PBP: #17 For Casey - Rapids visit the The Loony Bin AKA The Small Soda in Minnesota

And so, the Rapids travel to Minnesota to start off a 4 game road stretch.

Minnesota (11-8-5)is currently 2 points above the Playoff Cutoff line, whereas the Rapids (7-12-5) currently sit 10 points below. Minnesota is currently on a 5-0-1 hot streak at home, scoring 16 and only allowing 3. This does include a 7-1 blowout victory over FC Cincy, and a 4-1 blowout of SKC at the beginning of this stretch. Their last three games at home have been:

1-0 against Dallas; 0-0 against Vancouver; 1-0 against Portland.


The Rapids have also only gotten six points from away games this season.


That said Minnesota just got blown out 5-3 in Dallas on Saturday, and the Rapids are coming off huge wins against San Jose and Montreal. If the Rapids want to continue to play spoiler, now's a great chance to do so...

Interestingly enough, Adrian Heath called out MLSSoccer.com's reporting before their game against Dallas. They lose 5-3. Put that in perspective with this following stat:

#MNUFC are now 0-5-2 in the two games following a coach or player demanding more respect from the league's media department.

The Loons play the second game after Adrian Heath's "flying the flags at half mast at MLS dot com" comments this coming Wednesday against Colorado.

— Fifty Five One (@FiftyFiveOne) August 11, 2019

I guess that means we're guaranteed a point in this one right?


Last time these team met, Kei Kamara scored the "loon" goal in a 1-0 victory at DSGP, and in his career against Minnesota, he averages a goal every 71 minutes.

Ref Assignments:

I imagine there will be a decent amount of squad rotation in this one, given the short rest and travel by both teams.

Leave your predictions, comments, and puns below! I don't want to be "aloon" in the puns on this thread, that's for sure.

 

Starting XI

The XI for tonight ⤵️

📝 https://t.co/DdhJX08QrK#Rapids96 | #MINvCOL pic.twitter.com/W2iIQmZJUA

— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) August 14, 2019

 

Rapids are looking a little out of sorts right now. Nobody is making any sort of positive movement off the ball, which is forcing people to try to take on 2 or 3 defenders by themselves.

The first touches are usually heavy, and if they do anything, it’s mostly backwards first.

No one is trying to do any link up passing either.

Hopefully Casey can do something in the locker room cuz right now, people seem to be on different pages all over the field

 

Also adding to the frustration...I’m stuck watching the Minnesota feed. These announcers are...well...not only biased (to be expected) but bad at calling things.

 

Can we throw Mezquida on for Wilson maybe? Wilson isn’t giving the speed we need in defensive transition play.

Have Acosta drop to the six and move Mezquida to where Acosta is occupying