Post-Game Musings, My Essential Educability and the Extent to Which I’m Useful

By: Jeff | April 2nd, 2008

I think I have a plan now: barring too much ____ I will post three times a week - before the game, after the game, and, once a week, I’ll probably post something like what appears below - e.g. a big check-up on all the Rapids news I can find. I’ve been doing a little thinking about my approach lately and times come when I wonder what good I do in this space given all the laudable (unofficial) sites devoted to the Colorado Rapids. The people who run these things live in or around Denver, or, at the very least - and this is crucial - they hold the Rapids foremost in their hearts. I can make neither claim.

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… No, really...

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.