It was another beautiful day in Denver and the Rapids were in full swing this morning.  Plenty of players were back in action that were sidelined by injury.  The numbers have dropped drastically since the Arizona trip and only a solid 24-25 players were at training.  The hits are still coming hard and players are trying to impress with the life line they’ve been given by the extension of the recent roster deadline.  Overall, the quality of play has risen over the last week and a half.  Players are finding their form but there is still plenty of work to be done.

Training Observations:

1. Akpan and LaBauex are the only two draftees left.
2. Hodges is gone.
3. De La Cruz is still on trial.  The guy is tall (6′4) and is a smart passer.  From what I saw, I don’t think he’ll beat out Mastroeni, Larentowicz, LaBrocca, or Ballouchy for a center mid spot.
4. Akpan played aggressive winning his fair share of physical battles.  Coach Smith praised him for beating the outside back to the ball and hitting a solid cross.  Best play of the game was when he chased a ball down the left and tossed Kimura about 20 feet in a shoulder to shoulder challenge.
5. LaBauex was deployed on the wing after spending most of preseason camp as a center midfielder.  His athleticism and ability to close down on the flank was noticeable.
6. Danny Earls is looking sharper.  The kid is really quick and has excellent ball control.
7. Mastroeni looked sharp despite missing a good portion of preseason with injury.
8. Michael Holody played solid as a center back, but I wonder about his chances with the Rapids current depth in that position.
9. Oscar Murillo played well, he’s a strong kid and anticipates well.  You can tell that communication is still an issue but they are making it work.
10. Drew Moor and Julien Baudet look like a solid center back pairing.  They play well off each other.
11. Omar Cummings, and basically all the offensive players, were a little frustrated today.  The team is really focusing on closing down fast and making it difficult to create.
12. Colin Clark was involved in the scrimmage.  The word is that he is physically ready but still needs some time to overcome the mental aspect of a big injury.  Nonetheless, it was great to see him out there beating defenders.
13. Ciaran O’Brien took part in the scrimmage and slotted the best pass of the day to a streaking Rob Valentino.
14. Rob Valentino is a new man.  A few of us standing on the far end of the field thought he was a trialist and it wasn’t until later that we realized it was Rob.  He looks sharp and aggressive as a left back.  He’s been one of the better players at camp.

Notes:

1. Conor Casey signed a 3 year contract with the Rapids.  It was announced this afternoon at a press conference held at South High School.  Check the Rapids facebook page for photos and video of the event.
2. The Rapids leave for England this weekend.
3. Friday, March 19 the Rapids face the Seattle Sounders in a charity match.  The following Friday, March 26, the Rapids open up the MLS season at Chivas.
4. Don’t forget to get involved with the newest Rapids’ supporters group “Bulldog Supporters Group.”  You can get info on the facebook page or send an email to britishbulldogfc@gmail requesting information.

Final Thoughts:

The coaching staff has emphasized defensive play this preseason.  The players are closing down fast all over the pitch.  The forwards are finding very little room to operate and the defenders have very little time to play the ball out of the back.  The group is playing with a ton of energy and belief.

I’m waiting to see what the Rapids have up their sleeve on the offensive side of the ball.  Conor Casey and Omar Cummings were a strong combination last year and everyone hopes for more of the same.  I have yet to see the dynamic Rapids attack but I think that is typical of preseason soccer.

Although the quality on the offensive side of the ball has been lacking, I did see a sign of hope today.  The composed play of Mastroeni and dynamic runs of Cummings and Clark showed glimpse of our offensive prowess.  Although Akpan isn’t ready just yet, he has the potential become a quality striker and score plenty of goals for the Rapids.

As the season gets closer and roster is settled, hopefully the training will start to resemble a soccer practice and not so much of a battle ground.

Some training pictures below, check our facebook page for more pictures.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 5:37 pm and is filed under Colorado Rapids, MLS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.