The biggest question on my mind as we await the game against Houston (with much anticipation, by the way) is who will be starting. The Rapids showed at the beginning of the year that they can play well in the 4-5-1. I would still prefer it because, as I’ve stated and overstated here on The Rapids Offside, this team’s power is in its midfield. A 4-5-1 allows the Rapids to keep LaBrocca on the field, and if there’s a spot for another midfielder, he’s certainly earned it. On the other hand, a 4-4-2 gets another forward up there, and Peterson’s goal in his first start this year makes a compelling case for it.

If I had to choose now, and everyone was healthy, it would go something like this:
———————Bouna——————–
—Kosuke—Facundo—Ugo—Jose—
Terry—Pablo—Christian—Nick—Colin
——————-Herculez——————-

That striker up front is a hard choice, but with a five man midfield (a few of which are very capable of scoring), Herculez, Jacob, Tom, or Omar are all fine choices.

But, looking at The Match Up page on the Rapids website, Fernando is trying something different this week. It’s right about 2/3 of the time, but it has projected Jordan Harvey playing in the back instead of Jose, Terry and Colin are benched (like last week), and Peterson’s on the left wing. If this is right, it sound’s like something Fernando might do. He seems to be playing around with the line-up while it’s still early in the season and the Rapids have a couple of easier games ahead of them, and that might be a good idea. I will certainly be interested to see how this works out, and if there’s any early season game that’s good for trying this out, it’s this one.

Now, name me one category in which the Rapids topped New England. Well, obviously, they topped them in the one category that counts: they scored the game’s lone goal, that dreadfully soft thing that Nick LaBrocca powered over a mysteriously rooted Adam Cristman (good lord, man, I play the air like that). So, they game ended 1-0 to Colorado..and, as the match report tattooed on The Official Organ tells me, that propelled the Rapids to the top of the West.

Getting back to my theme, though, New England was, and I believe is, the better team. The polish, the movement, the openings they found again and again – none of them more often that Khano Smith plowing down the Rapids’ left against Kosuke Kimura: all these should have combined for a Revolution win. As Greg Lalas noted just minutes before the Rapids goal, New England had begun the erosion-esque process of breaking down the Rapids…so, what happened?

Got me. But here’s a guess. Colorado succeeded in limiting the Revs to chances from range. Kenny Mansally, the Revs most dangerous player by a good distance, launched a few stingers, Kheli Dube, the Revs’ Zimbabwean forward (and forgive me if I butchered the spelling), broke through once late, but, again, there stood Bouna (Time!) look a wall…that dropped the ball…thereby allowing him to be whacked by New England’s players.

But what does it matter in the end? How much does it matter that New England looked the sharper team, that Colorado looked more aimless than a 29-year-old man with a philosophy degree trying to talk his way through a job interview? In the end, the man who found the opening and exploited it wore white…ish…grey-ish…that color Colorado wears.

And like The Official Organ says, they’re top of the West tonight, so who cares how they got there?

Right. I’ll be back tomorrow with some perspectives from other Rapids-related sites. tonight’s wasn’t the prettiest win in Rapids history. Well, maybe it was. This isn’t a team famous for winning pretty. But they did win. And things are looking pretty good. At least, that is, in goal and defense…no time to rest yet, you guys.