Baseball Nation: All Posts by Chris White

The Daily Wave: Pickens Could Be Trade Bait, But For Who?

2013-05-20T14:00:04Z

Here's something that totally hasn't been brought up a bunch since we learned that Matt Pickens was nearly back into training with the Rapids: what on earth do we do when he's healthy and ready to compete for a starting spot?

Of course, there's always a chance that Pickens is able to earn his starting spot back right off the bat, but something makes me doubt that's going to happen with the flaming pace that Irwin has had all season. One of them is probably going to have to leave by the end of

If you ask me, I pick Irwin every day of the week. Irwin might already be just as good a 'keeper as Pickens is, and perhaps might be even better since he's not made quite as many of those trademark softies that Pickens has been known to let in every few games. He looks like he's a 30-year-old veteran but he's only 23, which means he might have 15 or more years of top goalkeeping ahead of him, compared to the 31-year-old Pickens.

I love Matt Pickens as much as anyone on the team, but Clint has convinced me all the way at this point. Pickens also makes a rather absurd amount of money for a potentially back-up goalkeeper, so there's a good chance the team will want to off-load the very expensive option compared to the guy currently making rookie minimum.

Here's the thing, though: I don't know what teams would want Pickens if they were planning on trading him within Major League Soccer. There's not all that many teams that are currently in a goalkeeping crisis in this league. Really, there's only two teams that I can think of that might want him: the LA Galaxy and the Philadelphia Union.

In LA's case, and Matt Doyle actually brought this up yesterday with a #TradeForPickens hashtag, they have a starter in Carlo Cudicini but not one that seems to be paying many dividends. LA has plugged and played several goalkeepers -- Mike Magee totally counts as well -- the past few seasons, but they might not refuse the stability between the sticks that Pickens would provide for a few seasons if he was traded over there.

Philly is a team that is still being patient with Zack MacMath, who they sunk a first-round pick into in the 2011 draft and have been using as their everyday starter since 2012. MacMath has grown in past years, but Philly's biggest period of success in their short history came in the 2011 season when experienced goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon came in and helped lead them to the playoffs. They may feel that Pickens could help in the same way as MacMath continues to learn his trade.

I think that just about every other team in the league either has an already capable young starter or a veteran that probably wouldn't be displaced by Pickens. So, if the Rapids were to send him out within the league, I would guess it would be one of those two squads. Who would you want in return from those teams?

Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes - Man Of The Match Vote

2013-05-19T18:39:46Z

Who do you think was the Man of the Match against the San Jose Earthquakes? Vote in the poll below or let us know in the comments if you have someone not on my list. Personally, I have three guys in mind:

Clint Irwin - He absolutely should have done better on the goal, but it's hard to know if he saw the ball right off of Martin Chavez's foot. Past that though, he had another very strong performance in goal and made a couple of saves to keep San Jose's four-headed forward monster from scoring anything else during the run of play.

Nathan Sturgis - Omar Cummings who? Since coming to the Rapids in that trade, Sturgis has done nothing but impress. For the second straight game, he has a legitimate man of the match shout because of great work in the midfield and, this time around, his first Rapids goal.

Marvell Wynne - Surprise candidate? Well, nobody on the Rapids was more involved with the ball than Wynne was in his return to right back. Good passing, solid defensive work down the right and no worries with the ball at his feet make him perhaps a dark horse for MotM.

Poll

Man of the match?

Colorado Rapids 1 San Jose Earthquakes 1 - As Expected

2013-05-19T06:45:51Z

Well, if you weren't expecting that sort of game in San Jose, I don't know what to tell you. I predicted a crap-ass 1-1 draw before the match, and that's pretty much exactly what I got.

As per usual, San Jose entered their match looking to hold the Rapids at bay via physical play and hard defending, and it worked for most of the match. There's a reason that both teams only finished about 300 passes all match and possession was just about evenly split down the middle. Colorado started with a slightly weakened squad, with Brian Mullan and Dillon Powers both missing for the first time this season. (Edson Buddle was out as well, due to suspension.)

It didn't seem to matter that the Rapids were fielding a slightly lesser squad than usual, because they came out firing at all cylinders right out of the gate. San Jose's hard-nosed tactics didn't seem to phase them, they were attacking right from the outset.

Martin Rivero finally got his first assist of the season in the 26th minute, with the first goal of the match being swatted into the net by Nathan Sturgis on a corner kick. Sturgis' first goal of the season was a great one, tapped in with his foot on a leaping play. Colorado held that lead for a good while, going into the second half with the lead and holding it very well.

As expected, San Jose got a goal late on with a free kick that never should have been. Shane O'Neill getting a yellow card on the foul was absolutely ridiculous, and there was an argument that it was never a foul in the first place. Either way, a free kick was given right in front of the box and Martin Chavez, who MLS mysteriously decided to reduce the suspension of this week, put in a free kick that Clint Irwin most likely should have covered a bit better.

Later on, Shane went knee to knee in front of the box, and that was the end of his game.

Referee Ricardo Salazar pulled a straight red (surprisingly, since Shane was on a yellow and you would have expected him to get his second yellow in that case with the rather tame foul that was committed) and sent O'Neill off, but it didn't end up affecting the final result. 1-1 was your final, and I'm sure that most Rapids fans will tell you they're plenty happy to escape out of the meat grinder that is San Jose with a point and no major injuries in the end.

With Edson Buddle Suspended, Deshorn Brown Must Take Over

2013-05-16T20:07:55Z

Ah, it all seemed to be coming together for the Rapids during their game against the Crew. They continued a fine run of form, looked good in the process and, most importantly, started getting some of their big names back. A few days after the game, we're down another man with Edson Buddle being handed a single-game suspension after a fairly stupid challenge that earned him a yellow card. (Drew Moor being punched in the face, by the way, did not merit a card or a suspension. lolMLS and all that.)

It's unfortunate to lose Buddle, because he is quickly proving to be a valuable asset to the Rapids offense. It's not just his goal scoring, though two goals in two games is just what the doctor had ordered for this team, but also the steadiness he provides up front. When we called him a 'cheaper Conor Casey', we meant it, and he's showing us why. He keeps the possession steady with great hold up play and good touches when he's laying it off to a partner, just what you want to see from him. Thanks to his return against Toronto and Columbus, the Rapids got six points.

Against a San Jose team that likes to ~~kill people in~~ boss the midfield, they're going to need all the possession help they can get. Martin Rivero being back will be a boon in that regard, Dillon Powers is awesome, and Nathan Sturgis looks like he was a very smart signing after a Hendry Thomas-esque performance against the Crew. In the back, they aren't bad off either, with two very good possession fullbacks in Brian Mullan and Chris Klute.

That leaves the forward spots, where we have a lot of speed and a lot of finesse, but not many guys who can hold the ball up like Buddle can.

Atiba Harris has shown occasional flashes of being able to play a possession game at the top, but he's far too erratic and prone to unfortunate decision making. Danny Mwanga is... well, Danny Mwanga is something, but that thing is not 'good at hold up play'. Kevin Harbottle and Tony Cascio aren't particularly suited for the role either. Who's left?

More like Who's That? (BroooOoOOooOOOoOoOoOOOooOOwn)

Deshorn Brown was pegged as a center forward before the season started, and he's not disappointed in that regard yet. He's big, he's fast and he's not all that bad with the ball at his feet. One thing he hasn't shown us yet, though, is an ability to play hold up ball. It's not that he has tried to do so and failed, it's just that I don't think he's been asked to try yet.

Can he do it? I'm sure he can, we've seen his strength and his craftiness a few times this season. The game against the Quakes will be a litmus test for him in that regard, as I doubt we're going to see a return to the 4-3-3 right away, and until we've got three forwards helping each other in the final third with Rivero right behind them, hold up play will be the easiest way to get goals created. I loved the formation that Pareja pulled out against the Crew, by the way. A 4-1-3-2, was it?

The real question is, will Brown start? If he does, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have holding the ball up. And as we've seen the past few games, holding the ball up can help you put balls in the back of the net.

Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes - Rapids Head To California

2013-05-16T16:50:32Z

Colorado lost to the Quakes by a 10-3 aggregate score last year, can they improve things this time around?

Colorado Rapids head off on another road trip, this time out west to face off against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening looking to extend their winning streak to three. With little transfer movement of any significance over the off-season, the Earthquakes came into 2013 with much the same first team as their previous Supporters' Shield winning team of 2012. The results haven't matched however, picking up only three wins so far as they sit 6^th in the West.

They have suffered from injuries and suspensions though, missing several players each week and having to rely on a young rookie up front, Adam Jahn, to steal points towards the end of every game. Jahn has pitched in with four goals so far - not bad for a guy who wasn't even invited to the combine. Last time out San Jose were smashed by Seattle Sounders 4-0 despite having more attempts at goals and more possession. The result is pretty indicative of their season so far - letting in a tonne of goals. With only one win in their last eight (and that being against Toronto FC) the Earthquakes aren't coming into this one in any sort of form, which is in contrast with the Rapids who seem full of confidence at the minute, looking to extend their run to three wins in a row.

Criticism of the style of the Earthquakes play follows them around wherever they go. Everyone knows how they are going to be set up and that they are going to play direct, using the aerial ability of their forward pairing but it still remains difficult to stop it. Frank Yallop loves his 4-4-2 with the central pairing acting sometimes as what you could call a double-pivot but then others as a simple diamond with Walter Martinez (Rapids reject) for the last few games at the top and Sam Cronin sat in the defensive midfield slot.

As with the central midfield spots, out wide the Earthquakes have also had their depth tested. Marvin Chavez, Rafael Baca, Shea Salinas and Ramiro Corrales have been interchanging for most of the season, with the preferred duo of Chavez and Salinas missing out in the defeat in Seattle. The pace of Chavez and Salinas could prove difficult to deal with and Chavez at least looks likely to start considering his ban for the match was rescinded this week. Typically, the way the Earthquakes play is that they focus down the wings and deliver as many balls as possible into the box, constantly piling the pressure on the defence hoping it caves in and they can tap in a scrappy goal.

Up top, it's looking as though Chris Wondolowski with his new designated-player status will be partnered by Alan Gordon just like in Seattle despite Jahn's goals so far this season. Jahn sat out last weekend's defeat due to a thigh injury but should be fit for this weekend to challenge Gordon for a starting spot. The obvious danger with these is their strength and aerial ability. The Rapids backline will have to employ one centreback as the more aggressive one, challenging for every aerial ball whilst the other covers in behind in case of any flick-ons. Wondo thrives on these flick-ons/knockdowns so he is going to have to be watched very carefully by the other defender (probably Drew Moor as opposed to Shane O'Neill).

The strengths of this San Jose team could be said to lie not in the physical or technical side of their game but in their mental strength. This ‘Goonie Magic' or whatever silly name it has been given is mostly just the fact that the Earthquakes retain the belief that they can still get a result no matter how late on in the game it is. Inevitably, if you are going to put the ball in the box that often then chances will eventually come and their forwards are always prepared for any ricocheted balls or fortuitous bounces. It is a style of play that has many detractors but for me, if it wins games then that is all that matters. There is a nice way to play football and there is the Earthquakes way of playing football but there's no argument against its effectiveness, particularly last season. The Rapids just have to get a handle on the battles in the air - if they don't win the first ball, make sure that they are onto that second one without hesitation or we will get punished.

Whilst they do threaten up front, their defence has been particularly poor recently, giving up 10 goals in their last five games. Nana Attakora's return to San Jose after a stint in Finland has not been a happy one. The breakup of the Jason Hernandez-Victor Bernardez pairing has coincided with the Earthquakes shipping goals for fun and seems to be the way through this team. With the Rapids missing Edson Buddle after the ridiculous decision from the MLS Disciplinary Committee to ban him (for a foul committed under the referee's nose, for which he was cautioned), DeShorn Brown could be started down the middle and would have a lot of fun against Hernandez in particular.

The Rapids are going to have to be wary of a team on the rebound after being battered by the Sounders and assume the Earthquakes are going to come out all guns blazing from the off on Saturday. For Colorado to get anything out of the game they are going to have to score more than once and keep the frontline of San Jose quiet by mopping up the second balls and, if possible reducing the amount of crossing opportunities. At the other end, there isn't exactly a specific weakness in the San Jose defence that is worse than the other parts. As a whole it is a pretty shoddy defence without the Bernardez-Hernandez partnership and will give up a few chances that the Rapids strikers will have to take. If we manage to restrict the mayhem that can be caused up top by the Earthquakes' battering rams we could be in with a good shout of getting a result to take on the plane with us back home.

Rapids' First Potential Open Cup Opponents Revealed

2013-05-15T23:06:40Z

Both the Colorado Rovers and the Real Colorado Foxes have been knocked out of the US Open Cup already -- both by the Georgia Revolution, who apparently have some sort of anti-Colorado hoodoo about them -- but the highest class team in the state is still yet to take their first kick in the tournament. We learned their two potential opponents on Wednesday: Orlando City of the USL or the Ocala Stampede of the PDL, the same level that the Foxes play in.

The two will face off in a second round match on May 21st, with the winner taking on the Rapids in the third round, when MLS teams enter the fray. Rapids fans will want to root for Ocala, not just because they are a lower division side than Orlando and probably an easier opponent, but because a Stampede win will mean the Rapids will host the third-round affair. It would be Colorado's first Open Cup game in Colorado in ages.

The Daily Wave: Shoe On The Other Foot

2013-05-13T14:00:04Z

Think back to last season for a second. I know, it's painful, but do it. Remember all of those matches that saw the Rapids put 15-20 shots on the opposition, but not score a single goal and lose 1-0 or 2-0? (Sometimes 2-1 if we were 'lucky'.) It was a recurring theme, and there was a very easy tactical blueprint to use against Colorado last season.

You see, the Rapids suffered from two things -- well, more than two, but we'll focus on two -- last season: finishing that wasn't particularly clinical and a horrid lack of defensive presence on the outside of the pitch. That meant an easy out for any team with even an ounce of width. All you had to do was let the Rapids hold the ball as much as they wanted in the back and the midfield, press high in the final third and they would either miss every chance or turn the ball over. A quick restart or a counter attack down the flanks later, it always ended in either a brilliant Matt Pickens save or a goal for the other team.

Well, the shoe's on the other foot now, and don't it feel good?

Getting an early goal is always a good thing, but the Rapids were able to pull a very similar tactical move against the Crew on Saturday after Edson Buddle tapped the goal in during the 9th minute. Columbus is a talented team, but their attack has been incredibly streaky this season and looked like they were misfiring a bit through the first 10 minutes of the game.

One might ask how we can say that the Rapids played a dominant game when they got outshot by 18 and let the Crew win the possession battle. It's the same reason that the Rapids were often dominated last year despite holding those stats: remember, when it comes to statistics, especially in soccer, one must always remember the narrative that followed them.

When Barcalona have 70% possession and 25 shots, it's usually because the other team simply couldn't stop them. There were no tactics involved there, it was simply Barca being Barca and taking down their opposition with no trouble. In this case, it wasn't a dominant performance by the Crew, it's because the Rapids let the Crew have the possession in the back and the midfield whenever they wanted. (When people try and say that possession is a 'useless' statistic, they usually only do so after that sort of game, when a team is being handed possession instead of working for it themselves.)

With the Crew holding the ball in the midfield and back the whole time, the Rapids were free to keep a high press going in the final third and try to force Columbus into bad attempts. To make an analogy to another sport, it's almost the soccer version of Syracuse's 2-3 zone in college hoops. No pressure until they get to the final area, and then smart positioning to keep them from getting anything but long shots. It's a bit risky, as your defense being subpar or the other team being able to take long shots destroys the idea, but it worked wonderfully for Colorado.

Check the OPTA chalkboard for the game, specifically at the shots that Columbus took. 14 out of the 22 shots were from outside the box, some of them from way outside. Six more were from just inside the box -- an area I'm classifying as anywhere from the edge of the box to the penalty spot -- and four of those missed the target. Only two chances came from close range, and both of those missed as well.

There were differences in the tactic from how it was used against Colorado last season, namely the fact that the Rapids played their usual game instead of trying a quick counter every time, but the final result was the same: a fantastic 2-0 win. I'd argue that the Rapids playing their usual ground game was even better than just going for counters every time as well, since it allowed the Crew fewer chances to have the ball themselves. Kind of a 'we'll give you possession, but keep it when we get it' sort of system. (Had they just gone counter the full 90, I doubt the possession would have been anywhere close to 55-45.)

That tactic is not going to work every time, but it does show another page in Oscar Pareja's tactical book, one that seems to be growing as the season goes along. Considering that particular one was used against us maybe 20 times last year, I'm glad he was able to figure it out.

Colorado Rapids 2 Columbus Crew 0 - Streak-Busters

2013-05-12T01:53:17Z

Going into a stadium where they hadn't won for nearly a decade, coming off of a series of injuries and with lukewarm road form so far, expectations for the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening weren't particularly high. However, as they've done all season, the Rapids found a way to surprise us with a brilliant 2-0 victory at Crew Stadium.

It wasn't a win that came against the run of play, either. Colorado had the ball and used it well right from the outset, with their first goal coming early. Edson Buddle won a ball in the midfield, allowing Danny Mwanga to whip a ball in to Atiba Harris in the box. Harris couldn't control it, but the ball landed kindly, right in front of an onrushing Edson Buddle. Being the finisher that he is, there was no doubt it was going in.

At that point, it looked like the Rapids switched up to a style that teams were using often against them last season. That is, they let the Crew have possession for most of the match, keeping enough men behind the ball that it was difficult for the Crew to get into space. There's a reason that the result looked like a reversal of many of Colorado's results last season -- Columbus outshot the Rapids by almost 20, but nearly all of those chances were subpar or from outside the box.

Colorado wasn't exactly playing a counterattacking game, but they weren't pressing particularly hard either until the Crew got into the final third. Having Martin Rivero in his first start all season didn't hurt matters, as the Rapids were able to get the good possession they needed when they got the ball in the midfield. Rivero, as we predicted, was an absolute boon to the team up at the top of the shifty midfield. He held the ball like a platypus protecting his young, attempted very smart passes and drew a ton of fouls that led to decent Rapids chances.

With the gameplan working to perfection, all the Rapids needed was to add a second and seal the deal, lest they allow in a late heartbreaker. Fortunately, they got it in the 69th minute. After Colorado's only corner of the game, the Rapids earned a set piece just a few feet ahead of the corner flag. It wasn't a bad one from Martin Rivero, and the bouncing ball in the box deflected off of Deshorn Brown and onto the waiting foot of Dillon Powers. His shot was deflected as it hit the back of the net, but it was still counted as a Powers goal, his second of the season.

Columbus never looked like they were going to get back into it after that.

First win at Crew Stadium since 2004, first two-goal victory of the season and another, very well earned, clean sheet? Yes, yes and yes. Perhaps there's hope going into San Jose next week.