It does seem nice to have this problem. 3 forward starters and one rookie who has played well enough we wouldn't mind as a sub. Plus some depth if you had to put Gashi up there in an emergency. McBean may need to visit Charlotte/Springs/PHX to get some playing time because I don't see him cracking the 18. I am drooling over sub options when the opposing defense is tired. Drop in some speed with a shot and we could continue to see these multi-goal games. Rod.
Badji's first goal: Price and Smith were credited with assists: a Price corner and Smith deflected it to the far post with a header. Badji's second goal was officially unassisted. Serna sent in a cross and Badji gave it a touch for a shot by Blomberg. The defender's blcok deflected it to Badji's path. Badji's third goal was fed by a long over the top pass by Blomberg. Aigner didn't have much to do by the time he came in but made a good run on Badji's 3rd goal and really should have received the pass. He also hustled and played the forward pressing role as the Union brought the ball up.
From the replay on that goal Aigner is obviously asking for the ball at the right time and Badji could've complied, but ultimately I'm glad he took the shot for the goal as it'll give him yet an even bigger confidence boost going forward. And Badji isn't really a selfish player, he's often passing the ball off for the better play.
I didn't notice Mason too much either. In the 1st the Rapids had the ball so rarely no attacking player touched it much. He dropped back a few times to try to help with possession. He did have one tough header attempt that he hit high to the far post. His momentum was leading him away from goal when he got a head on Blomberg's cross. Blomberg is looking less anonymous to me. He looked like he had decent speed when he went on some overlaps and seems capable of some nice passes.
The pass was the right play as it was a two on one with a defender in front of Badji whereas Aiger was open with no one in front of him. Obviously it worked out and with a 2-0 lead with minutes left there was little consequence. But I credit Aigner with a good run there. Often when Badji has a breakaway he's out there all by himself.
This, if we're losing or tied I want Badji passing the ball there. But up 2-0 late with a hat-trick possibility? You take that shot young man!
#COLvPHI Recap 👇53' - 🔥61' - 🔥🔥87' - 🔥🔥🔥🎥 Full Highlights: https://t.co/X6VUXRxFfd https://t.co/w5Sr6TNeVm— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) April 1, 2018
I saw on the stadium boards that the TFC game will be at 1PM. I wonder why the first two home games were both at 7PM?
Random thoughts/takeaways: - I’ve been critical of him in the past, but Badji deserves credit for his recent run of form. Up to this point my assumption was that we’d have two guaranteed starters (Mason & Boli) with Badji as a quality attacking sub...but it’s looking more and more like we have 3 viable starters. Without having seen Boli yet, I’d assume he and Badji are similar: physical, fast, and athletic using their speed and presence to threaten the back line. Where as Mason is the more typical underneath “clever” creator. What’s intriguing will be the lineup optionality it gives Hudson. I think we’ll see the combo of Mason and Boli/Badji more often than not....but the speed of a Badji + Boli attack could really give a team fits. - I’d really like to see more of Axel. I realize this formation emphasizes speed and athleticism on the back line, neither of which are exactly strengths of his....but he’s been a defensive stalwart when healthy. Seeing how defense along the back line has been our biggest weakness so far it might be worth sacrificing just a bit on the offensive side in exchange for Axel’s presence in the back. I’d like to see him in the middle with Smith, Wilson or Ford on his left/right. - You hate to see injuries, but if Marlon’s injury is significant it’ll be interesting to see who replaces him. I have heard the team is very optimistic about Deklan Wynne’s long term potential as a winger (despite playing him at CB recently). Once Wilson and Marlon left the game, he seemed to be playing more outside last night and played a nice ball into Blomberg from the wing that eventually led to Badji’s second goal. If Marlon misses significant time (which would suck), it’ll be interesting to see if it’s Wynne or Serna that replaces him. Phew....long post. Sorry.
Philly's strategy was clearly designed to score early, control the pace, and then weather the late, altitude induced fatigue. They attacked relentlessly for 30 minutes. The Rapids answer was stout defense and patience. I dont think they gave up trying to posess so much as Philly was just hyper aggressive. By no means was the Rapids defense perfect, but it was confident and, generally, well coordinated. More importantly, their patience paid off. In the second half, the Rapids took control as Philly fatigued. By no means will that tactic work every game, but it was appropriate last night. Shows how defense, when not the sole strategy, can be used to let the opponent play themselves out of the game. The players are starting to get a feel for each other. There were several great plays on and off the ball, and several more that just missed. Great to see Badji get some confidence. Confidence grows into poise and poise begets consistency.
A few more observations. Philadelphia started either the youngest or one of the youngest back lines in MLS history. They pressed, hoping for an early score, because of the wind, and to take pressure off their back line. Their pressure constantly had players behind the Rapids' back line, which is troubling. Because of what betters teams would do (and have done) in similar situations, that needs to be addressed. We've seen glimpses of Badji's speed and ability before, but are seeing more of it this year. I credit Hudson for that. He seems to have unleashed Badji to freelance, where Pablo and Smith tied the ball and chain around his feet. I'm totally cool with Badji wanting the ball for the hat trick. The more he finds the net, the more opposing defenses will need to step up and mark him. If his touch improves with his shot, and the Rapids have other scoring options, watch out. This team could actually be dangerous, and that's something we haven't said since 2010-2011. I'm seeing things with Blomberg that I like. He's still settling into his new team, but he's starting to appear in the right places at the right times, and that's encouraging. If the Rapids actually build an attack, they will need guys who can feed the ball crisply and accurately, and Blomberg has done that enough to make me notice. Hairston's knee injury is rough. He's another player who has looked better this year than last. Again, coaching? I couldn't tell what happened to cause the injury. Did anybody see how it occurred? I hope he comes back quickly and without long term troubles. He's a young gun who could have a good run with the Rapids. Sir Beardsley Manbun had a solid game. He's another player who is starting to impress with skills on both sides of the attack. The more positives I see from this side, the less role I see for Gashi and the players who have been loaned out. I'm seeing more future Rapids and less Rapids of seasons past. Given where the team has been the last several years, that's a good thing.
From the replay, it looked like Hairston was untouched. Just running and collapsed. Yep, those usually aren't good. We felt there was a bit of hope when he came back to the bench without a huge ice bag on it. I get the reasoning about Sjoberg maybe not having the speed for the new alignment, but I was thrilled, yes thrilled, to see him actually man up yesterday with the lead. This zone defense with a lead stinks. (Not real wild about it even in goals; but I assume it will get better.) Find a man and defend. In other words, find a way to play him. He's one of the best CBs in the league.
Watched via DVD recording after returning from spring break. Like others, I was worried for most of the first half with the Union holding possession in the Rapids' half. At the same time, the Union had zero shots on goal. Yes, they had some "chances," but without scoring essentially all of their time on the ball didn't matter. In the second half the Rapids were very opportunistic and they weren't satisfied with a one goal lead. Gotta love that. Some thoughts on players other than Badji: • With both Sjóberg and Serna I had been wondering when/if we'd see either anytime soon. Neither had seemed to have gotten much playing time in the friendlies running up to the CCL matches. So with the injuries to both Wilson and Hairston they got their chance and both did very well. Serna caught my attention by immediately getting into the attack with smart runs, etc. He looked very well suited to wingback and if Hairston is out for a while I believe he will do just fine - even though he is left footed. • Blomberg, he's grown on me. His tactical play last night was really sharp. Watch the second and third goals from the start of the highlights of each. It's his passing that sets the table for each. On the second goal he waits with the ball until Serna is making the overlapping run and hits him at just the right moment. The ball is weighted so that Serna gets it a the right moment to make a cross into the box. On the final goal his pass to Badji was exquisite! Again, the weight and timing was perfect. Badji was able to collect the ball in stride. It's gonna be hard for the other midfielders to take time from him. • Speaking of Badji . . . on the first goal he did his job by beating his marker to the far post and of course hit a perfect volley with his left foot through a narrow opening. On the second goal he was ready when the ball ricocheted right to him. The third was a demonstration of technical skill. Watch how his gathers the pass from Blomberg with a touch that keeps him going at goal under complete control. And then it's time to finish he has no hesitation in going to the far post to beat one of the best keepers in MLS. I think technically it was one of the best goals of his career.
It's one win, after a frustrating draw and a frustrating loss. I'm reluctant to draw too many conclusions that I'd done desire to eat later,... On balance, I like what I see. I don't look for moral victories, but i also don't want to toss out play because the results didn't fall our way. It's a complicated model with a stong bias towards my gut reactions. The game happens there's many conclusions to build upon. Price is a work horse mid that I'm growing to be a fan of. He gets stuck in, is sensitive to the flow of the game, and has started a few attacks. Blomburg has hit some key passes, and has shown a willingness to get stuck in as well. He's hit several key balls which is great, he's also lost runners which isn't so great. Enzo's energy is huge, but he's got a long way to go. I suspect that he'll ultimately be a late games source of energy, but I'm thrilled that he's making that hard. I'm glad we still have Serna and Sjoberg. I'm glad they got minutes. I don't think the Rapids have stretched the standard deviation in talent with the purchases, but have narrowed it for the better. I hope we find these guys are useful, but also realize that starting minutes in the past have easy to come by. Glad to see Banji scoring. 4 goals so far puts him near halfway to his best season after three games. Hat tricks pad stats. It's striking that six years after being sold on how the Rapids would focus on attacking football - subtext being that they didn't attack enough - we have our first hat trick. Good for Badji, but also good for the Rapids, it's not champagne it's just three points. There's still a lot between us and the end of the season. I reckon the Rapids will struggle to stay above 1.2 points a game and we should be happy if they can get to 1.5 - ecstatic if better. Lots of games to be played for the numbers to have any meaning.
Thanks for the info! I hadn't heard that he came back to the bench. That's definitely a good sign. I hope he rebounds quickly.
Hairston also appeared to limp back to the locker room rather than be carted off. I don't think he was on crutches, though between the goals and freezing, I was a bit distracted.
I like we found someone (Smith) who plays a nice ball in on Free Kicks. Badji has a fantastic shot when it's reactionary and no time for brain to get involved (Directly at keeper or row Zed).
So, Badji and Wynne got team of the week: https://www.coloradorapids.com/post...-audi-dominique-badji-and-deklan-wynne-week-5 I get Badji for sure. A little surprised at Wynne, so will need to re-review the game. Could have made a case for others, but at some point we are the Rapids and should be happy with 2 on the TOW. rod.
Guess who made Team of the Week for Week 5? https://t.co/oUk6DpXlIr // @Audi pic.twitter.com/BvHhQtzEmn— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2018
It's been a long time coming for @dbadji14.📝 @MLS Underrated Best XI: https://t.co/4TRpfFsHat pic.twitter.com/YCPb1ZhyCL— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) April 4, 2018
He also topped the Audi Index widget as seen on ESPNFC, with Ibrahimovic nowhere in sight (not enough minutes played). MLS FO person 'A' : "We still need a right back for the best 11." MLS FO person 'B': "When?" MLS FO person 'A' : "Okay ..." (shaking his head)