7/19 @FC Dallas Man Of The Match

As you know, our Colorado Rapids went to Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas last Saturday and tied FC Dallas 2-2. Man of the match voting is available Class VI's boards [click here].

Why the image of the old MISL Wichita Wings? FC Dallas's stadium sponsor is Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut was founded in Wichita (the same with White Castle). It was the best chance I'd have to pull out the old logo and get a few old farts reminiscing about leaner years for soccer in America when the pros played the game with dashboards and blue cards. Back in the days before the internet, when cell phones were so large they'd count as a carry on bag, our coach Fernando Clavijo made the occasional trip to Wichita while playing for teams like the New York Arrows, San Diego Sockers and St. Louis Steamers.

If you don't have access to the Class VI boards, drop Mark Bodmer an email (bodmer99 that-at-sign nofanalone.com) and let him. We'll help you get set up.

Rapids at FC Dallas

Our Colorado Rapids are in Frisco, Texas to take on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. The super skirts have only won twice in their last 12 league games. It's an excellent opportunity for Clavijo's Rapids to go into the all-star break with a win. The Class VI viewing party will be at the British Bulldog. Kick off is at 6pm.

The British Bulldog is one of few if not only places in town where you can get Paki food. They're located at Broadway and Stout in downtown Denver [Map].

By the way, if you didn't catch last tuesday's From The Pitch you can listen to it here.

A fan's Perspective

by CVI's Dave Ferrey

Some of wondered about the Rapids tendency to begin the season fairly strong only to fade as the season progresses. Here is my perspective.

The old saying is, it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you end the season. Duh, but is there something behind that hackneyed saying? I think so.

During the first part of the season, players are just getting into shape. They are getting to know one another and getting to know the coaching system. The players skills are still rusty and take some time to get sharp again. Now consider other factors which play into winning and losing. Fitness, types of players (skillful vs. athletic), team awareness. Each of these (along with skills and some other factors) will play a role in the success of a team. My contention is factors other then quality and skillful players are more likely to influence team success during the beginning of the year then later in the year.

Think of the quality of players like a continuum, lowest through highest. Then think of the scale as logarithmic and not linear. Players begin the season on the lower end of the continuum and progress upwards as the season progresses. During the early part of the season, the differences between average and good and good and great are lessoned due to the offseason. As the season progresses and players round into playing form, the difference in the qualities of players become more apparent and has a greater influence over a teams results. Note, when I say skills, I'm not just referring to ball handling, passing and shooting. I'm also thinking of of things like man marking, decision making, positioning, and making intelligent runs off the ball.

Coaching, of course, also plays into this. Think of it like hitters facing a new pitcher again for the 2nd and 3rd times in a game. They've seen what he can do and are able to adapt to the his pitching motion, ball speed and rotation. Yeah, the baseball fanatic out there may come back with, hey, what about those pitchers who get stronger as the game progresses. Yeah, there are so many of them, that now there are long relievers, short relievers, middle relievers, set up men and closers. Better coaches will, based on earlier matches, successfully recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents and coach accordingly.

My bottom line is simply the Rapids team is not good enough to finish the season stronger then they begin it. Things that worked in the first month or two, don't work so well after that. Everyone starts the season tied, Better players and coaches will improve over the season more so then lesser ones. Exceptions exist of course and the 2007 Rockies are perfect examples. Players and (to a lesser extent coaching) can simply "put it together" all at the same time and if they do it at the right time and (this is key) their opponents allow it, lesser teams can achieve results well above their "normal" capabilities. How did the Rockies win the NL? Did they get new players, or a did Hurdle become a genius? Did they develop new skills? No, no and no. If a batter historically hits at the Mendoza line, it doesn't mean he will get exactly 2 hits every 10 official at bats. He may go zero for 30 and then get hits in 6 of the next 7 attempts.

The Rockies are a bad team. They were a bad team before 2007 and a bad team until the last month of 2007. They hit 6 of 7 (so to speak), at the end of the seasons and the teams ahead of them decided to beat each other and swoon at the same time. They are a bad team again in 2008. Same players, same coaches.

The Rapids are the soccer equivalent of the Rockies (without the end of the season luck). They are simply not good enough. I know some people feel the talent on this team is good enough and with better coaching could compete. I disagree. Sure, some players show some brilliance some of the time. The bone headed plays, the basic skill mistakes, the poor decision making, poor marking, shooting and passing aren't coaching issues (well maybe coaching when they were 12). They reflect the quality of the players. Ruud Gullit isn't going to make Sean Franklin an MLS all star and FC isn't going to make Omar put the shot on goal or allow Epko a clear path to the goal. FC did hire and decided to play those that did however.

What about Christian Gomez? Gomez is a very good player maybe a great one, why hasn't he turned the Rapids into a contender. Simple, he doesn't have Moreno, Fred or Emilio to play off of and to. Gomez, when the Rapids play the ball to him, has shown he can control it and move around and forward. But sorry, Clark, Peterson, Cooke, Omar etc. aren't in the same league with the three D.C. players I mentioned.

The team and those that determine who is on the team need to be replaced.

USA vs. Brazil – July 13th, 2008

by CVI's Geoff McPherson

I head off DSG park with my 3 year old daughter not knowing what to expect on a day that is hotter than the inside of well roasted marshmallow. The demographics are a lot of people in my situation with kids plus there are packs of girls in the 15,000 strong crowd. Why wasn’t this around when I was 14? Not like would have talked to any of them anyhow, the skinny, zitty kid I was back then. “Dude you say something to her”…. “No dude you say something”, …ahhhh Hi…ahhhh…I’m Geoff enjoying the game? (with the 5 tone octaves from my voice breaking) “Yes” replies the Winnie Cooper look-a-like from the ‘Wonder Years’. “Dude she said yes what do I say now?”……Before I know it she’s talking to some senior named Steve..…you pretty much know how the rest of story goes.

In woman’s soccer the nations with progressive female culture dominated the landscape in early world cups and Olympic events. In the China 2007 Word Cup we witness the changes occurring in developing countries as counties such as Brazil started to show signs of moving away from traditional male dominated societies.

The USA touch down in Denver after two impressive back to back wins in Scandinavia against Norway and Sweden, a first for US woman’s soccer, all as part of their build up for the 2008 summer Olympics is China. This game is the first time two teams have meet since the 4-0 soccer clinic put on by Brazil in Hangzhou last year, so there is more than just a little Olympic warm up here at stake.

Made it to our seats 5 minutes late due to I-70 being closed down to one lane, the US look competitive with a great work rate, surprisingly the Brazilians seemed to winning the physical battle. There were a few chances here and there but basically the teams were canceling each other out, Abby Wambach is making good runs, while Carli Lloyd if I have the name right (I wasn’t going to splash out $10 for the teen magazine looking program) was distributing the ball well from the midfield.

Both teams were playing a very limited width, definitely no room for Cooke and Clark in this formation. The number 7, Formiga for Brazil had all the skills to make most defenders look silly, but at times she just didn’t have players around her that could make the correct runs for the openings she made. It was refreshing to be watching a competitive game of soccer and not have drama queens flop around all over the place or constant verbal abuse of the officials, Mastroeni would have been red carded in the first 10 minutes if he was playing.

We go into the half at 0-0 and the US has to happy that they seemed to have regrouped themselves from last year under the coaching philosophy of Swede Pia Sundhage. Then randomly some dad three rows in front of me decides to crank up the harmonica, yep you heard me right the harmonica, I’m baffled to say the least and feel the pain of her teenage daughter.

Second half there are more substitutions than you can poke a stick at. The US offense is ignited by 5 ft 4”Amy Rodriguez a.k.a ‘A-Rod’ from USC who seems to be popping up every where and has an extra step that everyone else. The defense is playing things tight at the back resulting in the US second string keeper having little to do. Physically we are stronger in the second half and Formiga's options are being limited by the US defensive midfield. Then in the 71st minute the Brazilian defender makes a mistake which results in Rodriguez just firing a rocket into the top of the netting from 16 yards out on the left side.1-0. U.S.A-U.S.A-U.S.A.

We ride out the rest of the game to take the game 1-0, and not before a quick visit to the team store for a Rapids merchandise purchase on the way out. We are definitely looking better going to China this year than we did leaving it last year.

For my first woman’s soccer match it was great to see some open flowing soccer and a generation of girls having there own heroes in Denver that they can connect to, look up to and believe that they can be, something this 30 plus year old male took for granted as a kid.

Rapids vs. Earthquakes – July 12, 2008

by Geoff McPherson

Is this the week we get two results on the trot? Or another frustrating week when are unable to take advantage of the results that keep falling in our favor? The Earthquakes have had one win in 7 games, so you’ve got to rate our chances even for this Jekyll and Hyde team, maybe this will be the week where the spell is broken.

Class VI’s Dave Ferrey argued a very good point this week re the Rapids limited ability on the player continuum where the cream rises to the top at the end of the season and the Rapids squad don’t have the combined skills to make it to the top of the bottle this season.

Before reading Senor Ferrey article my perspective was yes we are spotty and inconsistent but at the same time the Western division is very poor and winnable by any team that wins a few games on the trot. I’m not saying we can be competitive with the top three teams in the east but I do believe we can win this division. Maybe I just have an overdose of the naive passion of being a Rapids fan and in complete denial of the logical reality of what we have and where we will be on the final day of the season. Sometimes it feels good to be a little naïve.

We stay with the same 3-4-1-2 line as last week, including 31 year old Mastroeni who stated on Goal TV this week he if is not going this transfer window he’ll be going at the end of the season. The Earthquakes pick up Darren Huckerby mid week of Norwich fame (if there is such a thing) he’ll suit their long ball ping ball style of football yet it won’t be all official until the transfer window opens July 15th.

Fantastic opportunity for Casey after 11 minutes, then 8 minutes later McManus puts one away but play is pulled back due to an offside call. We are providing the Earthquakes too much space out side our box, when the ball is cleared they seem to have easy options to deliver the ball in again (same problem we had against Chicago). Playing against a long ball team 4 at the back may be more effective, Cook is dropping way back on defense nearly falling into a right back position. As a result all our offense is coming from the over populated left side. We need to play the ball on the deck and not play the aerial balls as its just bread and butter for the Earthquakes defense.

It’s a touch painful watching the slow energy sucking style of football that the Earthquakes serve up. Thirty one minutes and we have to up the tempo and the running off the ball, no idea why we are feeding long balls into Casey, it cuts Gomez out of the game and it’s not our strength, even though Casey plays that role well. In fact is Gomez still on the pitch?

Casey every time he gets the ball on the flanks he makes good decisions and more often than not gets a good cross but we don’t seem to time our runs into the box for these crosses. Dear lordy who’s picking up Ivan Guerrero? Who just waltzes in on the back post, Bouna saves the ball and Ugo's embarrassment, who is just marking space or checking out the blonde in the front row, to add his chance he served up on a platter earlier on to Karmara.

Half time its 0-0 and I’m trying to work out what’s more exciting the first half or the ads on Altitude TV.

Ok we need to take off Gomez it’s just not happening today, bring on Herculez or start playing the ball on the deck. Midweek Tigres coach said he was concerned with the pace of the Rapids players and passing and rightful so it’s our strength and when we do it we do it well but for some reason management doesn’t want to play that card today.

51st minute, we get the a cross on the deck but no one makes a run, but it shows its going to more effective against this defense, the space is starting open up, and the speed of the Rapids is resulting in yellow cards and penalties against the Earthquakes. Yep we need to bring Herculez.

Instead Cummings comes in for McManus; I would have taken off Casey if you’re going to bring on Cummings, McManus you know will run all day.

Utter bollocks the Rapid season continues its same theme, Rapids have a number of chances to score, don’t capitalize, then make a defensive error and now we are down 1-0. Ugo is having a little bit of nightmare to say the least.

Gomez comes off replaced by DiRaimondo; Ballouchy pushes up in Gomez’s role behind the front two.

Ok keep Casey on, great cross by Cooke great goal by the big lad, definitely no penalty, 1-1. Frank Yallop is sent off for throwing a grumpy pants tissey, quiet comical since his team has been getting away all game with the physical niggles.

We keep pushing forward, making substitutes that just bemuse me, Casey comes off in the 93rd minute, we hang for a draw, only the second of season but at the same time 2 more points dropped to the Earthquakes.

We didn’t win back to back games, I’m still feeling like this team has something a little magic, if they could get on a role, maybe and just maybe they could be the Rockies of 2008.

Rapids vs. Red Bulls – American Soccer Culture

by CVI's Geoff McPherson

July 4th fireworks games represent the things that make soccer unique in this country along with the summer season and for the minority of teams in the MLS logo free jerseys. Unfortunately for this writer the dark clouds of the corporate America are hovering over head as rumors of jersey sponsorship deal for the 2009 season.

At the same time I was glad to hear the news from Mr. Bodmer that we side stepped Wal-Mart being slapped on the Rapids jersey but yet it gave me an insight to how the poor bastards in Chicago felt, who on opening day had great jersey and now have the embarrassment of looking like some dork in sandwich board on Michigan Avenue. Quite amazing that we need a sponsorship deal since we are owned by one of the wealthiest people in America. Yes, yes, I understand the Rapids are a business and we have to make sensible business decisions, but with a sponsorship deal is it really going to take this team to the next level? Or make Nigel from accounting look good when he presents our quarterly results to the owners?

Ironically with all this discussion going on the New York Red Bulls fly in this week and are representative of a franchise going the whole hog in the sponsorship arena seemingly more focused on money than football where the political turmoil of the back office doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

We go with what seems to be our standard home formation of 3-4-1-2 in front of a packed house, Mastroeni (who is looking to move in the trading window across the pond) is playing central defender again which strengthens our defense a little but seems to weaken our midfield more.

Ten minutes into this game and you can see how the Red Bulls lost midweek to (a team that has the misery of calling themselves) Crystal Palace USA in the US Open Cup, there is not a sense of urgency or creativity, plus quite baffling playing three at the back where it looks like they have come to play for a draw at best.

My thoughts at this early stage will we take the chances that are in front of us? Or go into our 5 year old grumpy shell because things aren’t going our way? Our tempo could be a little higher, Ballouchy is crowding Cooke who looks to be yearning for the space available in the good old 4-4-2 formation.

On 24 minutes Clark and Erpen work a clumsy 1-2 on the left side, Clark patiently picks out McManus well timed run, losing his defender, with a fantastic finish, and a bit of state side showmanship to the roar of a very focal DSG crowd.

Refreshingly we push for the second, instead of going back to our often nervous formation mindset. At the other end Coundoul is taking ownership of the box dealing with the aerial balls compared to his counterpart who seems stuck to the goal line.

Just when I was about to critique the lack of fluency of the attacking 6 of Cooke, Casey, McManus, Gomez, Clark and Ballouchy they move the ball effectively across the top of the box from left to right, Cooke crosses for Ballouchy to knock in his first of the year, we go into the break at 2-0 knowing the second half we can just sit back and enjoy as the Red Bulls look as they would rather be in the security line at DIA.

Mascot five-a-side games should be a federal offense.

Clark attacks the goal on the left four minutes into the second half and drills it past the keeper on a ridiculous angle, its great to see Clark do this, but it seems like the game is over when it happens, love to see him attack with same speed and cockiness for the 15 – 20 minutes of a game and see the holes pop up in the defensive teams strategy.

Cummings had come on for Casey at the half showing his speed early and providing another headache for the Red Bulls defense. He doesn’t take his first or second chance but makes no mistake on his third skipping past New Zealand International Boyens to slot it pass the Keeper. 4-0 after 70 minutes, which someone must have forgotton to tell Mastroeni as he begs the referee to give him a yellow card after an appalling no call on an offside decision. Or maybe he realized time was running out and he hadn’t given an official a verbal bollocking.

Full time 4-0 Rapids.

On this glorious July 4th night in Colorado it’s another week where our jersey is uniquely American and not part of some branding exercise but whatever way the sponsorship deal goes with the Rapids there will still be something’s that will stay very American in this soccer landscape we live in.

VI Questions with Coach Clavijo: Firecracker of a Victory!

Well, I just finished watching the July 4th game via MLSNet.tv - I'm very pleased at spending money to watch such a fine game! Coach Clavijo and the boys beat up on New York in front of a capacity crowd and he's been kind enough to answer some questions about the victory.

I. You gave Mehdi Balloucy his first start of the season against New York. What was the reasoning behind this decision and what do you think of his performance?

Mehdi Ballouchy is a great player that got bad news at the beginning of the 2008 season; Christian Gomez was coming to town,

With two very good talents in the team was a little difficult to find him a place, but also the last 14 games Christian was an easy target for other teams bad boys.

Having Mehdi in the midfield last game created a bigger problem for NY to contain. Mehdi had a great game and I am very happy for him.

II. Conor Casey came out at half time for Omar Cummings. What was the decision of this substitution?

Conor Casey’s strengths are holding the ball, knowledge and winning ball in the air, well for first time this season he was having a hard time doing that, he didn’t looked comfortable from the beginning; also after we score 2 goals I knew NY will open up and go forward so we were looking to add speed up front with Omar Cummings, Omar was presented with 4 clear chances to score and put one away.

We are looking for him to put away 50% of his chances.

III. Christian Gomez was substituted when the victory was secure. Was this to protect the star player, due to injury precautions, or some tatical decision?

Like I said before, Christian is a easy target for defenders and the referees are not protecting him, He was out with an injury from the game vs. Houston and is slowly recovering, at half time after talking to him, we decided to see how he was going to do in the second half, but after 5 minutes I realize he was not going to be able to help us without risking further injury.

IV. Colin Clark had and outstanding game with a fantastic cross and a beauty of a goal. As a young professional, what has Colin done successfully to become a starting player and which parts of his game does he still need to address to take his game to the next level?

Colin Clark is his worse enemy, he has all the skill to succeed but need to bring the same energy every game.

We are talking to him every day and every training and he has all the tools to be a be dynamic player,

Consistency is a key for him.

V. After a June that saw the team go 1-3-1, what does the big victory mean to the team that is now two points from first in the West, and how do you plan on keeping the team focused for it's first back to back victories when the Rapids take on the last place expansion team, San Jose?

This win only reinforce what I have mention to them all along, BELIEVE , we are a very good team, but cant miss that many empty nets every game and make innocent mistakes all the time.

VI. Rafeal Gomes was released from the team last week. What was the reason for his release?

Rafael Gomes was a casualty of MLS rules, after July 1 all contracts will be guaranteed.

Rafael need it more time to adapt to a new language and new way of life and football, but that time was not there. We looked at the roster and could not have justify giving more time.

Pablo gives Victory Speech?

Here's some hot news from the pitch.

Pablo Mastroeni gave an interesting version of a victory speech after helping the Rapids demolish the Red Bulls in the traditional July 4th *smackdown*.

By the way, it was nice to see the team get 4 on the 4th.

Here's a snippet from the Colorado Gazette about Mastroeni's after-game talk:

Pablo celebrates American Independence Day his way

Are the Rapids a Contender?

This piece was submitted from CVI's Dave Ferrey. As you've noticed, the CVI webstaff is either MIA or on vacation ... so we're thankful for Dave's view of the current state of the Rapids

Some of wondered about the Rapids tendency to begin the season fairly strong only to fade as the season progresses. Here is my perspective.

The old saying is, it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you end the season. Duh, but is there something behind that hackneyed saying? I think so.

During the first part of the season, players are just getting into shape. They are getting to know one another and getting to know the coaching system. The players skills are still rusty and take some time to get sharp again. Now consider other factors which play into winning and losing. Fitness, types of players (skillful vs. athletic), team awareness. Each of these (along with skills and some other factors) will play a role in the success of a team. My contention is factors other then quality and skillful players are more likely to influence team success during the beginning of the year then later in the year.

Think of the quality of players like a continuum, lowest through highest. Then think of the scale as logarithmic and not linear. Players begin the season on the lower end of the continuum and progress upwards as the season progresses. During the early part of the season, the differences between average and good and good and great are lessoned due to the offseason. As the season progresses and players round into playing form, the difference in the qualities of players become more apparent and has a greater influence over a teams results. Note, when I say skills, I'm not just referring to ball handling, passing and shooting. I'm also thinking of of things like man marking, decision making, positioning, and making intelligent runs off the ball.

Coaching, of course, also plays into this. Think of it like hitters facing a new pitcher again for the 2nd and 3rd times in a game. They've seen what he can do and are able to adapt to the his pitching motion, ball speed and rotation. Yeah, the baseball fanatic out there may come back with, hey, what about those pitchers who get stronger as the game progresses. Yeah, there are so many of them, that now there are long relievers, short relievers, middle relievers, set up men and closers. Better coaches will, based on earlier matches, successfully recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents and coach accordingly.

My bottom line is simply the Rapids team is not good enough to finish the season stronger then they begin it. Things that worked in the first month or two, don't work so well after that. Everyone starts the season tied, Better players and coaches will improve over the season more so then lesser ones. Exceptions exist of course and the 2007 Rockies are perfect examples. Players and (to a lesser extent coaching) can simply "put it together" all at the same time and if they do it at the right time and (this is key) their opponents allow it, lesser teams can achieve results well above their "normal" capabilities. How did the Rockies win the NL? Did they get new players, or a did Hurdle become a genius? Did they develop new skills? No, no and no. If a batter historically hits at the Mendoza line, it doesn't mean he will get exactly 2 hits every 10 official at bats. He may go zero for 30 and then get hits in 6 of the next 7 attempts.

The Rockies are a bad team. They were a bad team before 2007 and a bad team until the last month of 2007. They hit 6 of 7 (so to speak), at the end of the seasons and the teams ahead of them decided to beat each other and swoon at the same time. They are a bad team again in 2008. Same players, same coaches.

The Rapids are the soccer equivalent of the Rockies (without the end of the season luck). They are simply not good enough. I know some people feel the talent on this team is good enough and with better coaching could compete. I disagree. Sure, some players show some brilliance some of the time. The bone headed plays, the basic skill mistakes, the poor decision making, poor marking, shooting and passing aren't coaching issues (well maybe coaching when they were 12). They reflect the quality of the players. Ruud Gullit isn't going to make Sean Franklin an MLS all star and FC isn't going to make Omar put the shot on goal or allow Epko a clear path to the goal. FC did hire and decided to play those that did however.

What about Christian Gomez? Gomez is a very good player maybe a great one, why hasn't he turned the Rapids into a contender. Simple, he doesn't have Moreno, Fred or Emilio to play off of and to. Gomez, when the Rapids play the ball to him, has shown he can control it and move around and forward. But sorry, Clark, Peterson, Cooke, Omar etc. aren't in the same league with the three D.C. players I mentioned.

The team and those that determine who is on the team need to be replaced.

6/28 Man Of The Match

Ya, ya, the Rapids lost on the road again. You can't tell me that was a big surprise. The question is, who did think was the man of the match despite the loss? Class VI members can cast their vote on our member site [click here].

And as another sign that interest is wanning in our stuggling team, even our Grand Poobah forgot about Man Of The Match Voting for the last game. So drop over to that poll which was just created [click here] and vote for that match while you're at it!

VI Questions with Coach Clavijo

After a difficult loss where the difference between the tie and the result was finishing, Coach Claivjo takes time to answer some questions many fans wonder about:

I. Pablo played the game anchoring the back line. Can you tell us why you decided to insert him in to the defense instead of the midfield?

Pablo is a very experience player, and we considered necessary to make sure that we were not chasing the game from the beginning.

When he plays in the back everyone feels much more in control.

II. Terry Cooke came on to the field with some fanfare from the crowd, and seemed to have an instant positive impact on the game. Can we expect Terry next game and how badly is Jacob Peterson's injury?

I believe so, Terry is a very good player that we can use every game, but there are things to his game he can do much better.

I was very happy to see Cooke back in the line up, and working hard.

Terry will be playing because he did bring a lot of energy to the team, and I expected him to do the same against the Crew.

III. Mike Petke got some time with the reserve teams. What's the expected time table to see him back in the starting lineup?

Mike should be back in the lineup in about 2 weeks, finally he is training without restrictions and the game vs. San Jose in California is the game we are targeting

IV. It was reported about Bouna Coundoul that there was some concern that he didn't maintain contact while he was in Africa. Can we expect him back in the nets?

That is not correct, this time we had Bouna under control, but I was not to happy that Bouna Didn’t play any games, he was one month without any games, and we didn’t know if his training was good enough.

V. In Brian Forbes article about the release of John Murphy as assistant coach, he wrote that you claimed it was your decision. Is this true and if so, what triggered your decision to replace John Murphy?

The article by Brian Forbes was correct, I don’t think this is the proper time to answer to the question, but be sure that I will more than happy to answer that at the end of the year.

VI. David Kramer replaces Murphy as Goal Keeper coach. Can you tell us a bit about David Kramer and what he brings to the Rapids?

Former player, respect, knowledge and honesty, we have a very good group of young goalkeeper that need challenge and experience.

As a former goalkeeper is have all the credential and the locker-room experience to help our goalkeepers.

Thanks coach, and good luck in Columbus and climbing back into the playoff picture!

Rapids Jersey Sponsor coming soon?

Which statement reflects you more?

Walmart brings an exchange of goods at low prices benefits everyone.

Walmart destroys more jobs than it creates.

I know, who wants politics served up with their sports. We've already had a taste of that when the Rapids hosted China.

So will 2008 see Walmart as the Rapids jersey sponsor? The easy path would be for Silent Stan to tap the wife's ear and get a deal done using the family connection according to conventional thinking.

But this is MLS and we are the Rapids! According to inside team sources, 2008 has a small chance of seeing the Rapids secure a jersey sponsor, if the league will grant permission, like they gave to DC United, for a mid season deal. But 2009 is the year that the Rapids will most certainly role out the new sponsor.

The good news is, we can keep separate our politics from our sports and not discuss how we feel about the controversial retail giant being on the chests of our Rapids players, because Walmart is not going to be the Rapids first jersey sponsor.

We can only hope our jersey will feature this guy's face! If you don't undrestand, you don't watch enough late night TV.

Tonight's Weather

Our Colorado Rapids take on the Houston Dynamo at Dick's Sporting Goods Park tonight. Tailgating starts at 5:30 in Lot AA (NE corner of the complex). Bring the family down for some of Dave's famous cooking and enjoy another fine Colorado summer evening. Game kicks off at 7:30.

Don't forget the Rapids reserve team plays Dynamo's reserves tomorrow, Sunday, at 10am. The game is free. It's played on the field next to where we tailgate.

Murph & Cooke Staying Put

While we're sadden to see a good man like John Murphy relieved of his assistant coaching position, we're happy to see him move into his new role. According to team insiders, while Coach Clavijo and former assistant coach John Murphy's relationship deteriorated enough to end their ability to work together after many years, Murph's value is certainly thought of well enough by the Rapids Front Office.

Promoted to Director of Player Development, instead of being released from the team, John Murphy now has been moved to a position he's well known for. Responsible for the discovery of a youth team that is the envy of the league, his new position puts him in charge of finding talent for our team full time.

So while Coach Clavijo, in the last year of his contract, is in a battle to be behind the benchn in 2009, his decision ensures us that John Murphy will be a key figure in the future development of the Rapids quest to put a trophy in the cabinet after thirteen years of mediocrity. Hopefully, Murph can accomplish another Taylor Twellman, but this time for the Rapids.

Also according to team insiders, despite the uneasy relationship between Terry Cooke and Coach Clavijo, Cooke fans can rest assured that Terry Cooke will not being going in the same direction as Kyle Beckerman. With multiple years on his contract, the league's second best crosser will be on the field again wearing the Rapids colors. The question is, how long will Terry have to wait to be a regular again.

Insider News: Friday Edition

You know, one of the biggest complaints about MLS - and particularly our beloved Rapids - is that there is very little coverage of the team. If a Broncos player has to spend an extra 20 minutes in the bathroom - you're going to to find out why! Terry Cooke doesn't appear for weeks on end ... nothing. Avs Defenseman has an argument with his wife about the landscaping - check the newspaper for details. Assistant Coach John Murphy loses his coaching position ... when did that happen?

We'll we're lucky enough to have CVI's Nick Thomas to give you some insider info about the Terry Cooke situation. Take note, fellower CVIer Allen doesn't seem to buy Coach Clavijo's reasoning. Read Nick's Blog WeWantRapidsMan.com to get some great information.

We're also fortunate to get Balboa's newest Radio co-host, the Denver Post's Brian Forbes who gives us the news that Assistant Coach John Murphy is no longer the Rapids Assistant Coach.

It's efforts of Rapids fans like this that keep Rapids fans informed and interested. Of course, two fan favorites losing their spots in the team has the opposite effect, but stay tuned.

Houston Saturday....Will They Do It Again?

Houston comes to Denver this Saturday to face our Rapids. The game kicks off at 7:30pm. Tailgating starts at 5:30.

CVI Questions with Coach Clavijo: Another Loss Eh?

Missing many key players due to National Team commitments, the Rapids dropped a 3-1 game to Toronto FC. Coach Claivjo has taken time to answers fans questions about the game.

I. Christian Gomez started on the bench and came in at half time for Kimura. Why didn't Gomez start?

I was certain that Christian Gomez would help us close the game down after going a goal up early on the game, missing the chances we had early on changed some of the outcome of our plans. Having a lot of young players on the field you open yourself for mistakes and inconsistency.

II. With all of our National Team call ups and Erpen's Red Card, you chose to start rookie Cesar Zambrano. How did Cesar get the nod and why not Rafeal Gomes?

Toronto is a fast pace, aggressive home team, my outlook coming into the game was very simple, control the tempo and counter in the early parts of the game, more experience players in the second half will allowed you to slow the game and control the result.

I felt that Zambrano did very well for his first game, and was punished in his mistake.

III. Twelve weeks into the season, the Rapids have scored 2 first half goals and 17 second half goals. Do you have a feeling why this discrepancy is happening?

We keep working on maintaining a same level of intensity throughout the game, but it is not the case, and it is something that many teams in the league are facing.

We are moving into a second pace in our season in which young players need to produce every game, the learning curve is over, and results are a must.

IV. With this weekend's loss in Toronto, the Rapids (who have a game in hand over the three teams ahead of them in the standings) have fallen out of a playoff spot. Is this a warning sign for the season or do you feel it's just a bump in the road?

We are facing a must win situation vs. Houston and that is our intent; we need to keep adding point and winning games.

If we do that we will not have any issues making the playoffs.

V. As we approach the midway point of the season, can you tell Rapids fans any area of concern that may be addressed with a player acquisition?

We need to be realistic here, we are not going to address any foreign player because we do not have allocation money or designated player slot, so we can only dream.

I believe that the biggest factor we need to address today is keeping our players in town and healthy,

Bouna with national team but has not play one minute

Pablo out with an injury in last US game vs. ????

Ihemelu missing the game vs. Toronto to play for Canada and later finding out that he may not be eligible to play for Canada,

Those concerns me more than acquisition of players right now

VI. A couple weeks back you stated to NoFanAlone.com, that fan favorite Terry Cooke was healthy, and to the Denver Post, you stated he had to "win his spot back". Fans have begun wondering if there are any personal issues with Terry Cooke and if that is why he has been an unused substitute in four of the last five regular season games?

Terry Cooke is healthy, and is working to get back to his form, no personal issues with Terry, and we expect to see Terry back on the field soon.

Thanks Coach and Class VI wishes you great success in the upcoming match against Houston this weekend!

CVI Questions with Coach Clavijo: Drama in La La Land

As always Coach Clavijo took some time out to answer some questions about the game. Enjoy. I'm going to start adding a link for CVI members comments.

I. You inserted Mehdi Ballouchy in the game at halftime, taking Jacob Peterson out. What were you looking for from Mehdi with this substitution and how did you feel he performed?

At half time we knew that LA was not giving us much to do on Peterson side, and the change with Ballouchy was simple to have another creator on the field that could get together with Gomez, may be Mehdi didn’t do incredible well, but his technical ability help us in many other ways.

II. Facundo Erpen has started every game this season, along with Christian Gomez and Nick LaBrocca, but he'll be sitting out next week due to his red card. What will the team miss without Erpen anchoring the back line?

Erpen is going to be very difficult to replace, and also Ugo Ihemelu that was called to play for Canada, we will be very young in the back in Toronto but I hope the young players taking this opportunity to shine and make a case for themselves.

FYI Ugo Ihemelu was called by USA and Canada to play for them, Ugo felt that Canada was the best option for him to play right now.

III. Los Angles dominated the first 70 minutes of play in this game. Is this another case of inconsistent efforts from the team or do you feel there were other specific factors that played into this loss?

On the first 45 minutes of that game I believe that LA had the better play, completely different on the 2nd half,

I believe that error make things easy for the Galaxy, the first goal was a ball into the box that individual players could not control and landed on the fits of Pires (first goal of the season and may be the only one) 2nd and 3rd goal we can argue that offside was not called but also we can blame ourselves for playing flat in the back……. And pushing forward to get a goal back and lacking discipline and not keeping the lines compact.

IV. When the team suffers a loss in which many things didn't work out, what kind of training schedule do you implement to get things back on track for the upcoming game?

I believe that many positive things happened on that lost to the Galaxy, and we are concentrating on those factor, also looking at what we didn’t do well and making sure that they will not happen again.

V. The word is, Greg Dalby is signing with MLS after an unsuccessful spell in Belgium, with his rights still belonging to the Rapids. You drafted Dalby in the second round, 17th overall, taking the chance that he'd sign with MLS some day, and it seems that day is here. As a highly touted player before the draft, what can Greg bring to the Rapids and where do you see him fitting into the team?

When we drafted Dolby he was a player we thought very highly, he can either play in the central of our defense or in the midfield, also can cover the right side of our back four.

With many players in and out because of call ups to the national team, any good player is welcome.

VI. Quite an impressive win by the Dutch over Italy this week in the European Championship. Do you follow Euro 2008 and if so, which team do you think is going to win the crown?

We all follow the games and watch those most of the time together, great win by the Dutch team but Italy will bounce back.

Portugal is looking very good, and if the Orange Machine can keep the same level, those two teams could be on top at the end of the tournament. Sorry I don’t have England up there.

Portugal winner

Click Here to Discuss. Class VI members only.

Rapids vs. Galaxy, June 7th, 2008

by Geoff McPherson

There are days where internet just straight out ROCKS!!! With limited coverage from mainstream media it allows us to lose ourselves in our addiction with self minded MLS information deprived fans to the wee hours of the morning. In the big picture it provides the ability for the MLS and the Rapids to grow cost effectively at the grassroots level.

This week while the group of Class VI fans jet to LA for the weekend, I head to St Louis for family commitments. For a town that is trying obtain a MLS franchise finding a MLS friendly pub on Saturday night is nonexistent based on my research endeavors to date but thanks to a quick Visa transaction with MLSLive.tv my Rapids fan persona is quickly back to a peaceful equilibrium in this baseball obsessed town.

The Rapids are providing all the same excitement and frustration that surrounded us in our youth, you know that cute girl at college when you thought you had a chance one weekend was then quickly wiped away the next as she was out on a date with some Eddie Vedder wannabe from her woman studies course. The high low teasing cycle would continue for months similar to this seasons’ Rapids ability to get a great win one week and then stand us up at the bar the following week, maybe this weekend we will get over the hurdle of obtaining two wins on the trot.

We go with 4-3-1-2 formation with Mastroeni in NY for the national team providing LaBrocca a massive task in the midfield. Casey and McManus are upfront, Harvey and Clark get have the honors of canceling out Beckham, Peterson I question on the right. The Donavan less Galaxy go with 4-4-2 with Beckham given the freedom to do what ever he wants on right because he’s David Beckham.

Live internet feed of the game is great…….then bollocks, Beckham delivers a great cross from a free kick in the 4th minute, Casey goes up like a bobble head doll missing the header, Pires reacts quicker than the Rapids defense and we are down 1-0. Where was the defense? Fifteen minutes in and we don’t have the same solid platform coming from the midfield with Mastroeni out.

We can’t get a shot off from inside the box, the Galaxy defense is hold strong in open play but looks ugly defending corners, we are attacking the offensive corners like 5 year old cluster instead of a couple of us holding off for the rebounds. Somewhere around the 25th minute we start playing the Rapids fast pace game, creating holes in the LA half, with three in the midfield we look vulnerable to the quick break.

Jimney Cricket two chances, two goals for LA, defense is pointing fingers of who should pick up whom and Burpo is not exactly a confidence builder, 2-0 LA.

4-4-1-1 may have been better with Casey rested for the game or even 4-4-2 with Gomez on the bench (sacrilegious I know) but Beckham and crew have too much space. Casey is playing too deep, basically because he is not getting any service from the midfield, our midfield transition to Casey and McManus is disjointed like a first preseason game

Just before the end of the half Gordon for LA is rightfully sent off for retaliation against Erpen who should have had a yellow card but gets a red as the ref who is having a good game to this point, suddenly starts implementing the letter of law.

Half time 2-0 Galaxy and time for some proactive Rapids Father's day shopping at www.mlsgear.com to avoid getting some 'what the hell were they thinking' dust collector.

For the second half Ballouchy comes on for Peterson and we go for a more 3-4-2 formation, its 10 v 10 which provides Beckham more space than you can poke a stick at. The Rapids are wearing borrowed blue shorts from the Galaxy due to logistical pant issues from Denver and are on borrowed time if they want to turn this around.

For some reason when the Rapids go down a couple of goals they start believing in themselves, take on more players and be more creative, its like the kids are given the creative freedom they need to express their ability. Is the constant changing formation restricting their ability? Is the liberty to try something different stifled by the culture within the dressing room? Or do the rigid strategies from the coaching staff not blend well with this year’s squad? Questions that are impossible to answer from our vantage point, but when these guys believe in themselves the soccer is fantastic.

Ok enough of my soap box monologue…..now where was I?…..oh yeah Casey, Clark, McManus, Ugo all huff and puff for the second half, with three at the back we roll the dice, go down another to a first career goal by Allen for LA, 3-0. Finally we just relax and have fun which results in the team showing its creative energy which provides glimpses of a possible come back.

Liveliness of Cummings and Herculez are brought on in the 60th and 77th minute respectively and supply the space for Clark who makes Xavier the ‘Poodle hair Donkey’ look comical for the second time this season with a great strike from the edge of the box 3-1 LA. Herculez reacts quicker to a lose ball in the box 3-2 with 8 minutes and time added on left. We throw everything forward, LA Galaxy look exhausted but manage to hang on.

As I finish the rest of this match report from Starbucks in suburban St Louis, tracking my Rapids merchandise purchase that has just left Louisville, KY reflecting back on the game I realize that with the world of the internet, Myspace, Facebook, widgets, it also unfortunately allows the communication of how we got stood up by the Rapids again to be very visible just when we thought this summer was going to be a flirty fun trips across the county like the montage footage of every early courtship seen in a romantic comedy.

Come Thursday after we would have finished the emotional roller coaster of what happened Saturday night; we will text\email\Google the Rapids and see what the plans after this weekend.

Road Trip Report

Well, I'm finally feeling a bit more rested after the weekend Supporters Road Trip to LA. We had eight people fly into LAX and we met up with another Rapids fan, who brought an LAG fan (but Jose was cool, so we'll forgive him!).

We took our rental van over to Hollywood and walked around the Chinese Theater looking at all the hand prints. I was quite excited to see R2-D2, C3PO, and Darth Vadar! And then we took a double decker that had the roof chopped off, for a tour around Hollywood. I must say, I never do these kinds of tours when I venture away from Colorado, but I really enjoyed the tour and Hollywood.

Game time was approaching, so we had to jet, but not before we did another thing I thought I'd never do in my life - bought a map of the Stars Homes. Why would I do that? Well, we packed in the van in search of the home of every girls' favorite MLS player. We have a very nice picture of the group and even left a warm Colorado Rapids gift! Don't worry LAPD, nothing you need to be concerned about.

We headed to our hotel where I watched Big Brown drop a Big Brown and then headed over to Alpine Village, a sort of German Market/Inn/Restaurant near the stadium recommended by our good LA Riot friend, Shooter. We enjoyed some frothy German beverages, some potato pancakes, sauerbraten, and hasenfeffer in the good company of Shooter, our newest LA Riot friend Bill, and "the Portuguese guy".

We then headed over to the Home Depot Center where we were hooked up with more new Class VI friends, the Angel City Brigade. Now many here in Colorado feel we get a raw deal from the Rapids, so I'm going to highlight some of the things we certainly should be happy about. Number one, we're allowed to tailgate. That's not the case at HDC and it rather sucked a big one. But ACB certainly work with what they got, and we enjoyed a few beers and good conversation before heading into the game.

Which takes us to our second wonderful thing about DSG Park - no metal detectors to pass through! After Chris got his artificial knee through security, we hit the head and then went looking for our $50 face value seats (we thank Andrew of LAG for our supporters price). We now examine fact number three which we should all feel lucky about - $50 seats at HDC are corner bleachers! For you keeping track at home, if you had midfield front row seats at DSG Park - you'd be paying $35. If you had a corner seat at DSG, $12. But hey, they got Golden Balls right?

The Home Depot Center is an excellent place to see soccer. I was excited to go and honestly, it lived up to the expectations. The stadium, which does seat 9,000 more than DSG Park, feels BIG. When the stadium was only half full, meaning less than a DSG Park capacity crowd, it was louder than our fine field. So that's one thing that they certainly have on us, the acoustics are either wonderful in LA or terrible in Colorado - or maybe a little of both. But it made a big difference and explains a lot of the "cathedral" criticism DSG Park gets.

You all saw the game if you're at NoFanAlone.com, so I'll skip the torture that the first 70 minutes gave us. But the LA fans were all very respectful of us sans a few spit balls. Shooter came over and brought Dave to stand with him, Bill, and the LA Riot Squad, right down front. That's when we proceeded to score two goals. To LARS credit, they were all very good hosts of Dave, but after the Rapids buried two and looked like maybe they could tie it up, Dave had the good sense to come back to us.

The LA Supporters were great and very vocal. LARS had a nice call and response with the ACB and both groups were loud and supportive all game. Good stuff. And after the game was over, as we were leaving, ACB asked us to come over and have some beer with them. Good people I'm telling you, and I hope they come to Colorado next year so we can show them our rockin' tailgate.

The next morning, since the Reserve game got canceled, we met up with Bill and Shooter in Santa Monica at a pub who's name escapes me (Ye Ole ... that's all I can remember). The place is great! We watched more Euro 2008 and then walked over to the beach, strolling along the pier and water after a great lunch there. We then returned to the pub for some US Men's team action, but were only able to see a half since we need to get back to the airport. We grabbed In 'n' Out Burgers and then waited for our delayed flight back to Colorado.

Once again Tina and Kelsey put together an awesome road trip and we thank them mightily. We got to know German a little more and Perry a whole lot more and everyone really had a good time. And if you hear any stories about any close calls with me and the rental van - they are all lies!

Springtime Progess

Well, we're a third done with the season and it's time to take a look at the team.

Goalkeeping: Bouna is doing his job, there's no doubt about that. He's only had to make a few spectacular saves this season, so we've yet to see the best of Bouna Time. Hopefully the team will be able to hold on to him during the transfer window.

The backup situation looks to be very solid now as well. With an injury to Justin Hughes, the Rapids acquired a very capable keeper in Preston Burpo. I know a lot of people are very high on Justin Hughes too, so if Bouna gets what he deserves, we should be fine for 2008! A+

Defense: The Rapids defense has allowed 12 goals in 10 games - among the top half of MLS teams. Our back line doesn't always stifle the opposition, but they do have four shutouts. Right back is still a questionable position, but there are options to be had with our deep bench. Erpen has been the constant this season, and is proving capable.

Combine the above average defense with stellar defensive play from the midfield, and the Rapids are not an easy team to score on. Nick LaBrocca's emergence this season, along with a healthy Pablo Mastroeni has even enabled the Rapids the option of playing three in the back. B+

Offense: Surprise, the Rapids have put the ball in the net 16 times this season, fourth most in the league. The acquisition of Christian Gomez is proving the spark to put the 2007 offense in the past. The question still remains whether one of our strikers will emerge as a consistent threat but Conor Casey, Tom McManus, and Omar Cummings are certainly players opposition need to be wary of.

The play on the wings hasn't been great with Colin Clark not looking as effective as last season and Terry Cooke spending time on the bench. But Gomez is making up for that with not only his play, but his ability to draw away attention from his teammates, giving them more space. But four of our five wins have come via shutouts, so there certainly is room for improvement.B

Coaching: Coaching was the number one criticism of the team in 2007. 2008 is proving otherwise. Fernando Clavijo, faulted in the past for playing players out of position and sticking with others that weren't getting it done, has turned over a new leaf this season.

The starting line up has featured 22 of the 28 man roster regularly. When a player goes down, the next player on the depth chart has stepped up (instead of putting strikers in the midfield, for example). He's changed the shape of the team three times this season, each time with success.

The team is in first place in the West, and yet, consistency seems to be this team's biggest hurdle. We've enjoyed some tremendous efforts, followed by some games where nobody showed up to play. Having yet to win two games in a row this season the question remains, which Rapids team is going to emerge? B

Front Office: A busy off season that has had it's successes and failures. Among the failures has been the inability to get a Technical Director in place and to land a jersey sponsor.

But I've yet to find a person that isn't much more pleased about the on-field product. Player acquisitions seem to have been successful so far with the additions of Christian Gomez, Rafael Gomes, and Tom McManus as well as shipping off Kirovski, Niko Hernandez, Tony Sanneh, and Jose Cancela.

Is McManus the striker everyone knew the Rapids needed in the offseason? Time will tell, but with a nice little influx of the Rapids $250,000 share of the Altidore transfer to Villareal, perhaps the team will consider adding a goal scorer this summer. B-

Overall: The team is doing much better than at any point in the KSE and Fernando Clavijo era. Bowing out of the US Open Cup is a bit of a disappointment and we're certainly not the favored team to win MLS Cup. But if our young players continue to grow and the team can achieve a winning mentality where every game counts, we should make the playoffs and could very well battle for a Super Liga spot for 2009. B

CVI Questions with Coach Clavijo: Sunday Victory!

After a hot day in the Sun coaching the Rapids back to the top of the Western Conference, Coach Clavijo checks in with Class VI

I. editor note: Question not answered.

II. The first half was played very with the Rapids controlling the game in just about every aspect. But a poor header by Rafael Gomes, Pablo Mastroeni catches a Conor Casey elbow, and suddenly with thirty fortunate seconds for Dallas at the end of the half and the game is even. What affect did that goal have on the players heading into the locker room and what did say or do at the half to get the players back on track?

Every time you give up a goal at the end of the half is not a good thing, but the boys knew that that was a fluke and we could correct what happen with a different approach.

We talked about our intensity and what we need to do to get a result.

III. Casey gets his first MLS start and goal of the season this game, but he was taken out of the game at halftime for Omar Cummings. Was was the reason for that substitution?

Precaution, he has not play a 90 minute game in over 7 months, when at half time mentioned to me that he may be able to go for another 20 minutes because of his hamstring. I pulled the trigger there… no need to risk anymore.

IV. Jose Burciaga, Jr. hasn't played in a while and wasn't on the bench this Sunday. What's the issue with Burciaga?

Jose Burciaga is healthy right now. Something he was not in the last couple of weeks, he is a very good player and will make us a better team when healthy.

V. With one third of the season down, you've got the team in first place in the Western Conference with a 5-5 record. There have been some spectacular games and a couple stinkers. What do you think is working well with the team, and what do you think needs improvement or change. How do you feel overall about the team and their performance so far?

Consistency is the biggest obstacle for us, changes in the line up has worked for us, sometimes because of tactical reason others because of injuries. But we need to find out a way to be at a level of playing and maintaining it.

VI. Well you got a very, very well earned victory Coach. What did you do with the rest of your day? How does Coach Clavijo celebrate after a game like that?

Most of the time I go home and look over the tape 3 or 4 times before I can make a clear evaluation of what happen.

The only way for me to disengage from Thinking about soccer is with my wife and my long time friend Marcelo Balboa, get my Harley Davidson and go to the mountain and later a dinner in Boulder is the weather is right.

P.S

I was approach by many people to thank me about the shirt for Preston, the kid with cancer.

Make sure that they know that I also want to thank them and especially Preston for give me the opportunity to help in any way,

My prayers are with him and his family

Fernando Clavijo

Thanks Coach and good luck in the Open Cup Qualifier this week!

CVI Questions with Coach Clavijo: Chivas Loss (Late)

Well this is a bit late due to some circumstances beyond anyone's control, but I wanted to get them out there since Coach Clavijo gives us some answers to questions many people are wondering

I. The team came out in the first half looking sloppy and having no sense of urgency. At half time, Pablo Mastroeni told Altitude Sports that the biggest change that was needed was a change of attitude. Was Pablo accurate in describing the most serious problem with the team?

Absolutely, the attitude was not right, but it is up to every single individual to motivate yourself, you just said it before, how anyone can not embraced this game. But it happens, we hope that was only 2 games and we are over with it.

II. Referee Baldomero Toledo let the game be dictated by physical play, which Chivas seemed to take advantage of. Is having an opponent who's style is exceptionally physical something the Rapids need to address as a weakness?

Our league is physical, and anyone that is not prepare to receive that kind of play is in the wrong league,

I hope that the league and the referees do a little better job in protecting the skillful players a little more

III. When Pablo Mastroeni went out of the game, it seemed perhaps he hurt his knee. Is there any injury concerns for Pablo?

Pablo was sick, and never was reported back to the coach because he wants to play, I only find out when at half time he was having big problem breathing

IV. We were fighting hard for a goal after Tom McManus' beautiful long range goal and Christian Gomez was substituted for Conor Casey in the 84th minute. What was the reason that Gomez was selected as the player removed to add another striker?

Gomez is one of the most skillful players in our team and in the league, but sometimes his lack of movements becomes an easy target defender.

V. Unable to put together back to back wins this season, the biggest challenge you seem to face is getting the players to find consistency. When you have made large tactical changes to the team, they have always responded well. When you stick with the players that brought success, they seem to come out flat on you the very next week. Why is this team having problems maintaining success game to game?

I know for a fact everyone wants to win; the issue is that not many people know what it takes to win.

Players sometimes get to comfortable on there positions and field that the effort that brought them to play is not needed, so this is why you see changes,

VI. Terry Cooke hasn't seen the field since May 4th, but has been on the bench for the last few games and hasn't appeared in the injury reports. Has Jacob Peterson beaten out Terry for the starting position?

Terry was complaining of hamstring problems from May 8th on, just about 10 days ago he is back healthy and we are looking to get him back into the lineup.

Sorry again for the delay!

Near Perfect Weather

The weather for Sunday's tailgate and game looks to be near perfect. It'll be sunny and in the low 80s come game time. Tailgating gets started at 11am in lot AA. The match starts at 1pm (televised on Telefutura). The question is, when will FC Dallas get a red card. They've had a player seeing red in each of their last 3 games. Will they make it a 4th?

Everton Playing Colorado Rapids

It's official Everton is coming to play the Colorado Rapids August 3rd.

So be prepared to see the likes of American Timmy Howard, Phil Neville, Tim Cahill, & Yakubu! Excellent job Rapids Front Office.

Want to See McManus' Goal of the Week Again

Then look in the menu bar on the right under daily reads. There's a video window with Rapids videos made my MLS.

This week they feature McManus' goal - and an interview with Fernando Clavijo that for some reason I cannot hear - maybe it's just my laptop or my incompetance! Give it a try.

VI Questions with John DiRaimondo

I. How did you get injured and how close are you to returning?

I was injured in a play right at the end of the half against San Jose. I went for a slide tackle and my left foot got stuck in the ground. I landed on my foot and rolled over on my ankle. I have started to practice without any restrictions so hopefully I will be back within a week or two.

II. Your first MLS game was the season opening victory over Los Angles. Tell us how you found out you were going to start and how that news made you feel.

Well, throughout preseason I was getting to play with the first team so I thought that there would be a decent chance that I would get the nod in the opener but I wasn't sure. The day before the game we were going over shape and I was in the lineup so I pretty much knew for sure the day before the game. Once I found out I was going to be in the lineup I was very excited to get a chance to go out there and play.

III. What is it like for a young player to line up against the likes of David Beckham and Landon Donevan?

During the national anthem I was kind of in awe, but once the whistle blew I knew I had to get down to business. At that point you just have to go out and play and you kind of forget about everything else.

IV. You played in the USL's Premiere Development League for Chicago. What was the experience like and do you feel the PDL is a good place for college players play?

Playing for the Chicago PDL team was a great experience. They went about training and games with a very professional approach and I believe that helped me prepare for the professional ranks. I also feel that PDL is a great place for college players because it gives them much needed training and games during the summer months when they are away from their schools.

V. As a member of the U-17s and visiting places like Guatemala and Finland, did you enjoy playing international games? Did any one game or country provide an exceptional experience?

I loved playing internationally. Traveling to different countries and getting to experience their cultures was one of the best parts of the experience. I think South Korea was probably the most interesting and exciting place I visited. When I was with the U-17s we played in a tournament there in front of 37,000 fans which was a great experience. They also treated us with great hospitality and respect.

VI. You've been playing soccer at the highest level for such a long time. Has there ever been a time or situation where you simply didn't enjoy the game?

I can't say there has every been a time during my career where I didn't enjoy the game, but there have been several times where I didn't enjoy the way I was playing. I think every player goes through hard times where they question their game and their abilities, but that's natural. With that being said, at no point have I every stopped enjoying the game.

Rapids Lose to Chivas; Preston Wins Hearts

by CVI's Geoff McPherson

Chivas vs. Rapids – May 24th, 2008

We spend our time working on our careers while at the same time questioning why we spend so much time dwelling on it, we read the ‘South Beach Diet’ with the delusional aim to shed some pounds for our summer vaca, endeavor to understand what makes the opposite sex tick and then look around and wonder how everyone seems to do all this with ease while we just feel out of control. Then we realize we’re self centered drama queens when we see the determination of 5 year old Preston who has Hodgkin's disease who looks to has more perspective on life than all of us put together.

Tonight is not about the great defensive plays, the perfect 1-2, goals from 25 yards; it’s about the underlying reason why we love the game, the community, the camaraderie of being of fan, being around people that have a common focus that come from all walks of life for a common cause that is sometimes difficult to comprehend. On this occasion it’s the tireless efforts of Laura & Mark Bodmer and many nameless others to raise money for the St Baldricks foundation fighting for the long term solution for cancer.

Fittingly we come across a team that in its short existence has gone through some very turbulent times with the historical roots of heart, passion of being the people’s team which showed some inspirational soccer at the end of last season that provides a glimpse of what this league can be.

For the Rapid fans’ the questions are did Chivas find their score boots in 10 minutes of play last week or are DC that poor this season? What tactical card will our favorite or not so favorite Uruguayan Clavijo play this week? For me I would imagine we'd resort to 4 at the back this week, but I’m so wrapped up in the smaller things in life what would I know.

Yep what would I know, we stay with a 3-4-1-2 formation, Chivas 4-4-2. The first 20 minutes reinforces why I’m not a big fan of Serie A, 9 guys behind the ball at chess like pace waiting for the perfect 1-2 pass in the final third. Chivas is completely eliminating our strength on the wings, Peterson inability to bet a man one-on-one means we are going to make little in roads on the right.

On 25 minutes Erpen gets a header on goal from the result of a corner unfortunately at this time in the game set plays seems to be the only way we are going to get a break through. We need change it up with some good old full court ‘Sam Allardyce managed Bolton’ press to knock Chivas out of their rhythm as we are not enforcing our fast paced ability on the game at all.

Just before the half we forget two basic elements of defending, attacking the ball and closing down the man with the ball; Marsch is patient and clinically finishes and we are down 1-0 at the half.

The second half is more of the same; we look to change things up by bringing on Gomes and McManus in the 53rd and 58th minute respectively. We continue to push forward which leaves us a little venerable at the back and as a result a well taken header by Chivas on 78 minutes means that they have scored two goals on three chances, 2-0 Chivas. McManus is making some great runs into the final third with space and then just launches a thunderbolt in the 80th minute from 35 yards that would be a goal in any league in the world. 2-1 Chivas and we final get our A into G with the high tempo we been waiting for all game. Chivas do a great job defensively and clear there lines effectively from our aerial onslaught, offensively this 2008 Rapids team is not designed for the long ball. Its great to see Casey get in the game for the first time this season coming on for the last 10 minutes looking a good 10 pounds trimmer than last year. We huff and puff to the end but are unable to obtain the second goal.

Concern about this game is our ability to play slow paced defense minded teams; we struggled the same way against San Jose which ended with the same result. We need to be able to adjust to this style of game because if we make the playoffs this is what the teams will bring to DSG Park.

Our strategy was clinically suffocated by Chivas tonight, the stats tonight will say we lost 1-2 and fall 4&5 for the season, but the most important number tonight is the $3600 plus raised for cancer research and the St Baldricks foundation.

On this glorious spring night the image that will stay with us as we attempt to balance our day-to-day lives is the most inspirational passage of play many of us will ever witnessed on a soccer pitch; the passion, heart, guts and strength of the human spirit displayed tonight all with ‘full of life smile’ by our new hero Preston.

Man of the Match: Preston Kilzer

Rapids Lose, Vote for Man Of The Match

Chivas USA was missing more players - Bornstein, Vaughn, Galindo, Eskandarian , Suárez, Thomas ,Wicky, and Zotinca (heck, Razov wasn't 100% to start) - than some teams miss in an entire season. For some reason the Colorado Rapids, much like the home game against San Jose a few weeks ago, thought this was a reason to take their foot off the gas. The result was a 2-1 loss. Clavijo's Rapids have yet to win 2 games in a row in 2008.

Game Highlights:

Class VI members can vote for the man of the match, here.