Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Somebody Forgot To Set The Rapids' Alarm Clock

Sorry for the delay, but its hard to get excited to write about a game the players didn't seem to be excited to play. The Rapids seemed to be sleepwalking through the first 70 minutes of the game, and by the time they woke up, they were down 1-0.

A horrible defensive header by Danny Earls left Toronto's Ibrahim unmarked in the 6-yard box and Matt Pickens couldn't do anything to stop his shot. Claudio Lope entered the game late and suddenly it was a new team. The Rapids were aggressive, dangerous, and Lopez alone had 2 good free kicks and a dangerous long-distance shot in his first 5 minutes on the field. Colorado could have gotten a tying goal late int eh game when the ball pinballed around the box for a good 20 seconds, but luck was not on their side.

My key to the game was set piece defense. We managed that, but against a team that was only slightly more interested in the game than we were.

Other Observations:
  • There really isn't much to say about this game. It felt much like the mid-summer "swoon" games we've seen in past years.
  • Good to see Koz get the start, but he didn't have the best of games.
  • The more I see Clark play, the more I understand why Smith is starting.
  • That said, Gary Smith really needs to break out of the rut of making the 60th minute swap of Clark for Smith or vice versa. Everyone sees it coming.
  • Funny how quickly a 6 game unbeaten streak turns into a 4 game winless streak.
Player of the Game: Claudio Lopez. By far the most engaged Rapids player in this game, and also the most dangerous.

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