Of all the teams that came away from week two with losses, Colorado had the feel the best after defeat. Not that the Rapids should be content with a close loss, but the fact that the Rapids have scored six goals in two matches has Colorado fans more optimistic than they were a few months ago.
Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Kansas City, complete with a two-goal comeback, wasn’t as fulfilling as the 4-0 thumping of Los Angeles, but it provided an example of a new-look Rapids team with more bite and more attacking quality than the 2007 version.
SBI Correspondent Craig de Aragon took in the match and offers his views on the team’s start to the season and recent loss to Kansas City ( (Share your thoughts on Craig’s piece in the comments section below):
Rapids show promise, but disappoint in defeat
By Craig de Aragon
Imagine you’re 10 years old. You are right in that stage in between a kid and a young adult. it’s your birthday, you’ve got your friends over, having a good time, and everything’s going great. Then it comes time to open presents. You start to open them and you realize that all people bought for you were clothes, books, and even a savings bond.
Now, you realize that you’re not necessarily a kid anymore, and that you have to be thankful for getting presents. But really, all you wanted was a shiny toy, something cool you could play with. Well that’s the feeling that Rapids fans are stuck with after a 3-2 loss on Saturday in Kansas City. We’re trying to be thankful; trying to justify the loss and even trying to find the silver lining just like you would with that sweater that Aunt Betty gave you. “Its great auntie, it’s just my size…uh, I’ll wear it all the time.”
When I asked some supporters what they thought right after the game, they all replied in the same kind of way, by halfway closing one eye, scrunching up their nose, shrugging their shoulders, and saying something like “well at least we came back” or “I guess we did ok” or “I wish we would have converted in the first half, but we did alright.” It’s amazing how jaded we get after one good game.
There were some positives to the game, such as the fact that we can actually score. In fact, our offense looks so good that even a 2-0 deficit doesn’t seem insurmountable anymore.
Also, it looks like Christian Gomez might have been worth the Designated Player slot we traded to get him. He brings such a different element to the game, an offensive mindset and creativity that were missing last season.
Omar Cummings is faster that almost any defender in the MLS and his pace is going to cause problems for opponents. He already had a goal against LA, and probably should have had 1 or 2 against Kansas City. He does need to work on finishing his opportunities though. Our defense although shaky at times, is very deep considering they are playing without 2 maybe 3 starting players. Stephen Keel and Kosuke Kimura are holding their own on the backline in place of Ugo Ihemelu and Mike Petke. Keel had some great defensive plays, and also a few blunders, one of which led to a goal. But overall, it speaks to our defensive depth that we can bring in some young guys that can fill the place if need be.
So not all is bad, but just as that sweater is better suited to be a curtain rather than something you’d wear, this game will never be more than a blinding loss that you’d rather move on from. All the positives that we try to scrape about from it will always be nothing more than our own justification to make up for the fact that we didn’t get what we wanted; a shiny toy, a win.