. Let me know what you think.
Gomez never really settled in the team and was clearly not a player that Gary Smith wanted. He looked off the pace and just couldn't fit into a disciplined style. It was interesting to note Smith's changes of tone regarding Gomez's future as the preseason approached. When Gomez pulled a groin muscle very early on in preseason training, it was probably the last straw. I have little time to fill out more details right now on the trade so please do visit the Rapids' website for more information.
A quick heads-up also. I talked at length with Pablo Mastroeni today so expect something on that later this week.

Smith Lays Down Law as he Builds Squad

The Colorado Rapids team that lines up on opening day against Chivas in LA could be a very different team from what we saw last year. According to Gary Smith in the Denver Post, only club captain, Pablo Mastroeni, is guaranteed a spot. We should take that with a grain of salt because there are a number of other players who are very likely to be fixtures this season. After all, we are not likely to be getting rid of players like Matt Pickens and Ugo Ihemelu when they have been called up to the US squad for next month's vital game against Mexico. However, it does lay down a marker. Smith has shown that he is not scared of moulding this squad as he sees fit. Witness the ruthless way he has despatched last season regulars like Bouna Coundoul, Tom McManus and Facundo Erpen. Granted, those players may have wanted out for different reasons but Smith is for sure redesigning this team so that it has his stamp on it and nobody else's.
Be prepared for a number of changes too before that season opener. If the stories are right and there will be players coming in from Europe and South America, not to mention West Africa, according to new technical director, Paul Bravo, talking on the From The Pitch radio show today, there simply won't be room for all the current squad. It's almost like the Broncos. A massive shakedown of the preseason roster before the playing season starts proper. One interesting note from Bravo also. He said that the club has a lot of respect for Colin Clark but that a similar player would be needed if Clark gets suspended or gets called up for the national team. With all this competition for places emphasis, you can't help but think that this could be a challenge also for Clark to keep fighting for his place.

Rapids Trio Make It Into US Roster

Pablo Mastroeni, Cory Gibbs and Conor Casey are among the final roster for this week's US World Cup qualifying game against Guatemala. The Colorado Rapids trio made it into the final 20 man squad with teammates Colin Clark and Nick LaBrocca, in the US training camp for the first time, just missing out. Clearly, they will be better for the experience of just being in the national set-up. The US squad will train tomorrow and Tuesday before the game on Wednesday at DSG Park which kicks off at 6pm MT. Here is a link to the full squad. http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_11370500.html

Five Rapids Players Called Into US Camp

Nick LaBrocca and Colin Clark will be joining veterans Pablo Mastroeni, Conor Casey and Cory Gibbs in the US national team training camp this week ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Guatemala at DSG Park taking place November 19. This is the first time Clark and LaBrocca have been involved with the senior national team. I'll try and get some response from them later this week as this is a major achievement on their part and great reward for a very hard-working season. The selection of Gibbs, Mastroeni and Casey also makes a lot of sense given their sterling performances over the season and their local knowledge, less so in Gibbs' case, admittedly, as he has only been with the Rapids for half a season. US coach, Bob Bradley, will announce the final roster for the game after initial training, which starts tomorrow and ends Saturday.

Rapids Repeat Chivas Victory to Keep Hopes Alive

It's deja vu all over again. Needing to win at Chivas for a second straight season to keep playoff hopes alive, the Colorado Rapids went to LA and emerged with a brave 2-1 victory. They had some luck, they often played quite predictable soccer but they played with great heart and they deserved the victory. Chivas are a pretty nice team with a good streak behind them and this was a great effort to get the three points.
The Rapids, as they had to, took the game to Chivas and, but for a short period following the opening goal, played consistently attacking soccer. They didn't exactly dominate the game but they did have the lion's share of possession for basically the whole match. You just got this nagging feeling that it would all come to naught and that Chivas would break and score. However, a solid header from Colin Clark from a perfect Omar Cummings cross gave the Rapids the lead in the 67th minute. Colorado needed to do something to break down the Chivas defense and it was substitute, Terry Cooke, who put Omar in a good position to make the cross with one of his trademark slide rule passes. We almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory a few minutes later when we sat back too much just as Chivas stepped up a gear - a bad combination. Chivas equalized and we had to wait nail bitingly until the 85th minute for Conor Casey to knock a penalty home following a good run by Cummings. This penalty was deserved. The first one, subsequently missed by Tom McManus in the 55th minute, was one of the softest penalties you will see and it was fitting that the Chivas goalkeeper pulled off a good save. There was nobody happier than McManus when that final whistle blew.
Now, all we have to do is beat Salt Lake in Colorado next Saturday. Who cares about the Rocky Mountain Cup? Just get in the playoffs.

The Brits (and Others) Can Do It

Conor Casey suspended, Omar Cummings on international duty. Landon Donovan and David Beckham away internationally too. Add to the mix that the Colorado Rapids have only one half-fit true striker available and, at first glance, you have to wonder where the goals are going to come from in tomorrow's game against the LA Galaxy. We should add also that the ill-fated Christian Gomez, who probably would have got some contribution in in tomorrow's game, turned his ankle in training this week and will not be making the trip. His days as a Rapid may be over.
So, where is the creative spark going to come from, arguably on both teams? I believe that the Galaxy will miss their two stars more than we will miss our absentees. Gary Smith, Rapids' head coach, said yesterday he was still undecided about the final line-up but was leaning towards playing just Tom McManus up front. When I asked how fit he was feeling after recent injuries, McManus joked that he would be good for about 20 minutes if Smith does go with one forward. "I'm not 100 percent but needs must," he said. The other option is to have Jacob Peterson partnering McManus and essentially keeping the same formation. "Jake has been looking very sharp and bright in training this week," Smith added.
There will be a change in defense. Kosuke Kimura and Jordan Harvey, the butt of some unjustified criticisms in the last two games, will continue but Ugo Ihemelu will definitely come in, probably at the expense of Mike Petke. That will largely depend on the fitness of Cory Gibbs who has been sick this week. The midfield will be made up of Pablo, Terry Cooke, Colin Clark, Nick LaBrocca and Mehdi Ballouchy and don't be surprised to see one of the Reserves such as Nico Colaluca coming off the bench for some pace and invention. The Reserves will be paying Galaxy Reserves immediately after tomorrow night's game so there will be many options for Smith.
The final eleven will depend on the formation with Ballouchy making way for LaBrocca in a 4-4-2. Whatever the final starting eleven, we are going to depend on much of the creativity coming from the flanks, particularly Cooke. How many times have we seen this season Cooke assisting for Casey? This time, it will be McManus on the end of Cooke's perfect crosses. Let's just hope the Scot has the confidence to turn some of those crosses into goals. It won't be easy coming off injuries and Smith noted that McManus may be suffering from a lack of confidence given his inconsistent run in the team. You'd never know it from the chirpy Scot who has a big role to play tomorrow and we wish him all the best. May the Flower of Scotland bloom and send them homeward to think again!

Resolution Against The Revolution

The Colorado Rapids grinded this one out against one of the league's top teams and were unlucky in the end to only get a 1-1 draw. With Chivas beating Salt Lake, the Rapids are now third in the Western Conference with just five games to go. Gary Smith, head coach, now has one of the nine points he said he wanted from six games but this conference remains so tight, especially with Dallas' surprise victory over Chicago, that it looks impossible to predict what will happen. All the Rapids can do is play tough, especially on the road, and try and maintain the self-belief that has begun to creep into their play.
In reality, this was not a great game to watch. The Rapids didn't really create enough good chances and had to rely on assist God, Terry Cooke, for another serve it up on a plate cross, this time for Colin Clark to head one in. Cooke is playing extremely well right now after the abyss he found himself in earlier this season. Former coach, Fernando Clavijo, was not a big fan of Cooke's defensive prowess but he was all over the field last night, tackling back consistently, including right at the death when New England threatened to snatch it.
Other than that, the defense once again proved to be very solid and that back four with Burpo in goal looks set to remain unchanged. It really is a nice balance. The experience and pedigree of Mike Petke and Cory Gibbs coupled with the exciting attacking play of Kosuke Kimura and Jordan Harvey on the outside. Kimura does make a few mistakes but he is a young player with a great future and he gives it everything.
The Rapids move on to Giants' Stadium to play New York next Saturday.

Rapids Shoot But Don't Score Enough

Once again, the Colorado Rapids outshot their opposition but there is only one statistic that matters in soccer and that is how many goals you score and how many goals you let in, well two statistics then. Everton scored twice, once at the beginning of the game and once right at the end. Conor Casey got on the scoresheet for the Rapids early in the second half but it proved not to be enough. One of the post-match phrases often used by lower teams in England when they play the big boys is that "we showed them too much respect." That is what happened in the first 20 minutes or so yesterday when the Rapids seemed almost in awe of the various internationals facing them in the blue shirts and consequently let Everton dictate the game. There was no surprise when Mikel Arteta (or Michael Arteta as the stadium announcer insisted on calling the Spaniard) scored after six minutes. If Spain weren't such a damn good national team and so heavily stocked with superstars in the midfield, surely Arteta could find his way into that set-up. He and Cahill make up a fantastic midfield pairing.
It was only when the Rapids woke up and realized that they were facing a jet-lagged, not match fit team with teenagers playing at its heart that they started to fight back. This was particularly clear in Colin Clark's case. Clark was basically anonymous in the first half but played really well in the second 45 minutes, making some great dribbles and creating chances with Terry Cooke and the energetic Herculez Gomez. I kept wishing he would make a fool of Phil Neville at right back just as he had with another international in Frankie Hejduk the previous week but Neville never really let him do that. The Rapids dominated the second half with Clark, Herculez and Cooke gaining the upper hand. Nick LaBrocca also gave the team a lot of energy in that second half after coming on as a substitute for Mehdi Ballouchy.
A good game. It was great fun to interact with a team from England (and to hear the anthem at DSG Park!). I think these games are great for the Rapids' players who can test themselves against international stars who play in one of the biggest leagues in the world. If they can perform well against such a team, they know they can perform on most stages. Granted this is a team with a lack of fully fit players who are only in their preseason but this is still a Premier League team who finished fifth in the league last season. Positives to take into the vital MLS game against Toronto this weekend.

It's Mighty Pretty But It Ain't Got What We Got

Chicago that is. I'm sure Chicago is a great city but when you are at Dick's Sporting Goods Park looking at the snow-capped mountains on a sunny morning and playing soccer for a living, Denver sure looks good. I watched the squad in training yesterday and what I would give to be 25, as fit as a butcher's dog and playing on the carpet that is the Rapids' training ground.
The San Jose debacle is behind us and we move on to the Chicago suburbs. Colin Clark told me yesterday that nobody for a minute underestimated San Jose but also that everyone was equally surprised by the way the Earthquakes came at them last weekend. They weren't prepared for that. Kosuke Kimura admitted that everybody had a bad game but it is now behind them. It could be a good lesson for everyone. There are no easy games just as there is no team that the Rapids cannot beat. We must play attackingly against Chicago as we did in all our games so far bar San Jose.
The boys looked sharp in training which included a scrimmage against the University of Denver team. Nearly all the squad got some playing time in the scrimmage with what looked like a possible first team, more or less, coming out in the last 30 minutes or so. It was noticeable how the Rapids dominated that last half an hour even though the DU team manfully managed to keep them out and there was no score in the end. The DU coaches were very happy with that result. You should check out the DU games at Pioneer Field sometime. The current Spring schedule sees them taking on the Colorado School of Mines this Sunday at 2pm.
So, who will be playing this weekend? Kimura told me there could be a little tinkering with the team but, if you look at the Rapids website, the formation seems to be pretty much the same with Pablo Mastroeni coming in for the injured John DiRaimondo (link below).
http://www.coloradorapids.com/TheMatch/Matchup.aspx
DiRaimondo is out for a couple of weeks. He said he is grateful because he really thought at the time that he may have broken his ankle. It is just sprained. Justin Hughes continues to work back to fitness and is hopeful of playing in a scrimmage against the University of New Mexico next week during training. Ugo Ihemelu, who looked dominant and impressive in the scrimmage yesteday, is back in contention but would seem unlikely to start this weekend. Nick LaBrocca looks like he has been 12 rounds but showed no effects from last week's bloodied nose.

MLS Salaries Not Exactly Merit-Based

Much has already been written about the recent release of MLS players' salaries so I'm not going to add all that much. I'm also not going to say that certain players deserve less than they are actually geting, which some have commented on already. All I want to say is how can a professional sportsman, or anybody else for that matter, live on less than $18,000 a year (Kosuke Kimura, weekend goalscorer John DiRaimondo) and how come merit isn't exactly rewarded (Bouna and Colin Clark on a paltry $33,000 a year)? It seems strange to think that you would know the salaries of all the other people in your organization, no? Imagine that in any office or corporation your average Joe works in. If you think of the four Rapids players highlighted here (Kimura, Bouna, Clark and DiRaimondo), who are clearly not exactly amply rewarded for their talents, I think it speaks volumes for them as to how committed they are to the team and how they don't value success purely financially. A little bit more financial comfort would be nice though (L'argent ne fait pas le bonheur mais on est tout de meme content de l'en avoir). Here's a link to a nice piece by our friends at the Rocky Mountain News. (http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/soccer/2008/04/list_of_2008_mls_player_salari.html#more.) Check out View From The Couch (http://www.view-from-the-couch.blogspot.com) also whose link I will now be putting on the site.