Cudos to you guys who went. After working outside that day and getting home late, I blew it off. And then lost the TV battle to my family who wanted to watch the Olympics. I'm glad it was at least entertaining. They are the best team in the league and the conditions are freakish, so I'm not reading too much into the result.
I echo you on Jack price. He had an outside-of-the-boot pass to the outside of Boateng- away from the defender- that was a thing of beauty. I said to my son, "that guy is good." Boateng's play was much improved. His slide tackle in the first half might have been the highlight of the first half (Badji's breakaway was NOT what I would call a highlight). Our offense moved up the right side almost exclusively in the first half which means that wynne and castillo were pretty much invisible. McBean is not fast, although his smart runs created some chances. We need to have dangerous guys out wide and we need another striker on whom we can rely. Haven't had that in quite a few years.
I agree with everything folks have said so far about the game and the state of the team. I think it can’t be understated how the team seemed to deflate after Badji’s miss. For me that was the turning point in the game. I think if he had scored it would have given the team a surge and some confidence in a very difficult game. One other thing, any one else notice that our CB’s pressed into the midfield way past the CM several times almost recklessly? It was weird to see and I don’t know if it was confusion or by design. Seems odd to have one of your three defenders run up past Price to challenge a ball.
In comparing Marlon and Edgar, I just thought Edgar looked more decisive. Marlon gets the ball with space - especially with his pace - often enough but just seems to freeze while he decides what to do.
If nothing else the quantity and quality of posts in this thread show that hope springs eternal even if it is still winter. Thanks for all the insight and major supporter props to everyone that attended in person. Better goalkeeping by the goalkeeper we have and better finishing by the striker we don't have (yet?) are a repeating theme, other than that Mrs. Lincoln said she really enjoyed the play.
Our midfield is improved which should help produce more goals going forward. As cold as it was and as good as Toronto is I saw some hope for the future. (fingers crossed)
Listened the other day. It's clear he is a long term strategic planner. All of what's going on now, including the match on Tuesday is done with being prepared for the MLS opener at NE. This included fitness and tactics. Basically I took what he was stating as he isn't going to sacrifice the long run for the short term. He stated multiple times that with 3.5 weeks to prepare and integrate many new players into the squad that the Rapids were at a disadvantage to Toronto FC who had (according to him) 10 of 11 players back. Thus he was very satisfied with the first half where the Rapids were forcing the issue. He thought part of the issue in the second half was fitness and he didn't substitute as he wanted those on the pitch to get used to playing 90 minutes. I agree with m vann that he wasn't anything to argue with in his statements.
I look at it this way... A lot of work still needs to be done. There's time to get things right before the season starts. The Rapids' off-season changes look encouraging. The lack of a consistent, quality striker is still a problem. Most of this mess, including the loss, rests on the shoulders of the previous front office; who blew this opportunity long ago.
Yes, and I think that this is the way Hudson is looking at the next two weeks or so leading up to the NE match. And hopefully all on the current roster will be healthy and fit by March 10.
Tuesday’s SCCL game in Colorado was likely the coldest match ever played between two @MLS teams (3 degrees at kick-off). Great image of #Rapids96 GM Pádraig Smith and SVP Wayne Brant watching with fans in section 117. pic.twitter.com/zlasGnaePW— Ryan Madden (@Ry_Madden) February 24, 2018
Possibly the coldest match on record anywhere, if this is anything to go by (from 2010 though): https://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/dec/15/the-knowledge-cold-football-matches
An interesting perspective on how cold it was at the game. I gave my tickets to a friend who worked with me above the Arctic Circle in Greenland. Therefore, he has a unique perspective on how cold it can get. He wore snowboarding gear to include a face mask. As he put it, "when I couldn't feel my toes in the second half, that was damn cold."
Agreed. And a good statement: "On a cold-ass day like today, we appreciate the fans and we're *with* them". I'm down with that... cuz I was f>kn cold.
I found this picture that actually shows soccer in Greenland. I took this in the village of Savissivik.
In the book below a game called "swamp soccer" featuring knee deep mud and w/ a National Championship is described in Iceland, no mention of international competition with their neighbors though ... Page 149 if you're really interested; https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Beaut...=1-1&keywords=simple+beauty+of+the+unexpected
They play a similar "swamp soccer" game in Brazil. In Greenland, they actually play an annual soccer tournament in Greenland, usually at a 4G pitch down in Nuuk, the capital. The entire competition takes about a week and all games are broadcast live on the national TV station. I've been to Iceland but didn't get a chance to watch any soccer.