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Jermaine Jones leads Rapids past Red Bulls in stellar debut

Jermaine Jones Rapids Debut 1 (USA TODAY Sports

Colorado Rapids fans had to wait six matches to see what Jermaine Jones could bring to their team, and on Saturday they had to feel like he was worth the wait.

In his first game back from serving a six-match suspension, and his first appearance with theRapids, Jermaine Jones has scored his first goal and recorded the game-winning assist in the Rapids’ 2-1 win against the New York Red Bulls in a snowy Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.

With the score tied late, Jones placed a perfect pass in the path of Dominique Badji, who placed a perfect shot past Luis Robles in the 82nd minute to secure a victory.

It was a night that saw the stadium covered in snow, which brought back memories of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s memorable snow-covered World Cup qualifying win against Costa Rica in 2013 at the same stadium.

Jones enjoyed a stellar showing for the U.S. that night, and he starred in the snow yet again on Saturday. He opened the scoring in the 21st minute after slotting home a pass from Rapids defender Mekeil Williams.

The Red Bulls tied the score in the 60th minute when Ronald Zubar.

The win was the second straight win for the Rapids, who are just a point out of first place in the Western Conference heading into Sunday’s matches. The loss is the Red Bulls’ sixth in seven matches, and has them in last place in the Eastern Conference, with the fewest points in MLS.

MAN OF THE MATCH

With a goal and an assist in his first game back from a six-game suspension, Jermaine Jones was the easy choice. The offensive input was impressive, but a strong showing on the defensive side of the game held the Red Bulls to a goal from a set piece.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Badji’s power slide into the snow around the corner flag after the game-winning goal made for an exciting finish to this game. The pass from Jermaine Jones to cut through the Red Bulls’ defense was the moment of the match; the pass was perfect for Badji to run onto and his finish into the bottom right corner could not have been more precise.

MATCH TO FORGET

After having a wealth of chances and falling short to a standout performance from Tim Melia, Bradley Wright-Phillips struggled in this game. Recording only two shots on the night, it was difficult for the Red Bulls attack to find any good attacking movement in the run of play.

Comments

  1. I was one of the people that thought it was time to move in from JJ because of his age but if we’re being honest with ourselves he is hands down still our programs best CM and should continue to Marshall the midfield for the USMNT. I know this only one game but you he hasn’t regressed one bit in my opinion since the WC and to piggy back off of someone else’s comment awhile back this man just may be an alien(a la Bernard Hopkins lol)!!!

    Reply
    • I acknowledge that you said it was only one game. My comment had more to do with the conclusions that you and others were ready to draw from that one game. Fair enough?

      Reply
      • As Concorde stated, He’s been playing like this for years. so any attempt to marginalize something as if it’s an anomaly is absurd.

    • OK, but we should also realize that playing JJ in the middle almost requires taking Bradley out, as experience has shown that the combination just doesn’t work well. Do you play JJ with a stay-at-home DM? Is he enough of a creator to take on that responsibility? His tendency to roam forward might make it risky to play him with a Mix or a Nagbe. Not trying to be contrary here – just trying to find a solution.

      Reply
  2. Paging Ali Curtis. Your team is cratering thanks in large part to a makeshift defense that you chose not to address in the offseason. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  3. As we struggle game in and game out to get anything going, we now get to see what the cheap New England let go for nothing. I hope that fool Mike Burns and the entire Revolution front office see this result and know what a mistake they made….again. Meanwhile we are busy scouting the waver wire for a relpacement

    Reply
  4. Why does Klinsmann love Jermaine Jones so much? Is it because he was our best player at the World Cup and can still dominate MLS games at age 34?

    Reply

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