Well, to quote the late Mel Allen, "How 'bout that?!". (particularly referring to his ass-slapping bump 'n grind moves with a stripper) Interestingly, and I may be wrong, but it sure looks like Tommy Smith in the background near the bar on a couple of the clips... and maybe even Deklan Wynne in one of the clips?
Burgundy Wave practice report from today: Colorado Rapids Practice Notes: Wilson, Gashi, Aigner, Martinez, Miller, and Boli #Rapids96 https://t.co/A7zshuIzrO— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) April 10, 2018
I enjoyed watching Toronto last night in the CONCACAF semi-final, looking forward to seeing them here in person in Colorado. They'll be a big test.
Agree. While it would be nice to see the full complement of TFC stars strutting their stuff at DSGP on Saturday (and being a big test for the Pids), I'd still prefer 3 pts. and some momentum against a weakened TFC club... keeping in mind that 5-6 of OUR true starting caliber players are also either partially or fully out for this match (Aigner, Gashi, Hairston, Ford, Wilson, and perhaps Boli). It's not like it'll be a full-strength Rapids team taking on a weakened TFC team. We're substantially weakened as well. And some would argue that we're weakened even when we're full strength! ;-)
If we were a better team, I don't think Toronto would have the same attitude going into Saturday. The reality still is that nobody else in the league takes the Rapids seriously because we're a meme team that chokes away points. We (deservedly tbh) are still perceived as bottom-table cannon fodder. Toronto may not be trotting out their best lineup, but I doubt they're expecting to lose.
Eh - I wouldn't call their CCL games against the Rapids "blowouts". A 2-0 loss followed by a 0-0 tie at BMO field means TFC is aware the Rapids aren't complete pushovers. That said, I hope they take us for granted and put in complete rookies. I'll take the 3 points however we can get them.
Concerning Howard in the club, seems like he was anxious to get out of his chair and join in the fun. Just the opposite of his staying glued to his line and watching the game tying goal (and so many other goals lately) loop over his head.
I've come to this conclusion on Howard. He's similar to Badji, in that he's excellent on quick reaction saves, but he freezes when he has time to think about it. I don't believe he was always that way, though he has always been a better react keeper then a mental one.
I dropped in on the stats around our likelihood to make the playoffs. it is very early in the season, so not a ton of relevance just yet. Having said that, The Rapids currently are solidly in the playoff hunt. As most of us would peg making the playoffs as a solid season (as we build to greater success in the future), the numbers show we aren't too far off. Particularly given the number of our top players who just haven't been playing much. For reference: http://www.sportsclubstats.com/USA/MLS.html Note: this weekend's game against Toronto has a pretty big impact on the numbers. A win helps a ton while a loss brings us down quite a bit. rod.
“To be honest, I just want to be on the field. I think when I’m ready, I can help the team’s quality.' -Rapids96 playmaker @s_gashi11 on nearing full fitness https://t.co/XE51weHxZY— Ryan Madden (@Ry_Madden) April 11, 2018
Rapids have the good fortune of playing TFC this weekend, who will be resting everybody for next Tuesday's CCL final.
📷Observations:Yannick Boli puts out 120% and HC Hudson savors it! Ditto for big guy Tommy Smith who has been pedal to the metal since day 1. Two great additions to the #Rapids96 roster. #WelcomeToMLSat5280 pic.twitter.com/5orGbyj1X4— John Andrew Babiak, a 1st Generation 🇺🇦/🇺🇸 (@Photog_JohnB) April 11, 2018
Oddly for how our season has 'felt' with our repeated late game point dumps, and seeing Toronto breaking new ground in the CCL -- we're 8th out of 12 teams in the West and they're 10th out of 11 teams in the East. Unless personnel that we have but haven't seen get added for this match it will basically be TFC's 'B' team vs. Colorado's 'B+' team?
I think most prognosticators and TFC fans understand why the team is off to a 1-2-0 start in the league, what with the CCL and the need to rest starters. Everyone knows the CCL is their sole focus at the moment. Case in point: TFC sent a bunch of their starters home to Toronto, while the rest of the team went to Colorado. I hope we can still pick up points, but won't be shocked if we don't. Vanney isn't going to jeopardize the CCL final for three league points in early April. Not excuses or anything - just the realities of the schedule.
I wonder if this CCL format will be tweaked after this year. Having the finalists play four straight midweeks probably isn't making anyone very happy.
You're giving us too much credit. We have a long history of losing games we're supposed to win on paper.
Aigner - After not making the 18 for the Toronto match and the anecdote from JasonMa on what happened at practice last week I am wondering if his time in Commerce City is limited? "Heard at the game from somebody who was at practice on Tuesday that Aigner didn't finish practice with the team, essentially being told that if he wasn't going to go 100% he didn't need to finish and Aigner then deciding not to finish." Another piece of evidence is his reaction to Badji's third goal v the Union. He looked to be the only player near Badji who didn't go over to celebrate/congratulate. Rather he walked back to midfield with a dejected demeanor. It struck me as really being odd. Seems like a similar situation to that of Shane O"Neill who purportedly was feeling entitled and thus didn't feel like he needed to earn his starting spot. Of course he ended up getting transferred out.