Valentino adds depth to Rapids defense
Colorado acquired 23-year-old defender in deal with New England
With a seemingly settled midfield, the Rapids are bolstering their defensive options just as they continue to look for a striker to back up first-choice duo Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Valentino will add an imposing 6-foot-3, 190-lb. frame to an already crowded central defense, but Rapids head coach Gary Smith likes the options and the push for competition he should bring.
"What we have are some good senior center backs and others putting pressure on them as well as other lads who have potential and will develop," he said. "We will have a little bit of a conveyor belt."
Valentino, who was a fixture in the Revolution's reserve side and also appeared in U.S. Open Cup games, clearly fits into the potential bracket along with rookie Mike Holody. It could be sometime before he is challenging the likes of first-choice center backs Ugo Ihemelu and Cory Gibbs.
However, with an injury to Gibbs and his replacement Ty Harden, Valentino could do well to look at how Scott Palguta has grabbed his chance to play at the top level. Palguta was playing USL-1 soccer last season for the Rochester Rhinos but has now stepped up and performed very creditably in recent games at the heart of the Rapids defense.
Smith after last week's 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake about how reliable and unflustered Palguta has been. The coach clearly likes big central defenders and Valentino will be another one on the production line. Known to Rapids' technical director Paul Bravo for some time, the club had been monitoring his progress and Smith is delighted with the trade.
"It's always good to have reliable cover, and he has potential for the future," he said. "For Nico, he wasn't getting a lot of football and wasn't in our plans going forward so this is a lovely opportunity for him to fulfill his potential."
In their seven MLS games so far, the Rapids have only allowed eight goals, though last weekend's 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake was their first clean sheet of the season. Of those seven games, four have been on the road, with three of those against overall leader Chivas USA, defending champions Columbus and recent two-time champions Houston.
It doesn't get any easier for the Rapids as they now enter a stretch of four of their next five games in all competitions on the road.
"It's been a very tough start in terms of the venues, the teams we have played and the travel," Smith said. "If I could have had a picture of where the team is in terms of points, physical state, form and consistency, I would have taken that at the start of the season."
The Rapids' next game following the bye weekend will be at New England May 16. Valentino will join his new clubmates next week in the run-up to the game against his old team.
Nick Thomas is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
