Masters Game Recap by: Kurt FitzRoy

To quote the late great UCLA coach John Wooden

“I’d rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.”

And with temperature’s hovering around the 90 degree mark on Championship Sunday, the Masters Club showed off that talent with a 3-1 victory over an overmatched Corrosion Team. An example of this talented team came in the score-line with two of the three goals coming from off the bench. This just reinforces FC Denver’s depth and talent, the score line reads Chris Lujun, Patrick Okeefe and Kurt FitzRoy all with 1 goal. But this was only part of the equation in this title match, the strength of the Masters Club all season and in this game particular was the “I am the bully on the playground who is going to take you lunch money and you can’t do anything in your power to stop me”………….DE-FENCE.

Allowing only one goal in the waning moments of the match just solidify the mind blowing 26-3 goal differential. These numbers smack you square in the face that championships are indeed won with de-fence. And with that stat line and a Championship Title in the club house The Masters Club will take there unabashed talent and bombastic de-fence to The over 30 Division 1 league next season.

John Wooden once said “Make each day your masterpiece.” well The Masters Club on this day created their Mona Lisa…………

Man of the Match: Chris Lujan

Chris Lujan is a proud member of the FC Denver Masters team and worked hard all season to do his part, sometimes in limited minutes, and kept a positive team attitude. In the final, he proved his value on the field with a great individual first goal coming in strong off the bench. The goal set the tone for the match. He continued to work hard all match long and was able to get to the end of a cross late in the 2nd half and almost score what would have been the team goal of the season. Congratulations to Chris on this big team day.

United Game Review by: Lucas Elbin - Pictures by: Destiny Fernandez

FC Denver United came into their game this past Sunday on a roll. United was looking to continue their strong play from the prior weeks by taking down a Sporting Select squad that sat at the top of the second division. The match was played at Highland Park on a pitch that was narrow and thick with grass. The width would create an easy opportunity for United to play with high pressure all game long. The grass would cause some trouble at times, slowing the game down unnecessarily.

United came out focused after a strong and focused pregame warm-up. Sporting was not prepared to match their intensity and were overwhelmed early by United’s team defensive pressure created quick turnovers in Sporting Select’s half. Drew Anneberg would score within the first five minutes of the game on a slotted left foot finish that blew past the Sporting keeper. From there, United pressed on, limiting Sporting to two or three passes at the most in a run of play.

The wings were open all morning and for United. Sporting’s midfield were being beaten on both sides of the ball, by strong efforts from Jose Chavez, Lio Delpicollo, Drew Dennison, and Anthony Hyatt. Their strong play, along with a rock solid performance in the back by all the United defender’s helped find their team up 3-0 at the end of the half. Sporting had trouble finding their way into United’s half, and were fortunate the score wasn’t worse.

The second half featured more of the same. United continued to get the better of their opponent by winning tackles and making smart passes all over the pitch. They would score their most impressive team goal of the year after connecting on a long series of one and two touch combinations. The ball began in the back and was switched from sideline to sideline by the United’s backs. They then connected with the midfield and eventually found Matt Martinez on the end of beautifully played early cross. Matt calmly finished on a class first touch volley that floated over the keepers head. Brilliant stuff all around.

United’s entire roster (a deep one at that) showed well Sunday. This blogger would be hard pressed to say who was the man of the match. One thing was for certain, the teamwork, skill, and tenacity of United were on display.

The game would end 5-1 in United’s favor. Their consistent play and hard work left Sporting frustrated and beaten. The result moved United into first place in the second division of the CASL and sets up for a rematch to determine who will move up to the top division of the CASL in the upcoming two weeks. United remained undefeated and improved to 6-0-1 on the season.

Man of the Match:

Premier Game Review by: Brennen Randquist - Pictures by: Destiny Fernandez

FC Denver had it’s final regular season game last Thursday night at Dick’s Sporting Good Park.  They played the second place Aguilas team, who they had lost to the previous year.  It was an incredible summer night here in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, with two top teams going head to head.

The game started out at a very high pace. Even though FC Denver looked focused from the start, they had a tough time figuring out the Aguila’s crazy formation.  They had true trouble figuring out how many mid fielders and who to mark who.  Luckily Augilas did not capitalize on these 15 minutes and FC Denver was able to settle down and play their game.

Around the 15-20 minute mark of the first half FC Denver got on the board after some nifty combination play between Vitor Bravo, and Ben Jackson, who then neatly slotted it to an oncoming run by Roy Tewell who knocked the ball home.  Shortly after, with FC Denver still being on a high, Aguilas got on the board after a rough free kick attempt bounced around the box landing at the forwards feet and calmly knocked home.

The score stayed even, with FC Denver having more of the quality of the play.  With little time left in the first half Vitor played a great searching ball that found Michael “Tree” Olgetree. Tree beat his defender and scored from the top of the 18.  This made it 2-1 Denver, and they would never look back.

As expected, the second half started very chippy. There was not much help from the referee, who seemed to want to be the star of the game.  However early on in the second half, off a throw in by FC Denver, Kyle Firebaugh killed a left footed half volley into the upper corner, leaving most people on the field speechless.  Truly a top class goal to make it 3-1.

The game remained chippy but FC Denver managed to produce numerous chances. Tree rounded up the scoring at 4-1 with a near post shot.

It was a great game by FC Denver who really brought the passion, and it was a great way to cap off the regular season.

Man of the Match: Michael Ogletree

Tree scored two goals, including the game winner. He was more than a handful for Aguilas all night and has been one of the top performers throughout the season.

The Rapids face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night without two key players. Pablo Mastroeni received a red card on Saturday night against the Columbus Crew and will serve his one game suspension. Julian Baudet came off the pitch in the second half of the Columbus match with a sore knee. While it is certain that Pablo won’t play, Julian is a game time decision.

Coach Smith doesn’t like to show his hand when it comes to lineups but did mention that this might be an opportunity for some reserve players to step in and prove themselves.

Two players that are ready to step up to the challenge are rookie midfielder Ross LaBauex, and center back Scott Palguta.

Ross LaBauex saw significant playing time in the Open Cup qualifiers. His combination of athleticism and skill has impressed the coaching staff. The young midfielder knows he is still a work in progress but is eager to get on the field and prove he is worthy of more minutes.

Ross seems like the ideal candidate to replace Pablo in that defensive midfield role. Although he doesn’t know if he’ll get the nod, Ross stated that “it’s looking good just cause Pablo got the red and I play defensive mid too. So we’ll see, I’m hoping, it’s always good to hope.”

Ross, a Chicago native, has extra motivation to get on the field tomorrow night . His “mom, grandma, uncle, aunt, two cousins, and a lot of friends” will be in attendance at tomorrow night’s game.

Although playing in front of his family is an added bonus, Ross believes that “getting a victory would be the best thing, regardless of what I do, as long as the team wins I’ll be happy.”

Another player that might get an opportunity is defender Scott Palguta. Scott struggled with tendinitis during preseason and has slowly worked his way back into the rotation. Scott was happy to get on the field on Saturday but isn’t getting his hopes too high about starting against Chicago.

“It was nice to get a few minutes on Saturday, but We’ll see about Chicago, there are a couple guys struggling with injury we’ll have to see how they feel tomorrow, we don’t know the lineup just yet.”

Despite the possibility of a few players missing neither Ross nor Scott believes the team will change anything.

Ross stated, ” I don’t think we’ll do much differently, we are on a good run right now, our tactics are working our formations are working. I think we are on the incline, I think we can only get better from here on as long as we work hard and play our game we can win it.”

Similarly, Scott doesn’t think the team will make major adjustments but believes their 2-2 tie earlier this season will motivate the team to look for the win.

“I don’t think so, [Chicago] I think, even though we are 10, 11, 12 games into the season, they are still trying to find themselves a little bit, they’ve been up and down a little bit form wise. The game here is going to be in the back of our mind, obviously that tie is a game we thought we should’ve won, so I think we’ll approach tomorrow night with a little bit of chip on our shoulder, that even though we are on the road we’ll be thinking 3 points the whole time.”

Coach Smith also stated that he was pleased with what he saw from Jamie Smith on Saturday.  Additionally, Coach Smith is entertaining the idea of giving Claudio a chance against Chicago.  He didn’t state if it was off the bench or starting.

The Rapids battled for a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night.  There were few chances between both teams and it took a fantastic header by Drew Moor in the 85th minute to earn the Rapids the victory.

Although the Rapids didn’t play at their best, their discipline and defensive fortitude was on clear display.  Earls and Wynne had the unenviable task of shutting down Gaven and Robbie Rogers, respectively. Something that most teams in the league have failed to do.  Drew Moor and Julian Baudet completely frustrated Steven Lenhart and limited Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Pablo and Jeff owned the midfield and kept the Crew from creating any chances. In the end, it was a defender, Drew Moor, that won the game for the Rapids.

The Rapids found a way to win on Saturday night.  Despite playing a man down, the Rapids organized themselves and made the most of the one chance the had late in the match.  Watching Drew Moor score the game winner and Colin Clark tackling in the defensive third to hold on to the win, shows that this team is willing to share responsibilities and find victories.

Player Ratings:

Pickens, 6: He came up with some big saves and kept the clean sheet

Wynne, 7: A solid performance by Wynne on both sides of the ball. Kept Rogers in check he whole match.

Baudet, 6: Still a few miscues but overall solid performance.

Moor, 9: Man of the match. Perfect defensively and the game winning goal.

Earls, 7: Another great game for Danny. He continues to impress with his quickness and ability to join the attack.

Larentowicz, 7: Won plenty of tackles in the midfield and showed strength on the ball to keep possession. Nothing spectacular from him tonight, but he did his job.

Mastroeni, 5: He made a few uncharacteristic bad passes, and a few terrible passes throughout the night. Besides that he kept the Crew’s offense under control. He loses a few points for not making contact with his two fisted shoalin worm fist.

Ballouchy, 7: Had a few moments of excellent play but Carroll and Moffat neutralized him for most of the game. He was forced the find the ball in deeper positions.

Cummings, 7: The Crew focused on neutralizing Omar, but he still found some space to run at their backline.  His finishing is still letting him down.

Clark, 6: Returned to the starting lineup and put in a solid shift. Not as dangerous as he used to be, but made some plays for the team. Made some big defensive plays at the end of the game.

Casey, 5: Andy Iro and Chad Marshall kept Conor in check most of the night, leading to second half substitution. He made a few good plays when the ball was played into his feet, but his touch fails him a little too often. Putting your elbow into the ref’s face isn’t a good idea either.

Subs:

Thompson, 6: He didn’t see much of the ball but made some good defensive contributions. Produced the Rapids best chance in the second half when he got to the endline and passed the ball back to an on rushing Omar, only to have the ball ricochet off the post.

Smith, 6: Didn’t see much of the ball when he came in but delivered the game winning assist.

Palguta, n/a: It was good to see Palguta get some time.

Post Match Quotes:

Columbus Crew, Asst. Coach Mike Lapper:

On the Crew’s the match:

“Our intention because of the altitude, maybe playing 3 games in such a short span, we wanted to drop off a little bit in first half get into the flow of the field, eliminate the space for Omar Cummings to run into so he would be limited on that side, let them build out the right, so that the couldn’t get on to a diagonal ball. I thought we did that for the most part. Second half we said, if you feel like we can go as a group, not individually, but if you feel like we can go, lets raise the tempo. we started getting a little bit more confident and I thought second half we played better.”

“It’s just frustrating, it comes down to individual duels and to lose it on a set piece, it’s hard.”

“I was pleased with everybody’s work ethic, attitude, and effort that they put forward, it was fantastic. unfortunately the game is beautiful and it can be cruel at times. I thought that was a 0-0 draw the whole time.”

On the goal:

“It was a great set piece, a good run, Drew moor gets his head on the ball. Like I said it comes down to individual battles, and he won that individual duel. The ball was there and he headed it home. Not a fluke goal at all, good service, good finish.”

On going into the break without a win in the last 3 games:

“If we were playing poorly and that was the case we’d discuss the issue, even the LA game I thought we played well. You go back to the three games, LA I thought we played well, just didn’t get it done, we battled well agains San Jose, and I thought we battled well tonight. You know just sometimes its a cruel game.”

On Colorado:

“My hats off to colorado, they are having a great season. Gary Smith has got them giong in the right direction, they are a tough team to break down, and they proved that again tonight.”

Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith:

On the match:

“We’ve played better than that, there is not doubt about it, we’ve played better, we played better against LA and lost. So at what point do you say the performance is everything or winning is everyting, tonight winning is everything, because we have played well for 5 weeks or 6 weeks we haven’t always gotten our reward.”

On subbing Conor Casey:

“I thought the two centerbacks tonight, did as good a job on him as I’ve seen all season, and i thought if we get a bit of pace through the middle, there might be those other opportunities, where we could slide down the side of them, some fresh legs out on the right, and you know that might be the difference. it didn’t end up that way, but that was the thought process behind it.”

On the team:

“The players have showed some qualities that I think have not always been at the forefront of their performances, some real character, some great determination, and the willingness to not lie down and die.”

“Tonight we proved that we are improving, we have a good squad, a good group, a very tenacious group of players, who I think will push most teams to the limit at this point.”

Rapids Defender, Drew Moor:

On the goal:

“I think it went right over Scotty’s head I think he had some of the bigger guys on him, I think I was left with one of their smaller guys, which benefited me obviously. Jaime just put it right in a dangerous spot, just kind of right at the top of the six yard box.”

On the teams reaction to the red card:

“Honestly at that point you are happy with a 0-0 draw, Just becuase you are a man down, 20 minutes to go, its been a relatively even game, but when we do have our opportunites, especially on set pieces, we’ve got to commit bodies forward and try to keep them on their heels. And who knows maybe you’ll sneak one in the net, like tonight.”

On the win:

“Three points is the most important thing, everybody conributed to the three points toinight, and I think that is what we are most excited about. Definitley what I’m most excited about.”

Star Wars™ Cantina 2010 / adidas Originals from Dominic Prevost on Vimeo.

The group is feeling confident after the win against Seattle. After a tough lose on Wednesday, the Rapids were happy to get back to winning ways. They have 16 points at the moment (5-3-1), enough to put them in a 3 way tie for 3rd. Plus, the Rapids have a few games in hand. At the moment, the Rapids are on a good pace and looking to improve as the season progresses. Not much to report on today, but here are few things of note.

Training Observations:

• Julian Baudet, Ciaran O’Brien, and Jamie Smith participated in full training and the fitness session.

• A few players practiced freekicks. Mehdi Ballouchy and Jeff Larentowicz were the most impressive among them.

• Kimura was not at training and there is no set date for his return.

• Ciaran O’Brien is likely going on loan, but he doesn’t know when or where. He says he’s been healthy for a month and is waiting to get off the injury reserve list.

Notes:

• The Rapids host the Columbus Crew on Saturday June 5.

Final Thoughts:

I noticed that both Jaime Smith and Claudio Lopez were training at full stride with the group.  Both have struggled with fitness issues, Jaime had a hamstring injury and Claudio joined the group late. As of right now, both think they are ready to play but have to wait on Coach Smith and the staff to see if they get that chance.

Nevertheless, watching them train made me ask myself, “do the Rapids finally have depth in their attack?” Although there is a great deal of improvement in that particular area, my answer at the moment is “no”.  We have plenty of bodies but we don’t know enough about certain players to really say we have depth.

Here are the players available: Wells Thompson, Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Mehdi Ballouchy, Colin Clark, Jamie Smith, Claudio Lopez, Andre Akpan, and Quincy Amarikwa.

This season; Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Mehdi Ballouchy, Wells Thompson, and Colin Clark have shown they are quality MLS players. The jury is still out on Jamie Smith, Claudio Lopez, Quincy Amarikwa, and Andre Akpan.

As of right now, the Rapids only have one quality attacking sub coming off the bench in Colin Clark. Quincy Amarikwa has contributed but, to some extent, has shown his limitations. Akpan has yet to feature in a league match and it might still be a little too early for the young striker to contribute.   That leaves Jaime Smith and Claudio Lopez holding the key to the Rapids depth.

I think we can reassess the Rapids depth when both Claudio and Jamie start playing significant minutes.  Both have impressive resumes and are highly regarded, but neither has had the opportunity to impress on the field.    When Jaime and Claudio are fit the Rapids would have cover for Mehdi (attacking center mid) and Omar (right wing) in the attack.

Until then, my answer to the depth question is “no”. That being said, their recent progress at training shows promise and we should have the opportunity to assess them soon.

Share your thoughts on the Rapids current depth in attack? What areas do you think the Rapids are solid and where would you like to see Coach Smith bring in new players or possibly a DP?

Walcott doesn't make the World Cup squad

Fabio Capello finally announced the 23 players he will take to South Africa. Not too many surprises on the list.  Both Joe Cole and Gareth Barry managed to fight off injury to make the squad.

Theo Walcott, Darren Bent, Adam Johnson, Scott Parker, Michael Dawson, Leighton Baines and Tom Huddlestone will miss out on the World Cup.

Here is the full list:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

Share your thoughts on the roster. What is the starting lineup against the US?

Abdul working defenders

United  Game Review by: Lucas Elbin - Pictures by: Destiny Fernandez

Sorry folks for the delay, your weekly United CASL game wrap up is finally here. Last Sunday FC Denver United took on Mile High Arsenal at Dicks Soccer Park. This match up looked to be an uneven one, as both squads stood at opposite ends of the table going into the match. However, given the history between some of the players on the pitch, and Arsenal’s ability to hang with anyone this season, nothing was guaranteed.

Arsenal came out playing a compact and conservative formation. This caught United off guard a little, as they were prepared for a physical match. United took advantage of Arsenal’s approach by moving the ball patiently around the field, waiting for the right moment to strike. However, after time, United became a little flustered and realized that the only way to break the game open was to begin to take players on one on one in the final third. And that they did.

The first half ended 2-0 and was highlighted by a beautiful diving header by Langston Anthony. Another goal came from Abdul Kareem Mamdu in which he cleaned a ball up nicely in the box and found the back of the net.

Xisco gets some field time

Things got worse for Arsenal as the game progressed. They were under a steady barrage of shots and crosses. FC Denver would score on four crossed balls on the day. Including a beauty from Brandon Best. Brandon showcased his attacking skills throughout the second half. The game was capped off nicely when goal keeper Cisco Villagrana scored on a header. The final score on Sunday: FC Denver United 6…Mile High Arsenal 0.

Man of the Match: Brandon Best

Played excellent on both sides of the ball all game. He was solid in the back and his wing play opened up the offense in the second half.

Here is Bob Bradley’s final 23-man roster for the World Cup.

Goalkeepers (3): Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

Defenders (7): Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein

Midfielders (9): Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Clint Dempsey

Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley

No surprises at goalkeeper.  These were the only three keepers called into camp and the only issue that needed sorting is determining the #2.

Normally the seven defenders selected by Bradley wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows. But the recent injury of Carlos Bocanegra and the current form of Oguchi Onyewu leaves me wondering if Chad Marshall shouldn’t be on the roster. Hopefully this means that Bradley and the doctors are certain both Boca and Gooch will be ready for the World Cup.

There is no real surprise in the midfield.  Beasley looked ready to make his return to the national team after a strong outing against the Netherlands.  Out of Bedoya, Kljestan, Torres, and Rogers; Torres was the most refined player.  Bedoya and Rogers, 23, and Kljestan, 24, should start focusing on 2014.

Seeing Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle on the roster is a big surprise. I expected one or the other but not both. Both looked good, not great, against the Czechs.  Brian Ching’s omission is surprising but understandable, and a little risky. Although Ching has struggled with injuries, he was the most experienced striker in the pool.  Bradley can always move Donovan or Dempsey to forward, but the fact that Bradley is taking four forwards to South Africa leads me to believe he wants Dempsey and Donovan in the midfield.

The mystery that is Robbie Findley.  Findley must have some dirt on Bob Bradley . . . incriminating pictures perhaps.  Although he’s put in some lackluster performances, Bradley still believes Findley can help the team in South Africa. I have taken my fair share of shots at Findley in the lead up to this final roster, but I’m happy that Findley’s hard work has paid off.  Findley didn’t convince me but who cares what I think, he convinced the only man that matters . . . Bob Bradley.

Share your thoughts on the roster.