That's a good idea. I might do the same. I'm actually surprised he leads the league in clearances and by a wide margin considering he's missed a few matches. I haven't notice Sjoberg really hoofing it down field but then again I have't particularly noticed him spearheading an attack from his passing, either. I honestly bet it lays somewhere in-between.
It was Richard Flemings MLS stat, no clue what constitutes a "clearance" but given the number it would work out to 1.5-2.5 a game (I forget how many games he has played). Anyways, you would expect leader in this field to come from a team with lots of wins where the idea is to kill some time with the lead. Maybe the vast majority of it happened in his early starts. But I am a bit biased, can't see how any coach would ever select a first year player over a guy getting USMNT call-ups.
Announcement made - tickets go on sale 10 am Monday. Season ticket holders will receive a special offer via e-mail. http://www.coloradorapids.com/news/...do-springs-switchbacks-fc-us-open-cup-june-16
The stats page (http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/ma...ado-rapids-vs-vancouver-whitecaps-fc/boxscore) has clearances. Sjoberg's is about the same as Moor's. Without looking I'd guess that the Rapids lead the league in clearances. Sjoberg might lead, he also leads the central defense in minutes. `I reckon Mastroeni has embraced the virtue of getting the ball the hell out of there. I'm alright with that. On the other hand, Sjoberg's had plenty of bad passes, nearly all of them long ball attempts. His short passes haven't been pretty reliable.
I know at this time everyone was waiting for an article on...Dominique Badji. This Pablo quote seems to show the development philosophy--players will learn more by being around all the great veteran players we have: Eloundou's stint in Charlotte was explained as Eloundou needing a full preseason after missing much of the actual preseason with visa issues.
Update on the 2015 season, through the Portland match: The Rapids are down 10 degrees by the bow and listing 8 degrees to starboard. The first two boilers are out of operation, and D, E, F, and G decks are flooded. Passengers are starting to panic, and there aren't enough lifeboats. Or, as Pablo would say, so far 2015 is a 10 out of 10.
Thought I would check out what Chris was up to and clicked the Favorite link, looks like he's gone. My best guess is Rapids went after his twitter for using "Rapids_News" and either he took it down or twitter did.
I think we all know where the best Rapid's news is on Twitter... Tim Hinchey @FakeRapidsTim May 30 Fantastic result tonight. Giving it up in the last minute is well & truly the 'Colorado way'. #OneTerribleClub I like this one too Tim Hinchey @FakeRapidsTim Apr 21 Finally got round to looking at the Western Conference standings. The table is upside down, right?
Apparently Doyle won't be getting the call-up for Ireland's upcoming friendly or qualifiers. Good for the Rapids as he would be gone now and not back for over a week. http://www.herald.ie/sport/harry-arter-i-want-to-get-into-the-republic-of-ireland-team-31268111.html
Probably has more to do with minutes he wasn't getting at Wolverhampton -- or even a savvy coach (that maybe didn't do enough research) leaving him with his new club to ensure his future playing time.
2015 stats for Klute with Columbus, presented without comment: 2015 Season Statistics GP: 7 GS: 4 G: 0 MIN: 425 A: 0 SHT: 1 SOG: 1 FC: 4 OFF: 0 Y: 1 R: 1
Greenspan in Denver, training with Rapids: http://www.denverpost.com/rapids/ci...nspan-permitted-by-navy-train-colorado-rapids
I've been meaning to do this for a couple of weeks. My bad, I was wrong on the Klute trade. Clearly moving up to gt Sjoberg and getting allocation money to get Sarvas (and Harrington?) has paid off big time.
Beyond the obvious - not winning matches - I have a concern about the play in midfield, in particular by the pair of holding midfielders just in front of the defense. And it's not their defending that is my concern, but the passing and creativity which has sorely been lacking. It seems that ever since Sarvas has been out Cronin/Pittinari/LaBrocca have struggled to move the ball effectively. Lots of off-target passes and give aways that just have the opposition coming right back at them. And they aren't effective in starting attacks. I have no problem with Pablo's defend first attitude, it's kept the Rapids in almost all their matches this season, but they need to have more possession and link with the four up front more effectively and consistently.
Joe Greenspan is officially on the roster but he's not eligible to play in this weekend's match with RSL. http://www.coloradorapids.com/news/2015/06/rapids-add-joe-greenspan-roster-mls-games
Greenspan will be added to the roster after the weekend and Berner's loan to Charlotte will become a full-season loan with no recall option. Oddly that was the one player I didn't think would be made full-season because I figured they'd want toe ability to recall him to backup Irwin or MacMath if the other one gets hurt.
So what happens if either of them do get injured and the Rapids need a new #2? Could they get Berner on an "emergency loan? or would they have go out and find someone?
(Not really sure where to post this, but thought this might be the best forum. Move it if more appropriate elsewhere) My wife and I were able to attend the DC United - Toronto game last night in DC. We hung out at the tailgate, ate their food, and drank their beer as well. A couple of observations: C38's tailgate is awesome. The beer setup for the Screaming Eagles is a bit better (Co2 rather than foot pump, branded keg wraps, crowd control keeps the line moving fast). C38's food is WAY better and is managed appropriately. (Go Perry, you are famous!) Combining supporters groups is a good idea. I wasn't so sure when we did it, but seeing the various groups NOT co-mingling showed the power of a single entity. From being together at the tailgate through the game chants, it makes a big difference. The Rapids stadium experience is far superior. I know it is not a downtown stadium, but have a SSS make a big difference. It is worth the drive to have grass for the tailgate, a reasonable number of seats for soccer, and facilities set for the right number of people. I do miss the "swaying" of the stadium, though. The Dick is built too well (?), perhaps. Having the stands sway with the chants adds to the experience. Fans in Colorado are nicer than fans in DC. We routinely meet the people around us in Colorado, didn't meet a single fan in DC. This is probably more of a statement about general culture than soccer specifics. The supporters groups are passionate. They sang and drummed the entire game. They sang and drummed 30 minutes before. They sang and drummed until security kicked us all out of the stadium. Then they sang and drummed until security kicked us out of the parking lot. And that was after DC United lost. The soccer I saw was NOT better than how the Rapids have been playing in most of their games. Our record is horrible (as I was constantly reminded by DC fans), but the product I saw on the field was not appreciably better than how we have seen the Rapids play. At least 2 of the three goals could have been stopped by Irwin (and I am not sure they would even have been shots against our CB's). I won't go into all of the reasons why the Rapids are at the bottom, but it doesn't appear that the talent gap when compared to the East is that great. So, what does all this mean? It gave us a new appreciation for our game-day experience. BS gets caught up on the distance from downtown, but everything else about the experience is top-notch. Yes, more wins would be nice (frankly, a requirement for RFP/Coach to stay employed). But it sure is hard to beat a Saturday evening with the C38 tailgate and Rapids game. rod.