Joel Miller watches Lio Delpiccolo's game winner trickle in off the GK

Written by Brandon Best – Pictures by Destiny Fernandez

Having not played Colorado Rovers in over three seasons, Sunday’s match for FC Denver Premier offered the rare opportunity to play a somewhat unfamiliar foe in league play.  It was also a chance for Premier to play another squad that was enjoying the rarefied air at the top of the table.  The outcome of this past Sunday’s match could end up having major implications when the post season rolls around.  However, none of that was as important to FC Denver as showing up and continuing to try and take their game play to another level.

Tom Marks focused on the loose ball

It was a wonderful afternoon to be out at the park, after last Sunday’s game in the wind.  Right from the opening whistle FC Denver did well to control play and were really able to splay the ball around the field, keeping possession while trying to find a weakness in the Rovers defense, who had yet to concede a goal on the season.  Tyler Wilson and Adam Keller did well in the beginning to keep the ball moving from side to side and to break up most of the Rover’s attacks before they could into the final third.  When it came time for a change, Matt Haager also did well to come in and create good opportunities with some excellent vision.  Unfortunately for FC Denver, their first goal would be on themselves.  The own goal came when a Rover’s striker chased the ball down on their left flank and was able to get a cross off, which more than likely would have been put in by their player streaking into the six yard box had Dave Kron not beaten him to it and put it off his chest and past keeper Ian Campbell.  Going down 1-0 against the run of play was definitely disappointing for a side that has higher expectations for this season, but the breaks won’t always go your way and there was still plenty of soccer left to play.

Juan Gonzalez closes down space

FC Denver would pull even before half time, when Tyler Imbrogno’s cross floated across the box and Marco DelPiccolo looped his header back up and over the keeper and into the far side netting.  The goal would allow FC Denver to avoid coming out in the second half panicking that they were playing from behind.  Regardless of the score at halftime, FC Denver knew that the first half was disappointing and that in order to win the game and take the club to the next level, they would need a better effort after the break.

The team’s character would definitely be tested in the second half, when Kevin Bourland was sent off around the 60 minute mark for his second yellow.  Down to 10 men, FC Denver would not only have to limit the Rover’s opportunities but would also have to create their own against the stingiest defense in the league this season.  It was a tall order, but great individual efforts at all positions really allowed FC Denver to prevent Rovers from mounting a dangerous attack on goal.  When Rovers did manage to get a chance on goal, Campbell strained every muscle in his body to just get enough on the shot that it hit the cross bar and bounced away from goal.  With time winding down and the Rovers looking the more winded of the two teams despite being a man up, FC Denver knew they had to push hard if they were going to find a winner.  On a quick counter, Imbrogno did well to hold off his defender and turn the corner on the end line.  His cross was looking to pick out Joel Miller, who had made a 110 yard sprint from box to box to try and put in a goal.  The cross made it past Miller and onto the head of a Rover’s defender who did poorly to head his clearance right to the top of the box.  Lio DelPicollo had followed the play and was waiting at the top of the box, where the ball settled at his feet and he powered his shot past the outstretched Rover’s keeper for the game winner.

Lio DelPiccolo and Kyle Burns battle over possession

Coming back from a goal down and coming up with a winner after playing down a man for a long stretch of the half will definitely go a long way in building the character of the FC Denver Premier squad.  However, they will need to start putting together complete games from the word go, if they hope to dominate league play like they hope to.  Also, they will need to do better if they hope to keep pace with league leaders, Chivas, who have hung 10 goals in their first two games this season.

MOTM: Tyler Wilson. Coach Elbin States, “It’s hard to look past the 2 goal DelPiccolo (Marco and Lio) special, but Tyler played perhaps his best game yet for the club. He dominated the midfield with ball winning and effective distribution. We relied heavily upon him and he stepped up big time.”

Coach Elbin’s Thoughts: “This was a memorable match, full of dramatic moments. I loved how we dictated the pace of the game through clever possession. Rovers had to chase quite a bit in this match, and it allowed us to overtake them in the final 20 minutes of the game, even if we were a man down. I am so proud of the effort our guys put in.”

Written by: Ian Campbell

Pictures courtesy of ColoradoRapids.com/Getty Images

After a strong start to the season, Colorado entered Sunday’s game against the New York Red Bulls hoping to string together a third straight win. The Red Bulls had lost two straight and were in their home debut, eager to make a statement and get their season on track. With the second highest payroll in Major League Soccer, a three loss start to the season would have raised a number of calls for coach Hans Backe to make dramatic changes. Colorado began the game without starters Jeff Larentowicz (red card suspension) and Pablo Mastroeni (injury), forcing Oscar Pareja to field a squad including Ross LaBauex and Wells Thompson in the midfield alongside new player Jaime Castrillón. The Red Bulls were bringing back Rafa Márquez after his 3 game suspension during last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs.

The provisional midfield moves turned out to be disastrous for Colorado. It only took three minutes for an intercepted backpass by Ross LaBauex to give Thierry Henry a chance that he put by Matt Pickens after beating Drew Moor on the 1v1. It seems that the midfield wanted to prove this was no fluke and an errant pass by Castrillón three minutes later allowed Henry to perfectly slot Kenny Cooper into the box for an off balance finish against Matt Pickens from an awkward angle. Down 2-0 in the first six minutes put the Rapids on their back heel and they never recovered, though they did not concede again in the half and produced some exciting attacking soccer that nearly brought them back into striking distance.

The start of the second half saw the Rapids making more mistakes in their own half. On a standard free kick from midfield, Wilman Conde was able to find a free Thierry Henry after Drew Moor failed in his attempt to execute the offsides trap. Henry beat Pickens to the far post on the breakaway and the Rapids’ hopes for a 3-0 start were dashed.  A consolatory goal by Omar Cummings brought one bright spot to the game as he chipped New York’s keeper from 20 yards out and opened his scoring tab for the 2012 season. New York added one late goal as they passed around a static Colorado defense and found Kenny Cooper open in the middle for an easy slotted finish. The game finished with a depressing 4-1 scoreline for two sides that for long stretches seemed evenly matched. Only mental mistakes doomed the Rapids and gave New York an easy win.

So far Oscar Pareja’s focus on attacking soccer has produced some exciting games. Already this season, the Rapids have produced some excellent opportunities and pretty goals. While the goal total through three games is identical to last year, there has been more sustained pressure on the opposing goal. Especially nice has been the tendency for Kosuke Kimura to join the attack from the right side and hit crosses onto attacking players in the box. With the additional attacking mindset, Colorado has already conceded five goals in three games, and needs better defensive communication between Matt Pickens and Drew Moor, as they seem to be on different wavelengths at times. This will likely improve as the season draws on. The next game for the refocused Rapids is on April 1^st at 5pm at DSG against the well regarded Chicago Fire. The game time coincides with FC Denver Premier’s game against Baxterboo at Broomfield Commons. Hopefully both sides can come away with a win!