The team may need a win but when you've completely rebuilt the team, gone to a entirely different system that few other teams play, and the most important piece of your rebuilding doesn't show up until after the fourth weekend of the season, what do you expect? Perhaps somebody should tell the RFO that the season starts in January. That way, maybe for once they'd get things done on time. But for now, I would be surprised if this team started to look organized until at least June.
I’m in the 10 game boat, sure it would have been nice to have every player signed and in camp for day 1 of training but in the end it’s the Rapids. They look to be actually trying to put a product on the field that matches all their talk. I sure thought the formation change might get us a quick win but lack of a real “scorer” probably negated that. So 10 games for me before I decide if things are looking better or not.
Over the past year, my family, friends, coaches, the Rapids community, and even strangers have come together and helped my mom raise over $40k to help pay for medical treatments. I encourage everyone to read this post to get a better understanding of the person they have helped! pic.twitter.com/kTuDGPZn01— Kortne Ford (@KortFord) March 31, 2018
Unfortunately, Jason, we've sure been there, done that with winless streaks, far more than most teams. What's another time or two going to matter. Opening the season this way??? Consider this a (pre-)arrrrrrrrrrghhhh!
I know looking at stats this early in the season is the kiss of death, but I couldn't resist looking at how Badji stacks up with others in MLS. Currently he is #3 with his 4 goals He's taken 8 shots to score those goals and is scoring 1.36 goals per 90 minutes. On this board he taken a bit of criticism for not finishing one more time v KFC, but otherwise he's looked the part of a very opportunistic scorer. Two volleys, one from being in the right place and one exceptional first touch, run and perfect far post shot. He's set the tone for Rapids' forwards this season and it will be interesting to see who else steps up. At the very least there is going to be some serious competition for the two starting spots. I'd love to see how this plays out in practice.
Going forward for the Rapids I think we'd all like to see more possession from the Rapids. The question is whether or not that's in the DNA of Hudson and this season's iteration? It's hard to get a sense of how the team if going to function even three or four matches in the future as clearly there are parts to be added Hudson is still working to get the kinks out. If Aigner and Gashi get into the starting lineup will there be better possession and play out of the back? Or will the Rapids be content to cede possession for periods of time and patiently wait till the opportune moment to turn on the opposition? With Boli integrating into the team my guess is that he will be slowly worked in by subbing him as Aigner was last night and if he proves himself he'll gradually earn more playing time. In the sort term I will get that Mason will start with Badji. Let's hope Wilson and Hairston aren't going to miss many matches.
I think Mason has been fairly quiet and is ripe to become the subbing striker with a Badji-Boli starting lineup. The wildcard is where Aigner fits in as he is constantly in amazing position and his field vision is exceptional. That third Badji goal really should have been an easy Aigner goal imo.
Have been lurking again and just thought about chiming in on the past few matches... One very welcome and unsung hero is Johan Blomberg. His quiet persona and playing style certainly do not attract the spotlight. Yet, he has been a key catalyst in the middle alongside Jack Price and has an amazing knack for delivering the longball on a dime and perfectly in stride (to Jackson's noggin and Badji's foot) for counterattack goals. Viewing the replays, the accuracy and timing of those long passes is very impressive. Glad to have him. Carrying that thought forward to the rest of the midfield... With only a few hiccups here and there, it's looking like Price might be the glue the midfield has been lacking in organizing the movement upfield on offense and being a pesky, gritty defensive mid on defense (granted I have concerns with his yellows stacking up because of it!). With Blomberg, Aigner, (hopefully) Gashi, Boateng, and Azira we seem to have decent representation and depth in the middle. As for the wings... Of course, Castillo certainly has impressed; whereas Marlon still seems to be learning the ropes of the system (keeping in mind that Edgar already knew the system). Aside from my frustration with Edgar's frequent "embellishments", these two winger positions seem to be the positions with the least amount of depth on the club. Castillo and Hairston. How comfortable can we be when moving beyond that? It was good to see Serna placed into the mix for Marlon, and maybe he's being groomed for that new role. Can only assume Miller is being groomed on the opposite side for Edgar's sub. Either way, not much of depth here, considering we have somewhat of log-jam for the other central mid spots. Good to see Badji coming around after the rather rusty, lackluster first three games. Although, some of these goals were easy poachers that were set up by his teammates, and he could've/should've dished off to Aigner on that last one. Nonetheless, it's encouraging! Although we don't have a big marquee scorer like many other clubs, it's looking like we'll have a decent, competitive group of forwards. Boli, Mason, Badji jockeying for starts and Jackson (or Badji) as the speedy supersub. Note: McBean's name wasn't mentioned here. That was intentional. You can do the math. Aside from the lack of depth at the winger spots, the jury still seems to be out for the backline. Some obvious ups and downs in these early matches. Still needs to gel. Holding out hope. I have a lot of faith in Smith, Wilson, and Axel given their pedigree and experience (despite a few lapses in past games). But to this day I cannot help but wonder why a very young "project" player from Vancouver's USL reserve squad has started every match and is getting more minutes than most players (Wynne). He's sometimes decent and has good potential and hustles (and knows the system), but getting consistent starts and long playing time despite regular lapses really make me question why he's the guy... and/or question the true depth of this back line. It seems that Wynne is to Hudson as Watts was to Pablo. A mystery to many onlookers. Enough rambling.
Wynne, Colvey, and Vines (in Charlotte) are also wing back depth. Add in Serna and Miller and that's to too bad for a MLS team limited to 30 roster spots.
Fair point. Forgot about Colvey given his preseason injury, and didn’t yet factor in the kid, Vines, due to how green he is. Just seems that other more traditional systems (4-4-2) allow for more interchanging of players and positions than the 2 winger spots on a 3-5-2, which demands speed, tight defensive skills, and the fitness/stamina to cover the full-length real estate... a skillset that seems much more unique, rare, and demanding. Seems to be somewhat of a specialist position/role that isn’t nearly as easy to plug ‘n play. But maybe it’s not a big deal to those very familiar with the role.
Practice/Injury Update: Colorado Rapids Practice Notes: Hairston, Wilson, Wynne, Gashi, and Boli #Rapids96 https://t.co/jE0Rbmr4wY pic.twitter.com/20DYfDBGVF— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) April 3, 2018
So Hairston and Wilson most likely out. I Disagree with the comment that Serna is a "Suitable Replacement" but I guess we could find out shortly.
I've not been all that confident in Serna myself over the past 2-3 years, but given how he played last Saturday (involved in plays, good overlapping runs, initiating the play that scored 2nd goal) and the fact he'd be covering for Hairston (still working on achieving his top potential, prone to hesitation), i think he may be closer to an even trade than I would have previously anticipated. But yeah, we'll see.
Going forward I think Serna is fantastic, it's the defending that worries me. He's less about 1v1 defending/ positioning and more a "lurker" like most quick/ fast guys looking for opportunity to swoop in for the ball but giving ground and space in the process.
Indeed. This gets at the (hopefully temporary) concern that the depth of options at the 3-5-2 winger slots (behind Castillo/Hairston) is very limited and forces the use of players who don't necessarily fit the very unique role of this position... at least not yet. Hairston, Serna, and Miller are probably all still learning the ropes, so it's too early to know how successful each will be in this full-length, offense/defense role. Who knows, testing Serna out in this spot might pay dividends. As with all other uncertainties with this club, time will tell! Turning that frown of uncertainty into a smile... I'll at least confidently state that Hudson's current winger sub issue pales in comparison to Oscar Pareja's absolutely "brilliant" idea of starting steadfast defender Drew Moor as a central midfielder on the road in the unfriendly confines of RSL... which resulted in a horribly ugly and embarrassing loss in April 2012. We've seen some pretty bad stuff in the past five or six years, so this current situation should be easy-peasy, right?
I thought Dillon looked more natural as a wingback than Marlon. He made some great runs and tracked back well to disrupt attacks. I think the issue will be if he has enough fitness to cover that much ground for the whole game.
With all the praise for Serna I'm surprised with his body type and new-ish defensive responsibilities someone hasn't mentioned Dani Alves. ;>) But then the real praise if parsed is for improvement not for all-star caliber performance just quite yet.
Injuries aside, every one of these guys seem like decent signings. Maybe the Rapids will be solid midtable after all. https://mlsmultiplex.com/2018/03/30/colorado-rapids-6-players-facing-pressure/
It seems wingback is easier to handle than fullback. Both positions in a modern attack are expected to both attack and defend. The wingback at least has an advantage in that there's an extra centerback to cover when the wingback is far forward. So we at least have an honest to god real fullback and sometimes he's the best guy on the field. Our depth guys are the guys we'd have been throwing out to start in other years. I'll take it.
I saw the match tomorrow is on Altitude II. Badji suggested that whomever started the match thread last week does this one as well, hopefully our Hudson Hornet will sting the Pariah in their first meeting.
Hairston out 2-3 weeks https://www.coloradorapids.com/post/2018/04/07/wingback-marlon-hairston-out-2-3-weeks-injury