Rapids vs Fire Pre/Post Game 10/1 [R]

Actually i could not stand to hear the announcers on TV gushing over chicago's mediocre play last night... for example, borcher's beautiful strip of the ball from bocanegra out of nowhere, and the announcers were praising bocanegra for the great run!

Anyway, I muted the tv and fired up KNRC.com to listen to the denver guys for a while. Yeah I know they are gushing almost as much about the raps, but at least they aren't annoying about it. And they sounded excited after chungs goal, not depressed and disappointed. very unprofessional playcalling for the chicago guys. worse than the f00z they have on espn2 even.

 

I also thought a gutsy performance from the Rapids when they needed it the most. Without three regulars they proved that they can be in any game even under bad circumstances.

Fraser's red looked like a foul in real time, not a send off though. In replays it looked even less like a foul. Simply a case of Marsch going in a little soft and Fraser coming in like he should, "with authority". By the way, Charlie Blackmouth went straight-leg, cleats up on trembly about 3 minutes after the Fraser send off and not even a booking, although I will take Chunger's goal as adequate payment. I knew the ref would have problems when he booked Hart a few minutes into the match, no turning back then.

Powell to me was impressive, not flashy, but impressive. He knew when to take more than his allowed 1-2 touches in midfield and found ways to go forward more than any midfielder this season. He does run kind of like a stork with a hamstring problem though.

Why the hell didn't Chung see more of the ball, especially in the first half? He seemed to get very few touches in this game as compared to others.

Borchers is cool (ala Beavis).

 

Like taking candy from a baby

 

Good to hear that Powell looked ok in his debut. From the posts, it sounds like he impressed with his passing ability, safe to say that aspect of his game is stronger than Pablo's? It might be hard to say after 25 minutes of action, but a little competition for Pablo might take him off of his national team high horse that tends to get him in trouble with the refs. I love the way he plays and the intensity he brings, but if Powell can put some starting job pressure on Pablo, maybe we can see the similar situation with Garlick and Cannon (Pepper and Bazooka) where Cannon's arrival has really spurred Garlick on to new levels in his play, making his spot almost untouchable.

I don't know if we really want Pablo off the field if he is available, but I think it's important that his position on the team is challenged by guys who want the playing time. Maybe now that Powell is fit, he can fill in to that role.

I just hope everybody is fit for the playoffs, I think we need 5 points and we assure ourselves of the 2nd spot.

 

I know everyone is saying it but I have to chime in, Thor is freaking amazing. He anticipates the play beautifully and can take anyone off the ball. Ralph and Razov are seeing that guy in their nightmares. He is just unbelievable.

Zizi is the kind of forward a lot of us wanted in some ways, he can go for the ball in the air and get position on set pieces. He loses the ball at his feet a lot, which is painful. I don't mean that defenders take it, but he actually seemed to lose track of it in tight quarters. Carrieri seemed to play withdrawn and on the wing and never got in the game. I still wonder if Zizi got more game time he could start clicking more.

We wait and wait for anyone on the Rapids to do anything remotely effective on a free kick then Chung pulls a Beckam and strikes one of the nicest free kicks I have seen in MLS. That was breathtaking. Down three starters and down a man and down an ill deserved goal and we still come back for a point. The Rapids are the TEAM OF DESTINY.

 

It's all been said ... Nat is amazing ... and it was great to hear the crowd giving him recognition during the course of play. Our crowd is growing more and more knowledgable.

That goal was absolutely amazing.

That red was amazing too ... cuz I sure didn't see it as even a foul.

 

Ante was pissed at the end of regulation. He came over to the bench and was kicking junk and pouting like a child, he didn't even want to go with the rest of the squad to hear what sarachan was going to say.

I'd like to think that Borchers had a great deal to do with that.

 

Wasn't that Ralph consoling him the entire time? It was like he was Razov's mom. He had his arm around him on the bench and even got him up and walked him over to the rest of the team. Ralph is probably the co dependent nurturer with Razov's childish temper.

 

As a neutral observer last night, I can say I think Powell looked solid when he came on. I'd guess he'd be a good addition to any MLS team. You guys are in great form with the playoffs coming up.

 

Yeah...definitely hard work at the end to steal a point out of the game. Some observations:

Henderson - thought he vacillated between bad and worse. Not his finest game. Passes seemed way off and he missed at least one truly golden opportunity to score.

Crawford - I too was surprised that he was the one subbed out. I have not been his biggest fan, but I thought he played a solid competent game. I would much rather have seen Henderson or Trembly come off the field at that point.

Powell - I agree again..nothing spectacular, nothing bad...but you can see where he will be a commanding presence on the field. Look forward to seeing him play more. I liked that he was up at the ref so quickly for the Fraser card.

Fraser - I didn't think it was worthy of a red card. Maybe a yellow. But since refs don't tend to stare at the big screen and watch the replay, I will buck the trend and blame Robin for putting himself in a position to be given the card. Its too bad. Otherwise, he played a really good game, and it seems probable that next game we will shift Mastroeni back to the d-line and maybe give Powell more time in d-mid (if he's ready for the time).

Borchers - What more can you say about this guy? Tends to have perfect positioning, doesn't back down, and smoothly and cleanly plays the ball away. And he's a rookie. With his emergence, I feel much more comfortable about our back line next year - particularly the part about it not having Wes Hart on it.

Chung - Perfect goal of the week type shot. Its always a pleasant surprise when we score these types of goals.

Zizi - Had some good moments, but man, does he lose the ball easily when challenged. Zizi looked out of gas at the end. I would have used the chance to bring in Casey Schmidt and give him a few minutes.

Overall, I am not going to say that this was the finest game the Rapids have played, but to come back against a team like Chicago that is loaded with talent - while being a man down - is pretty sweet.

I just wish Hanki had made another sub or two. I know we are gunning for 1st place (although it has become almost impossible for us to get there). I would have used the chance to bring Kingsley for Henderson. Henderson wasn't exactly making up for his off game with solid defense. Kingsley doesn't have a defensive game at all. Perfect sub opportunity. We need to get these guys into the game somehow.

 

I AGREE 100% Our best defender.

Chung - Of course the goal was perfect but this guy can dribble the ball without loosing it (pay close attention you worthless twit ZIZI). Chung has great ball control, knows how to pass the ball to open spaces and makes things happen. Great soccer player.

Zizi - Worthless... that is all I have to say about this overpaid pre-madona

Mr Hanki - he hates to sub but I believe that if he would have put Schmidt in we would have won. How can ZiZi have two point blank shots and miss the entire goal? Isn't ZIZI a forward? He can't do anything else but stand in an offside position and wait. He is slow, terrible ball control, lazy, overpaid twit.

 

do we really know that zizi is overpaid? i thought those kinds of matters were private in the MLS.

he's played like 3 games this season. gotta give him a break. he looked a hell of a lot better out there than henderson last nightm and hendo has been playing all season.

I see a lot of badmouthing zizi and some of it is unwarranted. just because he bitched about playing time doesn't make him a bonafide bum-orifice ( going overboard with censorship is wrong ). i am sure each and every one of you bitches from time to time that you aren;t getting someting you feel you deserve, and then i bet you are embarressed by it down the road, especially if it as is public as that was. besides you are just seeing it with the newspaper's spin on it as well.

For the most part zizi did look pretty rusty to me last night too and i was wondering why casey schmidt didn;t come in after 60-70 minutes, but then i remembered hankinson was coaching and stopped wondering.

ZiZi is a good guy and at the beginning of the year looked very promising.



As for powell, i was expecting to be unimpressed with him, but so far lastn ight he seemed pretty sharp. great defense of fraser when he got the card too.

I can't wait to see what he can do with a guy like spencer (who is admittedly leaps and bounds better than zizi) soon.

Playoffs are looking even better now from where i stand.

 

Borchers was huge and he almost single-handedly shut down Razov and Ralph. Ante got into a funk, which, besides scoring goals, is what Ante does...Hell, I would be pretty pissed too if I blew 3 sitters and had that many opportunities to win the game.

Frasier got ball, no doubt there, but you can't go in that hard with the studs showing and get a piece of a man and not get a card...thinking back, red might have been a tad harsh, but I see why it was pulled.

 

you are not supposed to pull out that red card until you are absolutely sure. the ref sure was quick with the card, not even close enough to the guy to see if he had been hurt or not. it was instantaneous. bed ref. what is it with the MLS? this kind of stuff is rare in the premier league (unless arsenal is playing and then the refs cant give out enough cards)

 

I didn't see the tackle, so I can't comment on whether or not Frasier's red was warranted, but I will say that FIFA has begun to crack down a lot more on studs up tackles. Yellows are the norm, Reds when the foul is especially obvious.

Sure, Frasier may have played the ball, but if the studs were up, he was asking for trouble. From what others have said, it may have been a questionable call, but anytime a referee sees studs up it's going to warrant some type of action. Just look at the Kamler foul vs. New England. Didn't look like he was even trying to injure Hart, or intentionally go in with studs up, but he got a red anyway.

I think MLS is probably cracking down on this one area pretty hard and has directed refs to be especially harsh (yellows and reds, but especially reds) when they see it. If the refs are focusing on it, it means that players probably know about it too. Sometimes you can't control your feet when you go in for a tackle, and I don't think any of us see Frasier as a dirty player or someone who would intentionally go in studs up, but something about the Fire seems to get Frasier pretty good. Didn't he see red in the Open Cup quarterfinals?

 

It wasn't a slide tackle. I'm not sure how Frasier could have gotten his studs up. Nor did he go over the ball, since he got all of it. I don't blame the ref for the decision though. He doesn't have slow-mo, or replay, just eyes and ears, and it was a tough challenge with a bad result.


Here's what I saw: The ball was loose. Robin and Jesse both rushed it. They both came in hard, and I'd contend both wrecklessly. Whichever one got the ball certainly wasn't going to control it. As it turned out Robin got there first, Jesse jumped, and go caught on the follow through. The play was hard, fast, and the contact made a loud crack sound. Whoever was left standing was going to get a card. I think the ref made a gut reaction based on just that.

I've got a lot of respect for Jesse Marsch. I think he plays hard, and is generally clean. I feel the same about Robin. Both these guys are team leaders, because play hard. Neither will back down once they commit. The circumstances were unfortunate.

 

For all those calling for ZiZi to get subbed ....

Schmidt isn't listed as an available sub in the box score ...

Substitutes Not Used: Alex Blake, Joe Cannon, Byron Foss, Zach Kingsley, Michael Piserchio, Alberto Rizo, Scott Vallow

So Blake would have been the guy to go in.

Just pointing that out.

 

Thanks Schroeder and spot for the analysis. Being and transplant to NH and not having a dish to acquire the Shootout, I kind of live through commentary on these boards. And damn, I can't believe I spelled Fraser's name wrong.

 

Geez, I like Jack Edwards, "my eyes have seen the glory" and all. Especially when compared to old Seamus, who always sounded like he was announcing a flower show.
AND, how cool is it for Chicago announcers to give Man of the Match to Borchers?! Watching the variety of visitor's announcers for home games on Dish, seems like Nat is getting alot of respect around the league.

 

I just hope they give him a callup for the National Team. He is solid enough to play with them.

 

I think Thor had his career night for sure. A wonderful performance from him. He is going to see U.S. time in the near future, my prediction.
I thought Hanki should have subbed Trembly out because it looked like he was going to get his second yellow at any time, which would have meant we were 2 men down, ugh! He was throwing himself all over the field! I think he wins the award for the player that "goes down on the ground" more than any other (beating Jason Moore, remember him?)What is happening with Rizo, he is getting no playing time now.
Thought Powell did a good job, great on-target passes. Would like to see him get more time. I think his nickname should be "giraffe" as that what he made me think of with his loping strides.

 

Those are impressive strides! I noticed that too. He is listed as 6-2.

BTW ... coloradorapids.com didn't even have him on our roster! Oy vey

 

Count me on the Borchers bandwagon since that game at HDC. I suspect he's playing over his head, but he was nearly flawless last night. Fraser's venturing forward, and from thence to the showers, made Borchers look even better as he slid into the sweeper role. His reading of the game is great.

P.S. What energized the Rapids was Chicago's goal. BTW Hanki, it was deflection off a body part that was maybe six inches offside; shut up about it.