Vines actually played really well. He had a lot more to do on offense as well. Overall I would give him a B+. He had a couple touches here and there that showed some nerves, but all in all he was pretty solid as a two way LB. Also, rapids win 4-0 today against OCSC, game write up and player reactions below: https://www.coloradorapids.com/post/2020/02/01/matchcenter-colorado-rapids-preseason-game-2 Goals by Bassett, Kamara, and Jackson(2). Shinyashiki also drew a PK that led to Kamara’s goal (Kamara had his PK saved but scored off the rebound).
So... are we looking at some one else to be our #1 PK taker? Maybe they're waiting to see how Namli looks for that task.
In the span of one year, the Colorado Rapids went from having the worst offense in MLS in 2018, to the third-best attacking group in the league last season. https://t.co/eisInXcyvo— Denver Post Rapids (@rapidsnews) February 2, 2020
[QUOTE="https://www.coloradorapids.com/post/2020/02/01/matchcenter-colorado-rapids-preseason-game-2 Goals by Bassett, Kamara, and Jackson(2). Shinyashiki also drew a PK that led to Kamara’s goal (Kamara had his PK saved but scored off the rebound).[/QUOTE] Enjoyed the comments by Fraser. In an offseason filled with bigger named signings and heavier competition, I gotta admit I love seeing Basset’s name continually showing up in the box score. Kid’s shown a lot of fight and I’m pulling for him.
Entry 873-A38 in FWIW logbook: About 5 hours ago, Younes Namli posted on Instagram that he was on a Lufthansa flight. Per the seat photo he shared, it was a 1st/business class on a transcontinental flight. So he’s either flying to Morocco to see family while on break, retiring to the Maldives, or flying to Denver! I’ve flown the DEN-Germany Lufthansa flights a number of times, and the timing of his assumed departure is in line with the common FRA-DEN and MUN-DEN flights. Again, FWIW
I should also point out that Nicolas Benezet posted on Twitter yesterday that his visa is ready and he’s flying to Denver Monday. Maybe both got visas in concurrently?!
In the USMNT game, Vines started and did some decent work; Lewis came in off the bench. I hope that experience boosts their confidence. David Ferreira's son started, which surprised me (I'm not following closely). A little googling late it makes sense; he is an American citizen. He made some nice plays as well.
Sleuthing this out further... Per his IG pic, Namli is on an Airbus 350-900 for his transcontinental flight. The MUN-DEN Lufthansa flight today is also a A350-900. Given the flight times, plane, and the aforementioned visa completion for Benezet (flying into DEN tomorrow), I would wager that Younes Namli will be on Denver soil by about 2:30pm today, Sunday. You heard it here first mofos! ;-)
The player himself reported it publicly before Shapiro did... with more accuracy on ETA than Shapiro. And yes, today Namli did the same with more accuracy. He’s at DIA in 2 hours. Anyway.
Younes Namli in da house. Bunking down downtown. (Disclaimer: While high quality, I still question whether he’s big splash DP quality. So be it.)
Wonder why the Rapids didn’t fly him directly to Southern Cal? Hope he’s soon able to join training. Looks like Galván wasn’t in Colón’s 18 for their loss to Banfield today.
Sounds like a short break in the LA preseason (3-4 days... they get back at it in SoCal later in week). So, other than some players who stayed behind in LA, others apparently returned to Denver for a few days. So with Namli and Benezet flying in today and tomorrow (respectively), they can go to SoCal with the squad later in week. I’d assume that the players with fams and wives came back to Denver and others took the downtime in LA. Just hope the snowstorm doesn’t throw Benezet’s arrival off.
I'd be curious to know what Namli thinks about Denver 24 hours in. You know..... record 74 temp yesterday and 50 degree swing in temps and a winter storm watch today. Although......Krasnodar probably has some nutty weather patterns.
Look who came to visit 😎#Rapids96 | @NicolasBenezet pic.twitter.com/CoaKN3s8aZ— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) February 4, 2020
Fluff piece, but nice to have some Rapids coverage. Listen around the 11 minute mark. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020...olorados-new-dp-younes-namli-his-teammates-do
Haven't had a chance to listen yet, but here's a preview of the Rapids' season: 1224893564892508160 is not a valid tweet id