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.

Still, there is something I can do: send traffic to those Rapids-centric sites – something I’ll do below – and, when applicable, praise them; that can be my contribution to building the Rapids’ base. Something else I can do: provide a slightly more dispassionate take on what’s happening in Rapids-land. For what it’s worth, I see value in both activities…and I respect the opinion of those Rapids fans who count the first contribution as the more significant. So let’s get straight to that and, with it, move on to the other items in the title – e.g. post-game musings and my educability.

In my post-game comments, I floated the idea that Colorado seemed set on the same offensive approach – e.g. flying down the wings and banging in crosses; moreover, I didn’t see Christian Gomez as much of a factor. The two Swella Fellas over at FC Rocky, George Tanner and Angel Fernandez, took a different view – a diametrically opposed view, in fact:

“Finally, the Rapids pushed forward vertically. Gomez’s presence had much to do with this (more on that later … ).”

[SNIP]

“Gomez was able to create scoring chances individually. He set up Cooke’s goal with his quick shot off the post, and he essentially put the game out of reach with a solid PK.”

[SNIP]

“In the 37th minute, Gomez freed the speedy Cummings with a sweet flick forward. The key word there is ‘forward.’ For YEARS this team has relied on playing the ball safely and unimaginatively to the wings and settling for a cross from the sideline. But if Saturday’s game was an indication, Gomez has planted the seed with this team: It’s a good idea to go straight at the defense sometimes.”

Just so you know, for all the love they send to Gomez, FC Rocky, like everyone else it seems, saved the biggest gushes for Terry Cooke…no wonder he got player of the week.

But I wanted to use that mega-(and-hopefully-not-legally-oversized)-excerpt to make a point: I didn’t see the same thing, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t just miss it. In fact, I kind of see what they’re getting at and that gives me something to watch for this week and the next and the next. The point is, I miss plenty; reading other peoples’ perspectives has the capacity to make me smarter at the very least. I won’t always agree, but it – as in watching and thinking and writing about this soccer stuff – is all about building a better understanding of the game. I’m willing to learn….questions of ability to do so notwithstanding…

With that in mind, I have a couple other pieces to pass on. wewantrapidman reserved some of his highest praise for the youthful stand-ins who played so well last Saturday – most notably, Stephen Keel and Kosuke Kimura. And that’s some good news, judging by current mini-plague of injuries – also posted on wewantrapidman. View From The Couch also posted entirely praiseworthy match analysis that ran the gamut between As to his own Qs, match facts, and random observations. Anyone wanting to learn about the Rapids could do a hell of a lot worse than to read these sites.

Speaking of a hell of a lot worse, it’s time to check in with The Official Organ – i.e. the Rapids’ official site, i.e. the narrow font of information from which, absent thorough coverage in the local MSM, Rapids fans learn about their team. Their weekly update spent the first few paragraphs doing what corporate mouthpieces do: go down on the product. That’s not to say there’s no “nutritional value” in there; after all, the piece contains the first mention I’ve seen of the Rapids U.S. Open Cup date with the Los Angeles Galaxy (May 27). Better still, it connects to – I’ll admit it – a wicked cool preview set-up for this weekend’s game against the Kansas City Wizards. Loathe to admit it as I am, it’s not just well-organized, but all techy and smart as well. You got me there, Official Organ…just don’t get it in my hair*. (*Sorry. Wow. Really, really sorry.)

Once your stomachs settle down, do read up on the apparent signing of Tam MacManus, the Scottish striker who has been skulking around the Rapids camp for some time now. Looks like they got ‘im and that he’ll be playing this weekend. The question, though, is what they got.

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.