#Rapids96 with more points after 1 match (3) than they had last year after 11 games (2).— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) February 29, 2020
So the Rapids could lose their next 10 games and still be ahead of last years pace! Let's keep that among ourselves.
Watching the game at the Celtic today was so much fun! Great way to start the season! Love the attack-minded subs by Fraser and you could tell the whole team was dialed in on getting all three points and not just settling for the road tie. Loved what I saw. Really nice for a first game. Price delivers such nice balls, whether into the box or out to our wingers. Looks live we've got a nice team with plenty of options on the bench. I hope we'll see some of the younger Americans like Bassett and Trusty get some playing time and continue to grow. Sam Vines looked great and I thought he had some nice combination play moving into the attack, which is a good extra dimension to his game. GO RAPIDS!!!
Watched the first half at the Celtic, bailed at half as there was no where to sit down and get a bite to eat. Next time we'll get there a lot earlier. On TV it looked like Moor was fouled in the box, but there was not call. Rapids had the initiative early and seemed to be playing their style. D worked their way in and were able to get some good opportunities. Vines likes to pinch in much more that Rosenberry does and he does it in the defensive half once the Rapids have the ball. Both are active in the attack in their own way. Both Shinyashiki and Nicholson took shots when they should have crossed the ball. Benezet didn't make the trip. Once he gets healthy my guess is that he will take some time away from Nicholson - unless he starts making better decisions in the final third. Looks like the wind had an impact in the match and it was blowing the length of the pitch and not across. Rapids had to go into it in the second half.
Consider that the starting lineup that out-shot and out-possessed DC in DC only had 3 players in it that weren't on the roster on opening day in 2019 for Hudson to choose...
Dick is really setting things up for a dismal home opener. Soccer and superstition -- same section of the dictionary ... coincidence? Jason's statement also shows/implies that 8 of the 11 have had a year to 'gel' together and gain experience in general. And clearly with a sample size of 1 match the 3 'new' players are quality.
I think what we saw on the field on Saturday was what happens when you have a well coached team. Everyone seemed to be on the same page offensively and defensively. DC had stretches of play that looked dangerous, but we never got dominated. In fact, we did most of the controlling of the game. The players also really looked like they had a good understanding of their roles on the pitch. There were some first game rusty moments by both teams, but overall I think the Rapids looked pretty good. It was unfortunate to allow a goal off a set-piece, but man, the Rapids looked really good on set-pieces of our own. We looked deadly on most of the set pieces we had. Couple inches different and I think we score more off set-pieces Saturday. It was also nice to not see long ball after long ball after long ball. The Rapids continually looked to possess the ball and build up together. I know we're also only one game into the season here, but I have to say that I really like Namli. He's got a silky first touch on the ball, reads the game really well, and is rather quick thinking. There were a couple of times in the game when he made quicker passes/reads than I think the players around him were expecting. Once he gets comfy, I think that our attacking play is going to be quite difficult to predict. Look at the following heat maps: Kellyn Acosta: Keegan Rosenberry and Sam Vines: Jack Price: That's ALOT of touches from Price, Vines, and Rosenberry. Acosta was also getting involved in the game around both boxes (playing a nice box to box roll eh?) We defended well, and we attacked well. If Price still gets the lion share of involvement and Vines/Rosenberry continue to get involved in offense and defense, then teams are going to have to pick their poison. Our wingers are tough to defend. Nicholson and Shinyashiki both were dangerous, and it only gets harder when Benezet starts pushing for minutes and Lewis/Rubio challenge for more playtime. Price is everywhere. Acosta threatens both boxes. Our wingbacks both like to push forward into the attack. Kamara is a lethal striker that needs to be watched at all times. That leaves a really solid question.....Who's going to defend Namli? Methinks Namli is going to be finding a lot of freedom to run the final third. And if he doesn't, that means the ball is going to be at the feet of some other dangerous pieces of the Rapids roster I think Saturday is a small picture of what we are going to be seeing this season. We went into someone else's house, dictated play for long stretches of the game, and got the entire team involved in both offense and defense. Opponents aren't going to be able to defend everyone at all times. We've got a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, and we showed it against DC.
Robin Fraser named Coach of the Week, and Price named to Team of the Week (bench): ⭐ Best of the best ⭐ Week 1: https://t.co/6WXcbehLgK pic.twitter.com/M1Gtqlg9jO— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2020
A couple of midfielders that caught our eye last weekendJack Price #Rapids96 Passes: 67/80 (83%)Key passes: 5Assists: 1Duels: 5/10Recoveries: 8Rating: 8.2Jhegson Mendez #OrlandoCity Passes: 65/72 (90%)Key passes: 0Assists: 0Duels: 10/23Recoveries: 15Rating: 6.8— theMLSguys (@themlsguys) March 3, 2020