As a Rapids fan often involved in the Rapids’ fans’ chorus of “where is the Rapids’ media coverage!?” I should know better than to leave you guys hanging like I have. It hasn’t been deliberate. It’s more an issue of just not being able to figure out what is going on with this club.
Two weekends ago, Colorado lost the first match of the Rocky Mountain Cup on the road in Salt Lake City. Feeling confident coming off home win against Chicago (and an 8 hour car ride for about 100 traveling Rapids fans) it was frustrating to watch a match, and not just any match, but a RMC match, that it seemed like the Rapids didn’t even show up to play. What happened to the beautiful moments we’d witnessed the week before?
Shaking off the loss, the Rapids headed to Seattle, and I found myself thinking “ok, the fans and the players took the RSL loss hard, so we’re gonna take 3 points on this one for redemption sake.” We couldn’t put that one away, either, but I will say we showed up. Colorado played hard, but so did Seattle. I feel like if a few calls had gone differently, the match would have gone differently, but that’s true of any game, isn’t it?
I have seen flashes of genius when Pareja’s tactics click on the pitch, and I have seen incredibly underwhelming football when they don’t, and it’s frustrating, because it’s hard to say which you’re going to get on any given day. When it all comes together, it’s beautiful. But it needs to come together with more consistency.
That being said, it’s hard to make any speculations on what is going to happen tomorrow when the Galaxy come to town. My heart, which pumps Burgundy blood through the very core of my being, says “we have absolutely got this,” and on some levels, that’s logical. We have home field advantage, and I hear the stadium is nearly sold out. We need 3 points after two road losses, and I know the ‘Pids are feeling that pressure; they want to deliver.
There has been some lighthearted speculation surrounding the match, namely whether Beckham is going to play, because he never plays in Colorado. Rapids’ long-absent front man Conor Casey was slated to make a comeback this week, then it was announced he’s been sick so he probably wouldn’t play, then he trained with the team the past three days, so…maybe he’ll play?(Ah! Again with the uncertainty!)
Overall, I just honestly don’t know what to expect from this match because I don’t know what to expect from the Rapids. I know I can count on the boys to go out and give it their all, I just don’t know if I can count on them to make the connections they need to make. And that puts me in a tough spot for preview-writing.
If we improve match-by-match, we can get to where we need to be, but the next few are going to be just as critical for morale as they are for technique. I remain optimistic. Glory, glory Colorado!
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
