Rapids want to cash in against Galaxy
Colorado returns home from lengthy road trip to face LA
Saturday evening the Rapids are going back to the bank, hosting their next two matches at home in hopes of depositing some points to carry them through those challenging trips around the MLS, beginning with a rematch against the LA Galaxy.
The trip was nothing to sneeze at; The Rapids faced the Galaxy twice in three days in California, then took on the reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew before closing the trip in Houston, the two-time champs from 2006-2007. The Rapids' only loss since First Kick came on the final leg, when they fell 1-0 to the Dynamo to even their season record at 2-2-1. The Rapids are sitting in an enviable position as they try to beat L.A. for the third time in a month; they come off a challenging stretch with a .500 foundation to build on and continue in the Open Cup.
"We've played five games and won seven points," head coach Gary Smith said after Thursday's training session. "If you can replicate that throughout the season, that's 42 points, and that gets us in the playoffs."
The Rapids are undefeated at home this season, with only one of their first five matches occuring on their own turf. They convincingly beat Kansas City, despite playing less than their best soccer of the season, and that is one of two or three streaks the club would like to continue this weekend.
"It's been almost a month now since we've played a home game," said defender Scott Palguta, who is likely to make his first home start at center back Saturday. "Getting to come here every day and look at this great stadium and finally play a game in there, I'm really, really looking forward to it. Everybody's looking forward to it, and me in particular. I'm thrilled."
Though they adapted extremely well to a series of challenges on the road, they are eager to build on the legacy of dominance at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, reclaiming their stake on success as they balance the challenges of shifting their play after a month away.
"It was important to be as compact as we could on the road," midfielder Pablo Mastroeni said. "It wasn't the prettiest soccer, obviously. We found a way to get a result, and those intangibles are going to pay dividends down the road. So now, coming home and playing on our field and finding a way to be more expressive, finding a way to be more fluid in our attack, and to be a little more creative as well, all the while using those same things, those intangibles that we've gained on the road to incorporate in our game here this weekend."
Those intangibles aren't always easy to track, but they're not lost on Smith, who still sees the First Kick loss to Chivas as an example of some of the team's best play of the season and came out of Houston with his faith in his squad only intensified by the way they played in defeat.
"To be a goal down after 20 minutes away from home at what we would class as one of the more successful teams within MLS, I thought we showed a lot of character to get back in the game," Smith said of last weekend's match. "I thought it was a very even game, and I'm pleased off of the back of four away games in the first five, the form we've shown and more importantly the determination that the group is now offering up to everyone to see. We're not an easy touch. We're going to be fighting extremely hard to be in that mix of those playoff teams."
The Rapids expect to play without a pair of starting defenders, including rookie Ty Harden, who made his first start for the Rapids in Columbus and pulled a hamstring in the 17th minute. They'll also be missing their most veteran defender, center back Cory Gibbs, who missed the match in Houston with a groin injury and is not yet up to full speed.
"He's still got a sore groin," Smith said. "We're waiting to see if he'll be part of the setup the upcoming weekend."
That leaves the same back four from Houston intact, with Ugo Ihemelu and Palguta in the center and Jordan Harvey and Kosuke Kimura on either side. Smith has been pleased with the way the team defense has risen to the challenges of the past few weeks on the road, perhaps most notably the play of Preston Burpo minding the net.
"We called upon Preston to really earn his money, and he did just that," Smith said of Burpo's performance in Houston, his fourth start, including the Open Cup match, following Matt Pickens' scratch in L.A. with back spasms. "When you go away from home against the more successful teams in the league, you've got to expect that if you're going to win it, then somebody's really got to have a great day and turn on the form. And if you're going to stay in the game and get something out of it, then maybe one of your defenders or the defending group, or the goalkeeper has got to have a special day as well, and Preston had a special day."
As long as Burpo can keep stringing together those special days, he's got every opportunity to hold on to the starting spot. And though no one in the Rapids locker room is going to make too much of the past, the fact that L.A. has been outscored 8-0 in Commerce City by the Rapids over the last two years and hasn't won a league match in Colorado in its last 11 tries and seven years could give Colorado hope.
The Rapids would like little more than to earn their first clean sheet of the season against a team that has never scored a goal in Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and Burpo will carry the added confidence of earning the Rapids' Open Cup win against L.A. with his heroics in a penalty shootout, staying a step ahead of the Galaxy shooters.
The return home should mean a heightened pace on the attack, and Smith seems eager to see the Rapids regain their forward momentum as they reclaim their turf.
"We can be more aggressive in an attacking sense," Smith said, noting the changes he'd like to see back on their home pitch. "Add a couple more creative players if necessary. I know that there's not a huge amount to call upon."
With Conor Casey and Omar Cummings solidifying their hold on the strikers'roles with every game they play, the place to look for added creativity is in the midfield. Smith has stuck with a consistent starting midfield line, save for a game when Mastroeni was playing for the U.S. national team, leaving Jacob Peterson and Terry Cooke in the substitute roles.
"There's areas where we need to improve upon, but having the same group of guys is always important in progressing as a team and as an offensive unit," Mastroeni said. "Having said that, the guys coming into the game have made big differences in games and helped us as well. We're going to need all 24 guys to be successful in this league, but I think the start's been great and the commaraderie and the continuity of the group has been great."
It's hard to calculate whether the Rapids have been looking longer for consistency or creativity, so it's a tough call to sacrifice that hard-earned continuity on the attack for a chance at adding to the potential playmaking. But whether in the starting XI or coming off the bench, Cooke has consistently shown his ability to make an impact. He scored the Rapids' first goal at home on his first touch after entering the Wizards game as a second-half substitute, and later set up the winning goal on a counterattack.
Smith has his theories about who plays best on the big field in Commerce City, and a desire to keep the fast-paced attack on display the last time they were home will likely figure into his game plan. One thing is for certain: Smith sees every mile-high match at home as an opportunity to invest in the team's playoff portfolio.
"We have periods in the season where we have seven out of nine at home, and we'll be like a camel, trying to store up points, because then I think it's five out of seven away from home again at the end of the season," Smith said. "So there's a big lump in the middle, I think it's almost two-thirds of the season, where we get a good run of home games, and we do need to bank some points. But just on this start, if we can stay consistent, home or away, I'd like to think that we're fighting extremely hard to be in that group that again makes the playoffs."
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
