I initially thought it was Rubio making a meal out of a nudge, but then the red came out. They showed the VAR feed, and you could clearly see Abila punch Rubio in the ribs. You know he’s guilty too because when the red card came out he didn’t even plead his case…no place for throwing rib punches like that in the game. Glad VAR caught it. Wasn’t extraordinarily powerful, but still dirty nonetheless. Absolute shame to see that on the field. Found this clip of it if you don’t want to scroll through the replay of the game. Here’s that clip of Ramón Ábila’s red card tonight. Little soft, but I can see why it was a red. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/MzgEdZksOt— Minnesota's Eleven (@sotaseleven) July 8, 2021
Beautiful evening to be at Dicks, not a classic game, but good win for the burgundy boys. I thought Abubakar was solid. Galvan’s goal was a great shot to cap a good team attack. Good fun.
So good to see Lalas playing again. Trusty did a fine job. Another clean sheet. Galvan coming into his own. He and Barrios should prove to be a real hand full for defenders down the road. Cool finish from Shinyashiki. With the emergence of Galvan, I think he now has two options: at least for the next month serve as the designated "Jonathan Lewis Late Game Sub" or provide some relief for Rubio. Speaking of Rubio, I repeat: Captain? Really??? I don't think leading the team in whining and flopping merits such an honor. He did manage to elicit a punch in the stomach that resulted in a red card, but that is the worst thing that could have happened. He now may be even more emboldened to whine and flop.
Kellyn Acosta: raw # for Colorado in 2-0 win over Minnesota90 mins91 touches1 shot1 key pass67/73 passing7/10 long balls6/12 duels won1 dribble3/5 tackles— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) July 8, 2021
Cole Bassett: raw # for Colorado in 2-0 win over Minnesota89 mins43 touches3 shot2 key pass30/32 passing2/3 long balls1/1 crosses3/5 duels won0/0 dribbles— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) July 8, 2021
I'm a visual learner, so here's what the Rapids formation looked like at the beginning of the match: With Trusty starting at LB, Wilson moved into his spot as the left of the two CBs with Abubakar on the right. Notice that Galván started on the left and Barrios on thee right. It didn't stay that way as about midway in the first half they switched and Galván's goal came when he was on the right. Trusty did a fine job at LB and I would guess that as long as Vines is on Nat team duty he will stay there. Like Vines, he pushed up often to take part in the attack, but didn't combine as well with others as Vines does. Over time he might start to do so. Abubakar didn't miss a beat. It's hard to believe that he hasn't played much this season. He really was proactive and smart the entire match. No crazy risks and several headed clearances. My guess is that thee 4-3-3 is only gonna work with Acosta in the destroyer role. Not sure any other current Rapids could do what he did last night in terms of bossing the game.
For me, Acosta was the MOTM. Every time the ball was lost he was finding it quickly and then putting a lot of pressure to win it back. And he was relentless in this role, in a way I don't think I've seen from him as a Rapid. Honestly, I wonder if he's better without Price next to him. He was absolutely relentless. Galván is going to be very hard to unseat. He is very good both technically and tactically.
Galván - He seized his opportunity and was a total threat on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/0DKLC4PJtM— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) July 8, 2021
I forgot to mention he also did a nice job of tracking the runs of the MUFC wide players to take way diagonal balls to switch play. He seems to take defending seriously.
If you get a yellow for taking off your shirt following a goal, what happens after this? Newest postgame tradition? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/F8iHsbAFCf— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) July 8, 2021
Have to say I disagree with the Abubakar reviews on this thread. He didn’t get beat, but he scares the heck out of me. He plays high risk defense. Lots of last second slide tackles. Fine when it works, but when it doesn’t, it loses games. (See, Marvelle Wynn) I liked Trusty’s game. He actually added to the offense. Just solid play on both sides of the field.