Weekend Rapids Roundup

By: Clint | March 6th, 2007

I was out again all weekend (this time to Nashville of all places), but here is a quick look at what I missed this weekend:

“Grand Opening Week” will kick off the usage for the Rapids new home, The Dick. On April 2, from 4-6pm, kids aged 6-16 “will get the opportunity to learn soccer skills from all the Rapids players and coaches, receive autographs, and meet the team in the only clinic this year featuring the entire team.” On April 3, from 11-1, is the season ticket holders luncheon with the team. At 7:30pm on April 4, local citizens (of Commerce City) and season ticket holders are invited to see an intra-squad scrimmage at the stadium. On April 5, some of the team and cheerleaders will be at St. Luke’s to visit sick kids (I’m guessing. If they are there just to raid the pharmacy, well that would just be sad now wouldn’t it?). April 7th should be a madhouse as the 8 billion soccer fields that have been erected around the stadium will be put to the test for the first official day of Colorado Youth Soccer games. And later that evening, I think there’s some pro team playing a game, as well.

This is pretty cool, on Sundays leading up to the Rapids new home, various youth soccer teams from the area are invited to “open houses” at The Dick where the kiddies can get a tour of the new stadium before it is opened up to the general public. Very good idea, as are a lot of the youth-oriented events MLS and local organizations put on. Now, if clubs will work on retention as much as introduction, soccer may gain an impressive fanbase by the time I die.
The Rapids waived two of their players last Friday: goalkeeper Matt Jordan and forward Fabrice Noel. Jordan is a native of Aurora (the city between my town and Denver) and I think he’s already signed to another team, but I have to do some “in depth fact checking” to verify that.
The Rapids traded away a conditional 2008 Supplemental Draft pick for keep Zach Thornton from the Chicago Fire. I always liked Zach, despite only actually seeing one club game he played in. Seems like a big, agile dude. Of course, that was 7 years ago, so who knows what he’s got left in the tank. I’m rootin for him though. In fact, he’s already my third favorite player on the team after Herculez (great name, goals) and Stephen Keel (great bathroom-related blog, hair).
Which reminds me of the TOP news of the weekend, Keel is still on the team! YES! Hopefully those fat cats in Washington (and Denver) will see through his mop and realize that only his presence on the first team will allow the Rapids to rise above the rest of the league this season.
To counter the Claudio Reyna signing earlier this year, the Rapids have picked up Yherland McDonald, the 20 year old sensati– player from Costa Rica who had been playing in Norway. I’d type how many goals he’s expected to score, but I don’t have one of those weird Norwegian o’s with the line through it.