From the Rocky Mountain News http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/rapids/article/0,1299,DRMN_51_1802417,00.html He reminds me of Jason Kreis, who was drafted in the 5th or 6th round in MLS's first year. Also, theres a photo in the Denver Post of the Rapids doing a promo http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E94%7E1234944%7E,00.html#
Schmidt is one of these guys: http://www.coloradorapids.com/images/uploads/TeamPicturePreseasonvLA.jpg
*LOL* Taylor Twellman is the second coming (and going) of Jason Kreis... Please don't insult the young man...
Except that Twellman -- regardless of how he performs in the future -- was the #2 overall pick, whereas Casey is a lower round pick.
It seems he's bigger than Kries: Casey Schmidt F 6-0 175 06-16-81 Newbury Park, CA Here's a link to the photo on MLSnet.com: http://mlsnet.com/content/03/col0313santos.html Is he a flash in the pan or the real deal? The Rapids needed a bigger forward. Didn't they sign a big Liberian to fill that role? What happenned to him?
I have heard that Zizi is a little bit injured. This has given Schmidt the chance to shine because Zizi probably would have been playing in all of these matches. It is awesome for the Rapids to have two new forwards of different styles. Sounds like Schmidt will be the scrappy one and Zizi will be the target man. Schmidt shouldn't have a problem riding the pine, waiting for a big break into a game because he is a rookie and didn't expect to get this far. So he'll be rarin' to go when Hanki calls on him. I can't wait for the 12th!
Fashion, What have you got against Twellman? He's done nothing but produce. Its not like he blew chances with the national team, he never got any service. They left him to the wolves. I suspect he burned you in the fantasy leagues. You signed him to late...
not to mention TT's 23 and scored 20 goals in his first season. that's was a weak attempt (on thepart of She's in Fashion).
Hadn't seen the new unis... nice (excepting the lack of green issue. Um, what's up with the 'keeper, though. Looks like he's getting ready for a coffin or to go scuba diving.
Re: Re: Schmidt: The Second Coming of Kreis? He had to borrow a jersey from Chivas; so, he's covering up the logos.
Not too many similarities to Kreis. Also keep in mind that when Kreis wasn't exactly an unknown when he was drafted. From watching him play against Santos, the closest comparion would be to say he plays a bit like Twellman but perhaps is a little more physical. He won a lot of 50-50 balls and his timing/positioning to win headers is very good. Word on the field on Wednesday night was that the Rapids had inked him to a contract during the day. Schmitt's performance this spring has not only been clutch for the team, but clutch for himself -- with Blake not taking part in training in Florida or Vegas (he will be joining the team in Mexico), a lot more space and opportunity was opened up for Schmitt to show his stuff.
Nothing like paying immediate dividends! Greenie, you've been much closer to this team (over the years) than a lot of us, could Casey be the "real deal", or is it just a run of incredible luck? Gettin' more excited about the 12th by the minute!
He did blow one sitter big time vs. Canada, should have been an easier than cherry picker goal. But if you're going to shank those, at least it was when the US was already way ahead.
I've seen Schmidt play a number of times, both with Boston College and with the Cape Cod Crusaders. He's that strange kind of player that doesn't impress you that much with his control, speed or overall skill, but he's a workhorse and he does a good job of getting into the right positions. He scored the goal that won the PDL championship for Cape Cod last year, and he had a good college campaign. He's long on enthusiasm, and he's the kind of kid that doesn't know he's not supposed to score the goals, so he does...if that makes any sense. Having seen him play head to head with Mike Tranchilla, who came out of Creighton and was a legitimate Hermann Trophy candidate, I was surprised to see that it's Schmidt that will earn a contract while Tranchilla has been released. But then it's a funny old game, isn't it? It's good to see a BC kid coming good. Ed Kelly should be very proud of what he's done with that program.
it's great to get excited by a pre-season avalanche of goals, and it's even better to increase your depth at forward, but it's obviously WAY too early to compare Schmidt to Kreis, Twellman or any other established striker. if the Rapids get 5 goals out of him this year I would consider that a solid contribution, especially if Spencer and Roberts are largely healthy and Schmidt sits more than plays. still, his run has to have boosted the confidence of the team and the staff, and the team appears as strong as any squad going right now, which in preseason mean nothing, but it's always nice to get the ol' confidnce going and be able to hit the opening bell with all clocks ticking (or whatever metaphor i'm trying to use).
Maybe he's the Rapids' answer to Robbie Fowler (hopefully minus the injuries). Tranch got waived? That's sad.
Re: Re: Schmidt: The Second Coming of Kreis? I'd think Roberts has hardly got himself a sure starting job just by being healthy. For Zizi to line up an opening day start, he'll have to start playing these competitive matches down in Mexico and moreover, he'll need to produce. At the moment, I think it's fair to say that Schmidt has gotten himself 3rd in the pecking order of strikers. I'd say his chances of starting in the opener are decent. If the kid stays on a hot streak and is full of confidence, put him in and give Spenny some extra time to heal. It's a long season.
I'm hoping that he plays and scores goals. I picked him up as a reserve for my fantasy team. He's just about the lowest cost forward in the league.
I did the same, he's about the cheapest guy on the board, and with all the buzz around him, he could be a real steal, especially if he gets on a hot streak like he has had during the preseason.