7 shots on frame, 2 in the net. I know I watched this game. But I still don't believe what I saw. . . . but the Rapids are still in first place in the race for the Spoon.
But we do have 3 games in hand over salt lake with a whopping 1 pt per game. Salt lake is at .83 pts per game. We are tied with Minnesota who also has 1 pt per game. We have one game in hand over Minnesota.
Hah. In our pregame poll, I voted Crew lose by 1 goal. I just had a feeling after dismantling Seattle we would have one of those games where we should win but don't. I'm not even that knowledgeable of a soccer fan really but it's become an obvious pattern. it's clear to most Crew fans who are paying attention that Berhalter can't fix our team. Even the more apologetic fans like me are thinking Greggs gotta go. Congrats. I'm gonna go listen to my coach blame the elevation and not his man-management in his post game.
I was surprised how easily and how often the Crew advanced the ball up the middle, and how few good shots they got out of it. The buildup for the Doyle goal was nice. There have been so few nice goals like that. Saied had dropped back into the Powers role but unlike Powers he had the speed to burst up field after a 1-2 with Gashi. Then he saw the throughball for Hairston. Maybe it would help to move Saied back central w/Azira and try starting Gashi and Gatt on the wings. Since that one breakout game the first time they switched to a 4-4-2, Saied has looked like "just a guy" out wide. Nothing horrible, but not much of use either.
Saied usually played as a #8 for us mostly. Never on the wing. He was well liked here and solid depth. Stolen from us in the expansion draft since he was good value. I hope he works out for you guys.
Am I the only one that though the Casey induction ceremony was kind of odd? The video of former players and coaches with their well wishes had more of his teammates from the 2000 Olympic team than former Rapids teammates (Ginger Ninja and Pablo). And Tim Howard, who was on that Olympic team, wasn't included. I just expected to see more former Rapids, especially from the 2010 team. Then I was stunned to hear Ciaran O'Brien's and Seth Trembly's names as the "friends and former teammates" to life the curtain over his name. Though after I thought about it Seth and Conor are the same age and with their time growing up playing soccer in the area they probably go way back. I also found out that Casey has some involvement in the bar that O'Brien is a part owner of downtown. Still, I bet more than 90% of the fans in the stadium tonight had no idea Trembly and O'Brien played for the Rapids.
Nice win, and an enjoyable game to watch (at least the final 20 minutes). I was happy to see more shots on goal and excellent build up play on the goal by Doyle. The quick one-two with Saied and Gashi, then slotted for Hairston for a hard, low cross, finished by the sliding Doyle. Gordon's goal was nice also off Gatt's cross. Not bad, Rapids. Way to make us happy.
I mean, 19 career minutes with the Rapids barely counts as playing, but I'll forever remember O'Brien's hatchet job on El Pescadito. That justice tasted so sweet.
That was the expectation here when acquired, but a combo of Pablo's idiosyncratic take on soccer (Saied must be very brave) and a lack of players with a pulse led Saeid to being pressed into service on the wing.
Hmm, that is a bit odd. I hope that reflects more that staff were more easily able to contact people through other MLS front offices than some dislike of Casey. It would have been great to hear from Omar Cummings. I was happy to see him in a highlight, feeding Casey.
In two weeks we've earned 6 pts. In what seems like 20 weeks prior we earned 7. Nearly half our points for the season have come in last two weeks . I'm trying to think positively here and say keep the momentum going boys! In all seriousness, while not a flawless performance I'm happy with the way the boys played yesterday. They scratched, clawed, and fought their way to victory. It was not pretty but it was 3 pts. At this point that's all that matters to me.
A day later and I'm still stunned. When they went down a goal (Gashi on an ole defense), I thought a tie was best case scenario; best case being highly unlikely. It was a great cross by Gatt. He stuck it on the back post with some pace with his left foot (I assume he's right footed). And while Gordon can't move much these days, all he had to do was glide to the spot. Ford has the potential to be a great CB. Right now, he's living off of his athleticism. He makes a lot of do or die tackles/interceptions. But he is an athlete. It will be fun to see him paired with Sjoberg. da Forte hung in there, but was uncomfortable. I was surprised Columbus didn't put more pressure there, the altitude and second game in three days catching up with them.
The past few games have been a different team than the first part of the season and I expect this sort of play will continue. As others noted we do have games in hand over most other teams which makes the possibility of getting back into the playoff race very realistic with more games coming up at home. R
That's true, I didn't consider that everyone in the video currently works (or plays) for a MLS team. Looking at the rest of the 2010 team the only ones still "in MLS" are Wynne (recovering from heart surgery) and Moor.
Who's next for the Gallery? Is Moor a candidate? Not sure who on the current team even has the potential. I guess Howard more for his stature than actual contributions. Sjoberg if he kept up his game and stayed with the team for a while.
He's the only name missing IMO (since he hasn't retired yet, obviously). Though I wouldn't object to the logic Bravo gave me once about wanting to add Carlos Valderrama for his body of MLS work as we're the only MLS team left that he played for.
Ironically, during the ceremony, a buddy and I debated the same thing ... we both came up with Moor as the most obvious name. Number of minutes played/starts, past Captain, MLS Cup ... he's the obvious candidate.
I struggle with this. Had we won a trophy with Carlos, I'd be all in. No one remembers him as a Rapid outside of Colorado. R