I agree, in the future, once a player is signed he deserves a thread for his discussion. iPads don't edit in here well so I will just say Welcome Shkëlzen Gashi Hope you brought your scoring boots with you to Colorado. We're very excited to see you on the field.
I think Gashi could be the difference maker for the Rapids attack this season. I sure hope Pablo puts him in the best position possible to be creative and have goal scoring chances. I hope our team's system doesn't minimize what he could be capable of. We are all waiting to see if Gashi is the answer.
2016 Euros Schedule for Albania: June 11: Albania v Switzerland (Lens) June 15: France v Albania (Marseille) June 19: Romania v Albania (Lyon) June 30: Quarterfinals (top two in each group, as well as four teams from among those that placed third best advance to Quarterfinals) July 6: Semifinals July 10: Final Of interest, Albania also play a 4-2-3-1; however, they emphasize defense that makes it more like a 4-5-1 and spring counters. This resulted in the lowest number of goals scored by a qualifying team but one of the best defenses.
One would likely predict Albania finishing 3rd in this group behind France and Switzerland, so maybe we only lose him for two weeks or so, plus any friendlies they play leading up to the tournament. I looked into recent Albania lineups and it does look like Gashi seems to line up on the right wing most often, sometimes left wing. It seems like his style of play based on the video clips I've seen is one of a withdrawn forward, who likes to attack inside from the wings or drift underneath the other forward, trying to find spaces in the middle of the attacking third. It will be interesting to see how he will be deployed in games with the Rapids. I guess he could conceivably play any of the 3 attacking midfield positions in the 4-2-3-1 formation.