The post pre 2018 season continues. Rapids host the Portland Timberlakes at 7PM on Saturday. Summer opener because memorial day is the beginning of summer. I can't make it, have a family thing. Will be DVR'ing. Should be a great weekend weatherwise to go to a night game. I'm really intrigued to see if the Rapids can show signs of life, I wish I could go to this one. TV and radio are Altitude, broadcast starts at 6:30. Post your predictions and pregame thoughts, in game observations, and post game thoughts here. Also your thoughts about the cultural start to summer - memorial day weekend - verse the solar start to summer - equinox on June 21 or 22. Enjoy. I predict a 1-1 tie.
Trap game for Portland having reeled off 5 straight wins or are the Rapids another notch on the belt for the Timbers? Big match for both clubs. If I'm Hudson, it's balls to wall. I'm putting my top lineup (sans injuries) out there and punch Portland right in the mouth. This is hot seat territory for Hudson. We all know he's not on the hot seat but he needs to be managing with that mentality. I'd like to see Hudson scrap this 3-5-2 nonsense and employ a 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1. We need results. We need this result. I'm not optimistic and don't have a good feeling about this game. Sad but true. 2-1 Portland with a late winner.
I predicted a 3-0 wheels-come-off loss last week and was too optimistic. We're due to get a lucky goal--a Portland handball in the box or something similar. Portland 3-1.
This is an important game if the Rapids are ever going to dig themselves out of the hole they have fallen into. However, I have to believe that there's zero chance that Hudson will abandon his style of play and the players he favors. I expect that Portland will come out with a lot of confident energy and if they get any sort of early lead this game will be out of reach quick. I'm guessing 2 - 0 Portlandia with the visiting team playing keep away for the second half.
2-1 loss, goal by Badji. Portland is scoring about half a goal more per game than the Rapids while giving up about the same number. I expect it to look like a close game, the Rapids won't get blown out but I think the Timbers will largely control the game. Colorado makes it interesting but in the end its another loss. http://view-from-the-couch.blogspot.com/2018/05/rapids-try-to-snap-losing-streak-by.html
Another angle on this match is that Portland was the other MLS team looking for a manager this off-season and hired Giovanni Savarese, who's name came up in some discussions of Rapids' targets (though I don't believe Smith ever interviewed him).
3-0 Rapids win off an Aigner hat trick. Badji does not celebrate with him and is banned from the starting 18 for the next six games.
👇 Your Starting XI for #COLvPOR.📝 Roster Notes: https://t.co/Fa1WzkZzgO pic.twitter.com/5PW0YtRG83— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) May 27, 2018
3 close ups on Gashi in first 15 mins all showed him breathing heavily and twice had hands on knees. Just how out of shape must Aiger be.
There was a hard to see flick-on header that came after he was offside so good no-goal call. Sad that it shredded the single thread of hope in a hopeless match (series, season). At this point fans still following the team may need a 12 step program: "I'm Dom. FC and I'm a Colorado Rapids fan. The last Rapids match I watched was May 26th, I know they have more matches coming up but I really hope I can find the strength to stop watching, I know they're bad and I know how I'll feel terrible afterwards but I just can't stop -- I need help."
It shows how effed up this season is. I saw how Gashi started the game and wondered when he'd be gassed. He kept sprinting out to press defenders, and of course never got close enough to cause problems. Then the Rapids would send him long balls to chase down in the corners, and of course he never outran the defender. He gassed himself pretty good though. Neither thing is is his game, or Aigner's. Or Boli's really. What a waste of three players and a ton of money.
When the Rapids bring up the ball, I wonder what is the point of the 3-5-2. All 3 centerbacks are still there in a line..it's not like some 3 back setups where the wide CB's spilt out way wide almost like fullbacks would. Instead, all 3 are in a line and Price *still* drops way back so there are four players behind the ball. No wonder there's no one upfield to hold possession. And ass...that first goal, everyone blames Wilson for his horrible misplay on Armenteros' flick. But look just before that. Blanco is pretty deep, he plays the pass in to Armenteros. Smith decides to sprint out 40 yards from goal to mark Blanco, which didn't help when Wilson misplays the ball. With the midfielders and forwards all supposed to be pressing, what possesses Smith to sprint out away from goal? This team leaves so many players back on D and still has all these holes in the D. And Timmy. What.The. Hell. If that's all you have left, disembowel yourself on the field and end it with honor.
I thought Tim had a decent night actually. If you're talking about the second goal, I'm not sure what more he could have done.
Currently the Rapids look like a team that will not win another match this season. Seriously. The defense has been shambolic recently. Give up the first goal of the match, then they are chasing the game and of ourse give up more.
Every week it's the same story. Every week I write the same dang thing. Yes, soccer is about mistakes. Look at the Euro finals today. The team with mistakes loses. Every game the team with the most mistakes is the Rapids. I missed tonight's game and will cheerfully delete the tape without watching. I predicted 3-1 loss with an unnamed garbage goal. Almost.