Rapids/Quakes 10/10 pre-game thread http://www.majorleaguesoccer.com/content/03/90min1006canada.html Quakes w/o DeRosario and Onstead... Fraser's back, Spenny's probable... Discuss amongst yourselves.
We need a win to help nail down second place. The quakes are just playing to stay fit and avoid injuries. The should mean 3 points for the Rapids. Powell in Pablo's spot. I don't think Spencer will start. He might come in late in the game if needed. Rapids 1-0 on a PK by Henderson.
I agree... I think the rapids really want to come out of this game with three points, not only to help secure second place, but also because it will be good mentally to beat San Jose as the regular season winds down. You mentioned a PK by Henderson. I have a question on that. Spencer is the usual PK taker, but he is hurt. Is Henderson taking the PKs for now because he is plainly the most skilled remaining penalty taker on the team, or because he is pretty good and he has a lot of seniority and respect (aside from having a down season)? I am just wondering how a manager would think about this...
"Henderson taking the PKs for now because he is plainly the most skilled remaining penalty taker on the team, or because he is pretty good and he has a lot of seniority and respect " Beats Me I just feel a PK coming and he took the one at K.C. so.... I really don't know the PK skills on the team, considering how low the shots on frame rate (IMO) is for the team, I'm not sure who I would pick. Hendo is a vet and while his physical game has reflected his age (Again IMO) successful PK's are as much mental as physical and maybe his experience makes him the right choice.
I would say that Friday night is a must win if we want home field advantage in the playoffs. With two away games remaining to end the season we really need this win. We are a lousy team when we play away from Denver.
I'm not usually one to make predictions but in honor of my 100th post... 3-1 Rapids http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~94~1681061,00.html "Tim called me into his office to show me the fax, and I was literally blown away because I'd never even thought of myself as capable of playing at that level." - Thor Borchers is extra supercharged at the fabulous news of his U-23 call up and makes up for last week's crappy performance. In true human brick wall fashion, he sends Donavan crawling back to the bench, crying like a frustrated little sissy girl. Out of sympathy, the ref find a reason to call a pk which, in between quivering sobs, Donavan somehow manages to put in. ZiZi hammers a long one in from mid-field after SJ's less than stellar backup goalie leaves the goal, somewhat unnerved, to approach the fan section and demand we stop calling him names because it hurts his feelings; Spenny comes in for the second half and single handedly runs the ball through the entire defense before blasting it into the lower left corner unassisted; and, let's go with the trend here... Henderson gets a PK after Trembly comes off the bench with three minutes left and rather than just playing soccer, mouths off in the midfied until he finally provokes a much deserved, albeit still illegal, punch in the face inside the box. Seriously though, this is definately a huge game. Both teams are coming off hard losses. We're playing to secure second palce and SJ is playing for pride. It's definatley to our atvantage that Onstad will be MIA in Finland with the Canadian Nats and that the other half of thier scoring power (DeRosario) will be there with him. It's time to suck it up and put this away at home before we go out on the road for the rest of the season. Tough match, but Raps come out on top.
u-23 i always told him he had it. hell be in europe. as for the quakes game, with bug being the motm, then playin (this is what he tells me) lousy, with the first two goals bein what he said was his fault, hell be back to form, especially with robin back. its a big game, so i think well see powell in centre with kyle. we want (and need) these three points, so spencer will be there (his current prognosis is probable, so i say hell be there). other than that, it will be the same side that beat sj back in the summer. get em rapids. tha cmac
Re: u-23 So, cmac, can you enlighten us as to the origin of this nickname "bug"? I'm pretty used to "Thor" by now, but I'm dying to know why you call him bug!
bug in high school, his teammates called him bug... because of gnat=nat=bug. well done brainiac. i never really refer to him as that, but its just somethin that kind of stuck. after the game the other night, someone told him he looked like denis leary, which is ridiculous. in all my years with the kid, ive never heard that one. ive actually never heard thor until i read some of these posts. i think if i heard someone call him thor or say he looked like denis leary, id get an itchin to smack the tackle out of em. tha cmac
Sorry guys, I broke the mojo for the KC game and forgot to wear my jersey during game time (not having the game televised really screwed up my rhythm). So, in order for the Rapids to get back to their winning ways, I'm predicting that they lose. SJ 2-0 Rapids. The referee scores twice for SJ. And I'll remember to wear my "f"-ing jersey this time.
Supreme motivation for gaining second place in the playoffs: San Jose might lose to KC or LA. Then there would be a conference championship at Retirement Fund Stadium!!! Rapids win because San Jose just doesn't care anymore, and they were never that good, just caught teams when they were down, althought the excitement of playing in front of fans might spur them on.
No prediction this week, just hoping for an impressive game from our guys to help us forget about what we didn't see last Saturday. I also agree that 2nd place is still real important. If we can get through the first round and get home field for the semi-final, we have a great shot at the cup. And I will be the first on the train to LA.
"Train"? You mean those things that haul coal out of Wyoming? I heard a myth that you can ride on them in Europe?
I was one of those that didn't see a huge advantage of 2nd over 3rd place. However, I just realized that the conference final is just 1 game, at the hire seeds home. While I still don't think 2nd over 3rd is huge, the next round single game format would be huge to have here (assuming S.J. lost in the first round). So now I think winning out it very important.
It still doesn't really matter other than for morale reasons. We aren't likely to finish in 4th. Most likely we'll be 2nd or 3rd. So assuming that, here's the possible scenarios: SJ already has 1st locked up so they play the 4th seed in the semis, period. The higher seeded team gets homefield for the final. SO.... If SJ wins their semi's against 4th and we win ours we still play on the road for the final, regardless of if we were 2nd or 3rd. If SJ loses in the semi's to 4th and we win ours we play at home for the final, regardles of if we were 2nd or 3rd. That said, I'd still rather be 2nd!
Hows Spencer Anyone on here have any update on whether Spencer is likely to play. Some reports indicate he may play but i am not sure how reliable they are. I am in the UK and have been following MLS via the net but sadly there is not a lot of info around that is reliable. Lets hope the Rapids can get the win they need, but i reckon they need Spencer out there scoring.
Re: Hows Spencer Spenny is probable from what I understand. It's more likely he'll come off the bench than start. It'd be nice to have him out there but, SJ is playing with out their starting goalie and their backup is quite a step down in ability. The SJ fans are pretty much conceeding the game to us but we all know anything can happen. I doubt the Quakes themselves are planning to roll over and play dead tomorrow. So long as he's actually fit and ready, I'd love to see Spenny get at least one.
Rapids win 2-0. If I can find lederhosen to wear tomorrow night, Rapids win 3-1. Ew, but lederhosen would look just terrible with a black & blue jersey, so nevermind.
This is going to be a great game. I think these are the two best teams in the league right now. Anyone know if we'll get it on the shootout package?
YES, the game will be on the Shootout. http://www.mlsnet.com/library/on_tv.html http://www.sjearthquakes.com/press_box/games_calendar.htm oh yeah, and of course http://www.rapidsfan.com -- where we obtained confirmationof the TV broadcast with the Rapids.