So needed and well deserved. Obviously Badji was tremendous, but also enjoyed watching Sjoberg clear out balls on defense.
Much better than the first two games. There are still weaknesses on defense, and a better opponent would have put a couple on the board. The injuries to Wilson and Hairston are a concern. There is still too much long ball, and some of the passes in the attacking half were telegraphed. On the positive side, Badji found the net (in a big way) and the balls in to him were well played. Overall, there are signs of life in this team.
Wow, who had Badji with the hat trick?? It was way colder out there than everyone thought it would be.
When I thaw out, sober up, and get some rest I’ll post game thoughts. For now......Badji is making it hard for Hudson to replace him. Competition is never a bad thing. He looks confident. He is looking like formidable striker. First Rapids hat trick in 7 years! Oh.....and I’m worried about Marlon. Never good when the Dr comes onto the field to look st his knee. But....Serna looked lively and finally looked 100% healthy after his ACL surgery
The Rapids could do nothing in the 1st and were helpless against Philly's press. For a long time their best chance was Castillo's attempt to chip from the left touchline. Did the Rapids change something for the 2nd or was it more that Philly got pooped out?
The worst half we've played all season followed by the best half we've played/ That game was odd (and cold).
Dang... missed the game for church, my CEO duties. I'm sorry to the superstitious out there but no matter what kind of true fan I might be I'm not going to church every time the Rapids play.
I missed for church as well. (A few prayers offered for the Rapids, though.) Anxious to hear the break down on the game from those who attended. Who assisted on the goals? So glad to see that Axel finally got in, though not by way of injury. Did he play well? How did Aigner look? Suggestions welcomed for how I am supposed to think about a Rapids team that all of a sudden seems to have depth at forward. New territory!
Some random game thoughts after sleeping on it: Wife and I waived one of the flags at the beginning. Man, those things were heavy with the wind. But i thought a nice effect when viewed from near-field level. It was much colder than anticipated. Had to buy 2 blankets for the family. Thank God we won since KSE got some of my money (we buy tix through C38 and load up at the tailgate to avoid spending TOO much with KSE). First half seemed rough. We had a hard time possessing and it seemed like most of the possession was heading toward our goal. No great Philly shots, but the defense kept the on-target shot when it mattered. Lots of yellows coming toward the Rapids. Going to be some serious discipline times coming this year. Particularly for Price. Having said that, I am thrilled with Price's play. He really seems to own the area around him. Conspiracy theory: Sjoberg and Serna were the only two warming up during halftime. I get why Sjoberg was (Wilson was injured before half), but how did they know Hairston would get injured around the 60th minute? I was concerned with Sjoberg and Serna coming on for their first minutes. Can take some time to get acclimated. They seemed just tine, particularly Serna in place of Hairston (who was doing well before injury). Martinez continues to impress. He is doing a lot of quiet work on the field. Badji is on fire. I thought he would be come the "super sub" when Boli is up to speed, but Boli may find it harder to get time than we all thought. Badji is forcing his starting spot. Which is outstanding! This is a vastly different Rapids team than previous years. RFO has made some great pickups and you can see how they are building with a plan. Hard to break the PTSD we have from previous years, but they are starting to earn the benefit of the doubt. I could go on, but already have too long a post. That second half reminds me as to why we love this sport and keep our season tickets. More games like that and there may be some excitement again! Rod.
I was thinking about this. If reputations weren't involved, would Badji get Player of the Week over Zlatan? I bet he would. Knowing reputations, I am hopeful Badji gets on the team of the week.... rod.
Agreed Rapids looked rather clueless on attack the first half, but after the first 30 minutes I was happy Philly was still pressing/ trying hard since I knew they couldn't keep it up. A bit of sunshine in the Rapids play the final 10-12 mins of half one, then the second have had me warmin' up quite a bit. Barely noticed how damn cold it felt. I had Blomberg, Hairston/Serna on my side (section 120 on the south end) much of the second half and was happy to see Serena to better than I expected. Sure hope Hairston is ok. I didn't spy Mason a lot and I think I often confused The Blom for him... any opinions on Mason's play?
Agree that first half was awful followed by a great second half (the opposite of last week). - I was near Wilson when he went down, it looked like he was motioning that he twisted his ankle ... hope he's OK. Feel terrible for Hairston. - Although they're going to be yellow card magnets, I really like how Price and Castillo play. - Badji seems to be making his case that he's the starter, not Bolli - Howard had some great saves ... the Philly keeper did as well to deny Mason. - How cold was it? It literally took the whole drive back to the Springs to thaw out. - Five goals in the last two weeks!
Perhaps Mason will be first off the bench with Badji and Bolli in to start. Either way, RFO has done well to give us more to be happy about at the forward positions.
I still don’t believe it. I see that stats. I read the names by the stats yet I’m in disbelief. Who would have thunk.....not this dude!