PBP: P/I/P-Black Double Diamond match #5 Rapids vs. Houston/Telluride Dynamo Saturday 7pm at the Dick's

Acosta's free kick directly into the keeper's hands. Probably our last chance to try to get something out of this match.

 

Acosta replaces Serna.

Elis makes him look silly too.

4-0.

 

Kamara hits the PK off a ridiculous handling penalty by Figueroa. 1-4

 

Well, at least we didn’t get shut out.

 

Well, at least we won’t have to see Smith start in the next game...

 

Too late for the MLS 10-man advantage to save us.

I'll say it again - man, we stink.

 

Just going to leave this here:

#HudsonOut

 

Bring back Pablo?

 

So poorly coached. Hudson wants “total football,” where each player can play every position? I’d like each player to know their best position.

Wow, Serna got smoked. And Bassett was no help above him. The duo playing together was a disaster.

I got so sick of Rubio’s whining. He doesn’t understand it hurts the team. They all start whining instead of concentrating. He’s screaming at the official about an small forearm to the head—which was away from the ball so the ref didn't see it—and VAR shows it was minor at best. Get over it.

Houston was very good. They pass the ball much better than the Rapids.

 

One of two things will have to happen before I watch another Rapids game.

Either Hudson gets fired or the Rapids win two game in a row.

 

I wish we were that good!

Well, this game should remove the doubt. The 2018 Rapids are back.

That was unbelievably pathetic. Serna was getting worked, but then why leave him and the team unchanged to just allow Elis to torch the left side of the D over and over?

I agree about Rubio. He's working hard and drawing contact but no one's going to be convinced by rolling on the ground five times. It just gets you a reputation and you'll get fewer calls.

Sad that Kamara out on the wing to send crosses in is their best option, because he's not fast enough to then run back into the box to get under his own cross, seeing as how he's their best threat on aerials.

 

Last week I thought Hudson out was too early. This week I'm fully on that bandwagon. There's not a better game for us to win for a month after tonight. And we looked like we didn't even belong on the field. Vancouver May 3rd might be our first win of the season now (@ORL, SEA on short rest, DC on short rest, @CHI, @ATL, VAN).

This team is out of the playoff discussion in March essentially, unless a coaching change with an actual coaching hire (not just handing the reins to Casey until the end of the season) or a major player signing happens.

 

All the goals allowed were painful and pathetic but the 4th was especially so. I was wondering how Elis was so wide open for such a simple pass to spring him in the box.

Tomas Martinez was on the Rapids right touchline being challenged by Mesquida. Feilhaber runs over to double team and and I guess steal the ball and somehow *both* players end up on the outside of Martinez and neither gets the tackle. Martinez makes a beeline for the center of the pitch. Meanwhile, Price goes jogging up also from the D's right, behind Martinez. The middle is wide open and welcome.

So Smith has to step up and Elis runs right into his space. Acosta and Sjoberg are too slow to react.

Unbelievable.

 

Just......a truly embarrassing performance all around. Where to start?

I honestly had no issues with the own goals. If Ax and Rosenberry didn’t make SOME attempt on the well played crosses, Houston had tap-ins on both goals. Those goals were scored when the entire Rapids defense collectively decided to not close anyone down in the box, which inevitably put the last defender standing in a terrible position. Don’t fault Axel or Keagan for either of those.

Here’s what I refuse to believe: I refuse to believe...

- that all-of-a-sudden Kamara and Rubio both forgot how to score goals

- that all-of-a-sudden Benny, Acosta and Jack Price became completely ineffective midfielders

- that all-of-a-sudden former all-star level defenders Axel Sjoberg and Keagan Rosenberry completely forgot how to defend...

There is no way that an entire team of proven MLS players decided to simultaneously sh*t the bed. What makes WAY more sense is that they’re being put in predictable and poor tactical situations, handcuffed with a system that isn’t working and a coach that is incapable of making necessary adjustments and is getting ROUTINELY out-coached.

It is just so hard to watch. Rubio and Kamara NEVER get the ball in dangerous spots through the run of play. There is no coherent attack.

Did anyone else notice the sequence in the first 5 minutes where Axel and Smith traded the ball back-and-forth 7-8 times? It was hilarious. It was a microcosm of the issues with this team. No one seems to know exactly where to go with the ball so they kind of just make it up as they go, even if it means the two CB’s trade 7 consecutive passes with zero forward movement. “I don’t know what to do with it, you take it.”

With a mounting list of negatives (worst losing streak in team history, worst ppg in team history, embarrassing performance after embarrassing performance) and virtually no tangible positives to point to Hudson is going to become more and more difficult for this front office to defend.

We have now moved past the point where the talk of building “culture” supersedes the need for actual results. Hudson’s seat should be fully warming up at this point. And with 2 out of our next 3 games against Seattle and DC, this hole we’re digging ourselves is only likely to get deeper.

 

And they're not just horrible, they are petty and undisciplined. Rubio rolls around like every foul mortally wounds him, but his yellow was one of those stupid kick the guy's heels when he gets past deals.

And Smith, WTF. Playing too much Street Fighter or something.

 

Oof.

2018 defending.

At least we looked decent on the attack. 2 post/crossbar hits and a near beauty by basset. Could’ve been 4-3 or 4-4. But again..


2018 defending.

Hudson. My man. Give your players some help.

Basset didn’t do Serna any favors on defense all game. Don’t get me wrong, I really like what Bassett brings. But not on defensive coverage.

And whoever was playing the 6 (seemed to change far too often) never covered for smith and Sjoberg. I’d take tommy smith over Bobby burling, but at least when burling played Sam Cronin did a great job covering as the 6. Nobody covers as the 6 any more on this team.

Feilhaber who? Looks like a shell of his former self.

Anyways. 2018 defending.

Oof.

 

If you wanna look at the bright side, I’ll leave you the following bullet points:

At least we salvaged a goal and didn’t lose this weekend like:
4-0 (NYCFC to Toronto)
5-0 (Quakes to LAFC)
7-1 (Montreal to SKC)

Also, we’re not 4 losses in 4 games like San Jose - and they’re a much bigger train wreck then we are, with a better “on paper” coach in Almeyda

Finally, we’ve got as many points as the reigning MLS cup champs.

So yeah. We suck right now. And so does the rest of the bottom of the table

 

When Feilhaber trod dejectedly off the pitch when subbed out, I was thinking of the Little Bill Daggett character from Unforgiven. Last year he was with SporKS, good team, stadium full of life. Now he's playng in the freezing cold on a sorry team.

"I don't deserve this...I was building a house."

 

My fear is that we begin to use that as the proverbial “pat on the back.”

“Yeah we’re 7th place. But at least that means we aren’t 8th or 9th place!”

In my opinion, Padraig Smith has built a roster that deserves a better record than they currently have. If ownership and the front office are signing quality players, and the results aren’t translating on the field, at some point that’s on the coach.

 

Ready for the Casey Conor era to begin.

 

This is how I feel. Hudson must go immediately if the season is to see any salvage-ability.

 

I don't think giving Casey the interim tag (or even making him head coach) gets this team into playoff contention.

 

We give players new to the MLS a chance to see if they can adapt to the style of play, travel, climate, etc - they either do so and become productive or they leave the league (or go to the Rapids, sorry, couldn't resist). So applying the same to a coach, it appears that Hudson doesn't have the ability to adapt to the MLS. He can't be sent to the Rapids as he's already here.

So, #HudsonOut

Replacement? Casey as interim, but need an experienced hand.