A Win And We're In

Even if Real Salt Lake win in Toronto (unlikely, but you never know), the Colorado Rapids can still clinch a playoff position tonight with a win in Dallas if New England fail to win their game. The beauty is that Gary Smith will know the results of both the Salt Lake and New England games before the kickoff tonight against FC Dallas. The team would know exactly what it has to do and their destiny would be in their hands. Even if they can't clinch it tonight, they will still know that a win almost guarantees them a place in the postseason. Smith said a win will mean he is smoking cigars and drinking brandy tonight in some Dallas hotel. The team is almost there but it will be a very tough game against a streaking Dallas who still have an outside chance at reaching the playoffs after a great run in recent weeks.
A draw would still be a good result. Perhaps as important would be some goals from open play. Offensively, the Rapids have been ineffective in recent weeks, relying on Conor Casey's penalty kicks to scrounge points here and there. Tonight, they will rely on service from the wings in the form of regular fullbacks, Jordan Harvey and Kosuke Kimura. I think you are going to see a back three (Gibbs, Moor and Palguta) with Pablo Mastroeni playing just in front of them. With Kimura and Harvey in midfield will be Nick LaBrocca and Pat Noonan (a huge game for Noonan tonight) as the team will miss Mehdi Ballouchy through suspension. Omar Cummings and Casey will be upfront. So, it won't be a 3-5-2 that Smith really doesn't like all that much, more of a 3-1-4-2. Width in attack but less vulnerability for the defense. Despite the dilemmas posed by a returning to fitness Matt Pickens, I think Preston Burpo will be in goal. Put it this way. It was Burpo training yesterday with the first team while Pickens worked separately with goalkeeping coach, David Kramer, and the other reserve goalies.
A huge, huge game. Let's hope the team gives the best possible account of itself and we gain something from the trip.

Win In Texas For Playoff Position?

It may have been a quiet week for the Rapids but all the noise from the other MLS games has left their task very clear. A win in Dallas and they could be in the playoffs. Such a scenario will take place for sure if the Rapids win in Texas and Real Salt Lake fail to beat New York tomorrow night, something they haven't done in the past 10 games against the Red Bulls apparently. But then New York has failed to pick up a victory all season on the road so that might be asking a bit too much. There are other scenarios even if Salt Lake do win tomorrow night but, suffice it to say, the Rapids will almost definitely be in and could for sure be in after Saturday if they notch a victory.
In injury news, Matt Pickens is looking to be fit for selection for the first time in some weeks, posing a dilemma for Gary Smith as to who to put in the net. Check out this story on www.mlsnet.com for the latest on the goalkeeping situation http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091013&content_id=7449308&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
According to the Rapids' website, Cory Gibbs will be in the starting line-up in a back line of three defenders with Pablo Mastroeni just in front. Gibbs will be replacing suspended Julien Baudet. Mehdi Ballouchy is also suspended and there could be some shifts in the midfield to allow regular fullbacks, Kosuke Kimura and Jordan Harvey, to play more wide midfield positions.
Conor Casey should be back from his World Cup heroics to partner Omar Cummings upfront although what kind of condition he will be in after two games in a few days remains unclear. Fellow US MNT forward, Charlie Davies, was today seriously injured in a car accident, meaning Casey will surely be starting tomorrow against Costa Rica. The injuries to Davies are, thankfully, not said to be life-threatening.

Don't Forget Your Passport; Rapids Head North

Players can be a little forgetful of the details and the Colorado Rapids are no different. On a whiteboard in the locker room, they are this week being urged not to forget their passports as they travel to Canada. More tellingly, there is also a note on that same board that reads "If you are healthy and not suspended, you are traveling." Just like Toronto last year on the road, the Rapids are down to bare bones in terms of bodies to put on the field.
Last year, a very inexperienced defense (Keel, Zambrano and others) were thrown into the fire that is BMO Field and did creditably enough but it was too much to ask and the Rapids lost easily. This year, thankfully, the defense for Toronto tomorrow looks a lot more solid. Expect an unchanged backline from last week. Minus the goalkeeper. Matt Pickens has injured his knee in practice and is out for at least two weeks. Preston Burpo, so patient all season long, will therefore get an opportunity tomorrow. The Rapids will also have the tandem of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings upfront. The availability problems are in midfield. Pablo Mastroeni will be curling up on the sofa at home watching the game because he is the suspended one. Gary Smith told me yesterday that Jamie Smith is out for the season to join Colin Clark on the dreaded season-ending DL. Take a look at the Rapids' website link on projected line-ups and you will see that Greg Dalby will get the start tomorrow. Mehdi Ballouchy is not listed as starting.
http://www.coloradorapids.com/TheMatch/Matchup.aspx
So, it may not be all that pretty tomorrow. Service will have to come from Jacob Peterson and assist king Cummings, it looks like. Maybe the big fella can get his pate on another couple of crosses and we could escape with something. Toronto will be a very different proposition at home tomorrow after being so poor last week. They will have internationals such as Guevara back after the World Cup qualifying schedule and they have a certain Canadian DP announced this week. Gary Smith has reiterated his desire to get to the magic 40 points and is looking at tomorrow's game plus the home and away series against San Jose to reach that. It would then leave four games to secure a playoff position.
Kick off tomorrow is at 2pm Mountain Time. The official viewing party is at GB Fish and Chips. See you there.

Not My Kind of Town Today

Greetings from a sunny Chicago. I should be looking out on Lake Michigan basking in a great win for the Rapids but a crazy last 20 minutes put paid to that. The team is a few blocks away no doubt also musing on the one that got away. I shouldn't think there is much happy conversation over the scrambled eggs this morning.
A poor penalty decision (where have we read that before?) changed the whole nature of this game. Kosuke Kimura made what looked like a perfectly good challenge on Cuauhtemoc Blanco but the referee, with the trigger happy nature of most officials in this league, saw fit to award a penalty. Blanco put it away and the Rapids, despite their best efforts, went into self-destruct mode.
No point in going on too much about how the Rapids should have done better in that last quarter because nobody knows that better than the players and the coach and they will be hurting this morning. They will know that the difference between a team with playoff hopes versus a team realistically challenging for the MLS Championship is in being sure to win in situations like yesterday. 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go against a team depleted by injuries, suspension and internal dissent has to mean victory but it didn't. Now, they approach a tough game at home to Houston with a different mentality. Instead of the confidence engendered by a victory on the road against Chicago, they will go into Sunday's game knowing that a win is vital for morale as the postseason gets ever closer. They will regroup in Colorado this week, recover from this kick in the guts (but not today), prepare and eventually enter Sunday's game in a better frame of mind than they find themselves this morning. It's the nature of the human mind to do so and pro athletes need that as much as anyone.
A few positives to end up on:
Omar Cummings - wonder strike for the second goal and ability to shake hands with the officials at the end of the game despite the turmoil of the final 20 minutes.
Kosuke Kimura - must be a shoe-in at right back for the rest of the season. Another energetic game in both attack and defense. Blameless for the penalty.
Matt Pickens - played a great game in goal and cannot be blamed for any of the goals.
Jordan Harvey - some great defense right at the end with an apparently game-saving goalline clearance at the death before the final goal. Consistent as always.
That's not to be negative about any of the other players - it's just that those players stood out yesterday, for me anyway. Next week will be different players making the outstanding contributions, that's how it goes. Onwards and upwards. I'll post some other random thoughts and observations later about my time in Chicago (some interesting observations thanks to the generous hosting by a great supporter section here in Chicago).

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 Given Wings as Swallow Up Red Bulls

Pablo Mastroeni grabbed Conor Casey in a bear hug at the end of yesterday's game because he knows how valuable the striker is to the Colorado Rapids and he was grateful to the big fella that he can go and attend MNT camp knowing that his team are very well set after yesterday's victory in New York. Mastroeni will miss next week's game against Real Salt Lake on US duty but he can have some confidence that the Rapids can go to Rio Tinto and get something next week. It's hard to overstate the importance of Casey and everyone is praying that his good health and good form continue because the Rapids are still shallow when it comes to forward depth. What if Casey does get called up for the US? Surely, he must be in consideration for the Confederations' Cup or Gold Cup squads, at the very least. Matt Pickens is another who has no doubt been in national team coaches' minds and let's hope yesterday's almost inexplicable error that led to the second NY goal will not be overstated. Let's not forget his great save in the opening minute that could have seen Angel give the Red Bulls an immediate lead.
I think the Rapids played much better against Seattle last week, at least in terms of attacking football. But they made the most of not a great defensive opposition yesterday to deserve the 3-2 victory. Yes, the penalty was a bit debatable but so was the one given to NY. A return yesterday to pretty poor officiating. I loved the tenacity of the second goal which saw Colin Clark and Jordan Harvey battling for the ball when it seemed lost and Harvey delivering a nice pass to Omar Cummings who planted a great cross onto Casey's head. Cummings continues to struggle in front of the net but his assist play is so good this season and his time to score will come. Expect large smiles on that Jamaican face when he does. I can't really think of a better strike partnership in MLS right now.
I talked yesterday and last week of the problems in communication about how to protect a lead. Gary Smith then shocks us all with using Terry Cooke as a sub when the Rapids are 3-2 up only to return to form by replacing Cummings with Greg Dalby who is really the equivalent of a closing pitcher in baseball. Just comes on at the end to wrap everything up.
Other notable happenings included another solid performance from Mehdi Ballouchy - good to see him get the penalty. He does do a lot more work than people generally give him credit for and fully deserves his place in the team. More of a burden will fall on him next week when Mastroeni will be absent. Nick LaBrocca ran everywhere and was in the penalty area thwarting a last minute attack from the Red Bulls as they tried for an equalizer.
An impressive victory that leaves the Rapids just a point behind Seattle with a game in hand.

Rapids Scratch Heads as Victory Eludes Them

That was some game. The overriding feeling from the Colorado Rapids players and coaches was higher than average disappointment but, as a spectacle, it was the best game I have seen this season in terms of good football and entertainment. Not great football for the Rapids in terms of letting slip the lead but there were times yesterday when it was a real pleasure to watch two teams playing attacking and attractive soccer. Let's discuss the disappointment first. Gary Smith, head coach, took a long time in the dressing room last night before emerging downcast for the press conference. Having talked to both players and staff afterwards, it is clear that there was some lack of communication about the gameplan in the final part of the game. Does the team press forward and secure the win at 2-1 up or does it hang back and ensure the victory? "We spoke about it in the changing room," Smith said. "There is a fine line between going for the third goal and leaving yourself vulnerable and we got it slightly wrong." Smith was clearly of the mindset that the Rapids needed to ensure victory at 2-1 rather than continue their attacking play but some of the players instinctively pressed forward. It allowed for continued attractive soccer but it proved the undoing in the end as a series of mistakes and ill fortune saw Nate Jaqua score the equalizer in the 76th minute. "Everything got shot down," said defender Cory Gibbs afterwards. From Colin Clark failing to appeal successfully for a handball to Scott Palguta getting cramp to Kosuke Kimura having to make a decision which of two men to go for, everything did indeed shut down and it was 2-2. But for a tremendous save from Matt Pickens in the last five minutes, it could have been even worse.
Clearly, there was some frustration all around, among both the players and the coaches, but hopefully the team can learn from it. In every relationship, there is a lack of communication at times and it would be surprising in any team not to have this crop up from time to time. You have to make the mistake to learn from it. What is most important overall is to recognize that this is a very good Seattle team, that the Rapids are extremely disappointed not to have taken all three points and that the team has the confidence to truly believe that they can beat any MLS team. That is a big step compared to recent times.
I could write so much more about this game as there are so many dicussion points but, in the interests of brevity, I'll mention just a few points quickly. Omar Cummings may be frustrated he is not scoring but he was putting in some beautiful passes yesterday and played extremely well. Mehdi Ballouchy has responded magnificently to being dropped the other week and worked incredibly hard yesterday, putting in a beautiful pass for Cummings which led to the first Colorado goal. Pickens is proving to be a goalkeeper of national team caliber (don't be surpised if he is called into either the Confederations Cup or Gold Cup squads). Ugo Ihemelu was out of puff last night, perhaps finding the right back position demanding a different level of fitness to center back, and asked to come off in the second half. Up to then, he had done a great job neutralizing Steve Zakuani so much so that the young Seattle flyer had been moved to the right side to focus on Jordan Harvey instead, a point noted by a relieved Seattle head coach, Sigi Schmid, afterwards. That explains why the substitution occurred because it seemed strange at the time to bring on an attacking right back in Kimura when the team was 2-1 up and comfortable. Pablo Mastroeni did what Pablo Mastroeni always does, working incredibly hard and getting into the heads of the opponents. The veteran capitain has been called into the US team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica but will be available for next week's Rapids game against New York. That's it. It's getting too long but at least there is a lot to talk about. Send me all your thoughts.

Pickens Wouldn't Rather Be Fishing

Matt Pickens is a big fisherman in his spare time but you sense he would be happy to have a car sticker this weekend that says "I'd rather be playing soccer." The Colorado Rapids goalkeeper is relishing the chance to swap his goalie gloves for some rods back home in his native St. Louis this weekend as the team enjoys some well-earned rest on a bye weekend. However, Pickens knows that he needs games under his belt as he seeks to consolidate the number one spot between the posts. "It is frustrating not to have a game," he said after training yesterday. "I really want to get consistent and I want to get that rolling by playing consecutive games." The 27-year-old knows he has a tough fight on his hands after he watched some impressive displays by teammate Preston Burpo while recovering from a back injury. Gary Smith, head coach at the Rapids, is grateful to have, as he terms it, two "first choice goalkeepers." Last week, Smith benched Burpo in favor of Pickens as he felt Burpo had slightly slipped on his own high standards. Pickens managed to keep the team's first clean sheet of the season in what was a professional and competent display by the team. "We played a very sound defensive game with a lot of discipline," Pickens said. "We knew each other's strengths and we played it simple." Such sound defensive work meant Pickens didn't really have to do a lot during the game. Now, he just needs more games to improve his own consistency and hold on to the position. "I feel it is my job to lose," Pickens said. "I love competition; I have had it through my entire career and so it is nothing new to me."
If he does develop some sort of consistency over the next few games, it is not inconceivable that Pickens could be called into the national team set-up for the upcoming Confederations' Cup and Gold Cup tournaments where the US is unlikely to field first-team squads as it concentrates on World Cup qualifiers. He's been there before, taking part in the training camp ahead of last November's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala in Colorado. All he can do for now is get a run of good games under his belt for his club, something he will no doubt be thinking about as he catches a few trout this weekend. The Rapids next play New England on the road May 16. More of this interview should be available at www.mlsnet.com.

Rapids Professional Without Being Dominant

Real Salt Lake came to Colorado trying to solve their conundrum of blitzing everyone at home and struggling on the road. After a dramatic first half in which they went 1-0 down to an early goal, lost their goalkeeper to a hand injury and had a player sent off, it wasn't about the conundrum anymore. As Salt Lake's coach, Jason Kreis, said afterwards, it was then about the character of his players. "All evaluation went out of the window," he said. In the end, the Rapids had control of the game throughout the second half, solidifying the very large upper hand they had gained after that first half. They stroked the ball around calmly, exhausted their ten-man opponents and added a second goal from, of all people, Kosuke Kimura, who slammed a great shot home from the edge of the area after Terry Cooke laid the ball off to him. I think he was rather pleased. Gary Smith, Rapids' head coach, was pleased with the result without being excited. That is part of his make-up anyway but it is the right reaction because, while we should be pleased with the result, we are still some way off dominating a team at home. The reaction of Ugo Ihemelu maybe sums the performance up. He was delighted with the shut-out, partly because it was his self-confessed mistake last week which led to LA's equalizer. But it also shows satisfaction at a professional performance rather than delight at a dominating one.
The line-up was interesting. After a run of a few games between the posts, Preston Burpo was left out in favor of Matt Pickens, the original number one choice at the start of the season. Mehdi Ballouchy, who has been a constant in the midfield, was dropped to the bench with Nick LaBrocca, scorer of the first goal, getting the start. Both Burpo and Ballouchy had not quite lived up to their own high standards in recent games, Smith said. It was time for a change. The Rapids have a bye next week before going on the road to play New England.

Rapids Brace Themselves for Final Road Effort

Shades of last week for the Colorado Rapids as they take on Houston in the heat and humidity of Texas tomorrow afternoon. The Rapids will be taking on recent MLS champions who have struggled so far this season without a win to their name. Just like Columbus last week and the Rapids got a draw out of that. A similar result tomorrow would cap a very fine achievement for Gary Smith's men as it would mean five points in an undefeated three game away series plus the win against LA Galaxy in the Open Cup.
It sounds like Smith is preparing for a physical battle with not much pretty soccer going on. Last week, he bolstered the physicality of the back line by introducing Ty Harden into the mix, an experiment that did not work out too well given Harden's injury in the opening 20 minutes. His replacement last week, Scott Palguta, looks set to make an MLS start for the first time, especially considering Cory Gibbs is doubtful to make the team because of injury. It could be that Ugo Ihemelu will slot back into the center of defense to join Palguta with Kosuke Kimura playing at right back. The midfield would appear to be pretty predictable with Jacob Peterson and Terry Cooke unlikely to be starting so, as it has been for much of the season so far, the starting four looks to be Mastroeni, LaBrocca, Clark and Ballouchy. Conor Casey will need to be at his physical and opportunistic best upfront along with Omar Cummings. The big question is who will start between the posts. Smith has been keeping his cards very close to his chest on that one this week. Both Preston Burpo and Matt Pickens got on the coach going to the airport this morning at DSG Park. I get the feeling, though it's no more than a hunch, that Burpo will continue to start tomorrow to see off this road trip stretch.
It's going to be a very difficult game for the Rapids and a baptism of fire for the likes of Palguta who will have to keep an eye and the rest of his body on one of the best forwards in the MLS in Brian Ching. If the defense can neutralize Ching and control the midfield - much easier said than done - there could be opportunities for Casey and Cummings upfront. But I don't see there being much for the strikers to feed on. If the Rapids can come away with another gritty point, those next two home games, with temperatures returning to what we are more used to in Colorado, will look so much more appealing. Tomorrow's game kicks off at 1pm Mountain Time with the official viewing party at Fado's in downtown Denver.

Rapids Take Another Step Forward

Another big step on the road to playing with real confidence. The Colorado Rapids picked up a brave point away at Columbus, riding their luck against the defending MLS champions, especially in the closing minutes, but coming away with a precious 1-1 draw courtesy of a Conor Casey equalizer in the 82nd minute. Casey took his chance very well following a nice pass over the top of the defense from Pablo Mastroeni. Casey and Omar Cummings, who posed plenty of challenges all night for the Crew defense, are really establishing themselves as a very fine attacking partnership.
Coach Gary Smith sprung a surprise or two with the starting line-up, relegating Kosuke Kimura to the bench and playing Ty Harden in central defense with Cory Gibbs and moving Ugo Ihemelu out to the right. In truth, this was an option that Smith had readily discussed at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, it did not last long in this game as Harden limped out with an injury within the first 20 minutes and was replaced by the inexperienced Scott Palguta. Palguta did well, forcing Alejandro Moreno out wide in the second half at one point and cutting down the angle for the dangerous striker. It makes perfect sense to try the experiment at this early stage because you don't want players coming in solely in emergencies and not having had any experience during the season. Kimura will play many times more for this team, of that you can be sure. Harden may not have had much time on the field but at least it did give the opportunity to Palguta who will surely be called upon again. In another slight surprise, Preston Burpo maintained the starting goalkeeper spot ahead of Matt Pickens who looks to be recovering from his back injury. It will be very interesting to see who plays in goal against Houston next week.
The Rapids will be mighty relieved after their game against Houston because it will mean the end of a big road trip and two home games in a row against LA and Real Salt Lake. If they can get something out of the Houston game next weekend, those two home games will look increasingly appealing.

Rapids Reveal Likely Starting XI in Win Over Seattle

The Colorado Rapids went to Seattle and scored a 1-0 victory over the Sounders in their last preseason game yesterday. More importantly, the line-up revealed the very likely starting XI for the opening game of the season next week against Chivas and the way coach Gary Smith is envisaging his optimal team for the campaign. No real surprises apart from the fact that Jacob Peterson looks as if he could be playing a bigger role than many expected, possibly at the expense of Terry Cooke starting. It's also interesting to note that Mehdi Ballouchy could get a start with the Rapids playing a more attacking midfield and Nick LaBrocca possibly on the bench. The most clear choice is at goalkeeper. Matt Pickens will almost certainly start against Chivas and has the chance to lay claim to the number one spot ahead of Preston Burpo for the season. You couldn't really say that is a big surpise. Pickens is, after all, a player in the US national team squad. Goalkeeping coach, David Kramer, said on last week's From The Pitch radio show, that the choice of starting goalkeeper would be made by the time of the Seattle game. Choice made, therefore, at least for now. The Rapids won last night's game on a Conor Casey first-half penalty. Here is the starting line-up courtesy of www.rapidsundercurrent.blogspot.com
Colorado Rapids Lineup: Matt Pickens, Jordan Harvey, Cory Gibbs (Ivan Guerrero 66), Ugo Ihemelu (Ty Harden 66), Kosuke Kimura, Pablo Mastroeni (Nick LaBrocca 66), Colin Clark (Terry Cooke 66), Jacob Peterson, Mehdi Ballouchy, Omar Cummings (Gregory Richardson 66), Conor Casey (Ross Schunk 66)

No More Juice as Rapids Slim Roster

Justin Hughes, one of the unluckiest players for the Colorado Rapids, now has to rethink his soccer future after being waived from the club this afternoon. The Rapids had to make themselves roster compliant by today and decided to waive the unfortunate goalkeeper. Cesar Zambrano and Kwame Sarkodie were also waived. Hughes, aka The Juice, was out injured all last season. A badly injured groin initially kept him on the sidelines for much of the season. Just as he was about to come back, he promptly injured a shoulder in training and never made it onto the pitch. When you think of all the difficulties deciding between Bouna and Preston Burpo as to who would play between the posts last season, it would be reasonable to think that Hughes could also have made a strong case for inclusion if he had not been so injured. Now, he is deemed surplus to requirements after a season of inaction. The Rapids decided to sign draft player, Steward Ceus, as another goalkeeper. Maybe the decision is purely financial. Neither Hughes nor Ceus looked likely to get much action with Burpo and Matt Pickens apparently slugging it out as to who will start. Hughes was not on the greatest money but it might have been time to offer him something better and Ceus will undoubtedly be cheaper as a rookie. It's a great shame on a personal note. Justin is a top guy who always treated me with great respect and friendliness. I'll miss him as I know many of the players will. He was one of the most popular players in the squad. We wish him all the best for the future and hope he will comment occasionally on this blog which I know he reads. Good luck Justin.
I didn't know Zambrano and Sarkodie. Zambrano played once for the first team against Toronto last season and performed pretty creditably given the extreme inexperience of the defense that day. Sarkodie played in the Reserves last season as a midfielder. Good luck to them both in their futures. The Rapids now have 22 players on the roster leaving some space for future acquisitions. The Rapids beat San Jose 2-1 today in another preseason friendly - see www.rapidsundercurrent.blogspot.com for details. They play LA on Wednesday and I aim to speak to Gary Smith after the game for some insights.

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.

Le Roi Est Mort - Vive Le Roi!

Sad but not altogether surprising news. Bouna Coundoul, fan favorite and goalkeeper extraordinaire, is no longer with the Colorado Rapids. That's right fans, he'll never be between the posts again at DSG Park. The Rapids clarified the situation on the club blog after days of speculation following the acquisition of Matt Pickens during the SuperDraft process. The club said it made Bouna a very generous offer which would have put him among the top five goalkeepers in the league in terms of pay. Most would say he is easily worth that. Clearly, Bouna has to think of his own future and that future probably lies away from the MLS and in the European leagues. His goal is to play for Senegal as the number one choice and anybody can understand that. There remains a small feeling that he had already made his mind up last summer when he started to be out of the team and struggling with Senegal. Wherever he ends up, he will be a success because he is supremely good, talented, hard working and ambitious. Above all, he is good. So, with heavy heart, we say goodbye to a true gent and wish him the best and hope that a small part of his heart remains in Colorado. We now get behind the team and support whoever is between those pipes.

Bouna on Way Out as Rapids Acquire Pickens?

The Colorado Rapids picked six college players in today's MLS SuperDraft but it is the acquisition of US national team goalkeeper, Matt Pickens, that is the most notable trade of the day. Picking six university players (how will they all fit into a smaller squad?) is one thing but buying a top level goalkeeper is another when your apparently number one choice is still debating whether to re-sign or not. Given the fact also that one of the draft picks is a goalie, it looks as if one of the favorite sons of the Rapids, Bouna Coundoul, is pretty much out of Commerce City. Check this link out at www.goal.com.
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2009/01/15/1062772/colorado-rapids-to-sign-gk-matt-pickens
Unless the Rapids staff are using the trade as a ploy to pressure Bouna, that's possible. Whatever happens, some of the current goalkeepers will have to be on their way out as there simply isn't enough room for all of them.