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.

Therefore, the Colorado Rapids can beat a bad soccer team like red-headed step-children.

C) The Los Angeles Galaxy beat the San Jose Earthquakes last night, a team widely regarded as being worse than they are.

With San Jose not just perceived as, but proved to be a worse soccer team than LA, you’d expect them to put up a lesser fight against the Rapids than LA’s red-headed step-children…perhaps the tenacity of fluffy, white baby seals?

D) The Kansas City Wizards are not a bad soccer team.

Well, now what? How will the Rapids fare against the Wizards this weekend, a team generally believed to be competent? I don’t know, but we’ll have to wait on Sunday for a firm answer. The point of the exercise above boils down to something simple: I resisted drawing too many conclusions from Colorado’s win over LA and, given my perception of San Jose, making much of LA’s subsequent win doesn’t tally either. I expect Saturday’s game will provide a bit more context…even if I don’t know what the hell is going on with DC United.

Here’s what we do know. Here’s the team KC started last weekend in the win over DC United:

Kevin Hartman, Tyson Wahl, Jimmy Conrad, Michael Harrington, Jack Jewsbury, Jonathan Leathers, Carlos Marinelli (Kurt Morsink 74), Kerry Zavagnin, Ryan Pore, Ivan Trujillo (Scott Sealy 69), Claudio Lopez (Eloy Colombano 89).

With none of those guys showing up as injured in MLSnet.com’s preview (only Sealy’s name appears and he’s still probable), and after taking a look at the subs not used by KC last week, I’m pretty sure we’ll see the same bunch on Saturday, if not the exact same. We have evidence that Lopez, 1) came to play, and 2) that he’s got some class – a lovely goal he scored, wasn’t it? – and no one’s really sniffing at Trujillo’s play either. KC seems solid and respectable, but with a little flash: think a flame-job on a Toyota Camry.

Squaring off against this bunch for the Rapids will be? Well, here’s the roster from the LA rout, a group, by the way, that the Class VI blog quite reasonably says, “would seem to deserve to keep playing” (though he immediately suggests thereafter that some of the Rapids’ bigger names need game-time too):

Bouna Coundoul, Kosuke Kimura, Facundo Erpen, Stephen Keel, Jose Burciaga, Jr., Terry Cooke, Colin Clark, John DiRaimondo (Pablo Mastroeni 81), Nick LaBrocca, Christian Gomez (Ciaran O’Brien 71), Omar Cummings (Herculez Gomez 68)

Referring back to MLSnet.com’s preview, it appears a couple notable players have walked off the lists of the wounded: both Mehdi Ballouchy and Jovan Kirovski (No!) show as probable, while Mastroeni’s name doesn’t show anywhere in the injured list. So, there’s the question: do those guys boot anyone off the roster that shellacked LA? Well, if it’s answers you’re wanting, you’re better off ignoring the latest pre-game hype-job provided by The Official Organ; not one (frankin’) iota of word on players…well, apart from going down on Terry Cooke’s Week 1…again. You can also read about the local viewing party for the KC game…which is nice, though it lacks the “tea leaves” for reading; the preview doesn’t give away a lot either.

So, what do I think will happen? Maybe a start for Mastroeni, maybe Kirovski coming in as a sub if/when Gomez comes out, maybe even Ballouchy gets a little run-out (though it’ll be tiny and that’s if he gets it): basically, the Rapids can’t make changes that make much sense – e.g. Petke or Ihemelu coming on at the back to replace Erpen or Keel. There’s also the new signing at forward, Tam MacManus, to consider: will he start over Cummings? I don’t know much about MacManus, but unless you’re talking about a clear upgrade, sticking with worked makes sense. The same applies across the board. So, I’d field the same guys and see what happens.

And, now, the big question: can this Rapids line-up get a result in KC? I don’t see why not, perhaps even a win could happen. But I’m also not expecting the 45-minute cake-walk that was the second half against LA. If nothing else, we should know more about the Rapids by Sunday morning…unless, that is, they play to a tie.

View from the Couch responds in what I view as a healthy fashion: by moving on and looking ahead – specifically at who’s likely to start in the regular season, what’s up next in pre-season, etc. For what it’s worth, the “friendly” against Chicago should tell us more about the Rapids than the Bermuda game.

Speaking of the regular season, Rapids Class VI set plans in motion from the fan’s perspective, announcing available seats for an April 5 weekend road-trip to Kansas City as well as a pre-season party. I don’t normally cover the fan beat, but, given my role here, and wishing all the best to Rapids fans, I figure helping get the word out is the least I can do. So, if you live in the Denver metro area and want to hook up with the Rapids fan culture, it looks like Rapids Class VI is a good place to start.

Before closing today, I suppose the question is what to make of all this – e.g. the Bermuda loss, the fact the 3-2-3 (I think) pre-season record looks a lot like a regular season record from seasons past. Maybe I’m feeling a little reactive, but Friday’s loss has me wondering whether the Rapids did enough this off-season, especially at forward. Seeing the “wrong Gomez” make the telling, if futile, impact versus Bermuda raises the specter of the Rapids having bet the farm on an aging property. Probably getting ahead of myself on that, but…yeah, euphoria about that signing, or any other, waits on support from reality before it becomes confidence that good things are ahead.

I kid, I kid. In truth, I was hella busy yesterday and wanted to do a little digging before posting. Fortunately for my preoccupied ass, FC Rocky not only provided the latest status report, but did the only legwork that occurred to me: they checked Dunfermline’s site for MacManus’ profile – and the player stats contained therein.

So…the numbers…what to call them? Underwhelming, perhaps? On the upside, MacManus saw decent, regular action with his previous clubs; it’s his haul of goals that sews doubts. Putting the numbers in perspective doesn’t come easily given I know little about the Scottish Premier League beyond the Glasgow clubs’ semi-permanent dominance – and MacManus didn’t play for either. For what it’s worth, the numbers argue MacManus had his best days in about 5 years ago with Hibernian FC, though he did return to regular action more recently with Dundee – the club that made Sir Alex Ferguson’s reputation…I think. In the current campaign, he’s managed more yellow cards than goals – a claim that one expects from a defender, rather than a forward.

Still, you get the feeling the Rapids like him well enough and it’s not like they’re over-stocked in the forward department. So, what’s the harm? It depends on what they pay him, I suppose (let’s just say everyone deserves a shot, but they have to earn a fat paycheck). In any case, good luck to Tam. If he does half as well as the last Scot to play for the Rapids, they’ll do fine.

In other Rapids news, The Official Organ hypes the Rapids’ effort at spreading word of the team’s existence. Good for them, though I’ll have to ask local Rapids fans how this latest P.R. campaign looks against past efforts (and did Ugo Ihemelu get a sharp-looking haircut?). Second, it looks like the Rapids decided to return from England by way of Bermuda: they arranged a mutually beneficial warm-up with the Bermudan National Team this Friday. Having covered the New England Revolution in years past, I know a couple Bermudan media outlets, which should help with digging up match reports. I’ll pass those on when I get ‘em.

• Showing how pathetic I’ve been this month, my favorite Colorado player, THE HERC, tore his ACL and lateral meniscus in practice on Sept 12 and is out for 6-9 months, and I had no idea until this moment. I’m taking my dog in for surgery for a torn ACL next week. If she’s out for 6-9 months while we’re trying to take care of a new baby, expect posts on this Rapids blog to go down to one every six months. Also, expect to see me on the local Denver news, shown on security cameras stealing baby formula and looking like I haven’t slept in 5 weeks.
• Despite losing to Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy in two of their last three matches (add those to the loss at Toronto earlier this year and you’ve got the trifecta of suck) the Rapids STILL have a chance to win the MLS championship. What a country! Good fortune smiles on teams in a league where 15 out of 13 teams are allowed in the postseason. And, has anyone yet found another soccer/football league on Earth that has playoffs?
• Man of the people, Stephen Keel, and Man of the Japanese People, Kosuke Kimura (the first Japanese born player to get in an MLS game, I believe) both started at RSL last week. A 1-0 loss to the worst team in the league… I hope you enjoyed what will be the high point of your stay in the Rapids first team, guys. In fact, how much longer can I say the Rapids lost to the worst team in MLS (the Galaxy, RSL, Toronto) before I have to say the Rapids lost to the SECOND worst team in MLS.

You read that right – Keel will be at O’Brien park in downtown Parker this Saturday, signing autographs and preventing Beckham from even getting a shot off that afternoon. This assumes of course that:

1. Keel will not be drunk off his afro since the appearance is actually part of Parker’s Oktoberfest celebration.
2. Keel will not be lying on the asphalt, bleeding from scraped up legs and arms since downtown Parker is also hosting the a bicycle race – the “Parker Twilight Criterium” – at the same time (keep in mind that downtown Parker is about the size of my bathtub)

And a fine time will be had by all! See you there.

Footability Soccer Camp Registration

Enhance your skills during the off season on the Parker Fieldhouse indoor sports turf, with six weeks of instruction by two former Colorado Rapids players, Chris Martinez and Rivers Guthrie. Footability is a soccer company whose focus is to create “difference makers” on the soccer field, through the use of their revolutionary Base System and Set-Up and Get-Away Touch Techniques. Focus of this camp will be on dribbling, juggling, trapping, shooting and small-sided games, designed for the beginner to the more experienced player.

Classes are held on Mondays for ages four to six; Tuesdays for seven and eight year olds; Wednesdays for nine and 10 year olds; Thursdays for 11 to 13 year olds. All classes are from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. beginning Nov. 5 and ending Dec. 20.

For more information: http://www.parkeronline.org/recreation/news.aspx?n=1329

I know absolutely nothing about Daniel other than the blurb I just read online. He last played for CF Atlas in Mexico’s first division, scoring 61 goals for the club in 278 games. He scored 12 goals in 56 appearances for Mexico.

Osorno played with Atlas from 1997-2003, was loaned out to Monterey for the 2003-04 season, and then went back to Atlas from 2004-07.

He’ll be available for the match vs. Dallas, where the Rapids will try to win their first MLS game in the last 87 weeks.

As for DP spots, it doesn’t look like Colorado will ever splash the cash on a has-been from Europe anytime soon. Every time a name does come up on a forum or blog I have to remind myself that the least trustworthy source is an online message board. Scratch that, the least trustworthy source of any information is a message board post that begins “I think…”

What is this pagan’s #2 prayer for the Rapids this season? Let’s just say it involves the manager and a one way airfare to Los Angeles.

A 3-1 win over the CalVictory in the Lamar Hunt Cup (or, is it the U.S. Open Cup? I get confused, and scared, by these things) means the team will play Chivas on July 18 after the Hell A team beats up on a team made up of Batman and one of Christopher Columbus’s ships.

I was unable to attend last night’s historic victory over the Victory (I was busy watching Victory), but this summary of a Rapids possession made me grin:

In the 30th minute Roberto Brown ran into the California penalty area on a breakaway. As he was shooting, he appeared to have been pulled down from behind; however, referee Ramon Hernandez did not blow his whistle and play was allowed to continue.

Yeah, that “pulled down from behind” defense doesn’t seem to work so well with poor Roberto for some reason. I have NO IDEA why it wouldn’t though (other than the constant, Jack Tripper-esque moves Brown puts on nearly every time he comes within 5 feet of the ball).

As for HercWatch 2007 – my favorite player scored one and put another off the post. Not surprisingly, Beckerman failed to score AND got another yellow card. Par for the course there. He’s already the Todd Fuller of MLS but soon he’ll end up as the Jack Haley if he keeps this up.

Bounatime did not play, so Zach was called in to not make great saves and to give up a goal, described by the Rapids own web site thusly:

The Victory got a goal back in the 79th minute when Juan Epitie’s shot bounced off the post, off Zach Thornton and into the goal.

Wow. Just think of what the Rapids record would be without Bouna now.