Rapids Class VI

Class VI Scarves are in!

Class VI Scarf: No Fan Alone
(click image to enlarge)

For those who remember the long trek our Class VI scarves made across the Pond from Poland, those times are past.

The scarves are in, and they look (and feel) magnificent! Take a gander, then get on over to our store and order yours now!

Check out The Store for more details on these luscious little beauties! Soft, velvety, truly dee-lish! Remember, if you don't want to pay shipping, just order now and pick your scarf up at the tailgate next weekend!

Announcing the Official Class VI tailgate for every home game!

It's here, and we're 100% ready for the Home Opener against D.C. United, with the tailgate beginning at 9:00am on April 7th, 2007. Normally we expect to have the tailgate up and running around 2 hours before each game, but we're getting there early for the first game!

It's the official Class VI tailgate and will be held for every home game this season. All of our families and friends are invited so bring 'em along. In fact, this year we'll be hosting several away team traveling fan groups.

Stare at the image above for 30 seconds. Find the orange arrow. That's the "AA" ticket!

Official Class VI Tailgate Location: Lot AA on the East Side of The Dick.

For more transportation and parking maps, check out this page at DSGpark.com

The location is absolutely perfect for us, and will allow us the space to throw a great tailgate. You'll notice that it's next to the new Rapids Practice Field. We've also got access to restrooms close by. Now, some of you may wonder why we are in the "AA" section, but it's just coincidence.

Official pub & beer: Yep, we've got friends! Isaac's British Bulldog is the official away-game viewing party and supports Class VI in a variety of ways. Fuller's London Pride is our official beer partner and will be on-hand at every tailgate this year to provide us with quality Fuller's London Pride beer! Thanks to all of our sponsors for their great support of our club. It's nice to have friends.

Food & Drink: Yep, the beer is flowing thanks to Fuller's, and we'll also have non-alcoholic goodies available for everyone. Class VI will provide the proper tailgating equipment, including a nice grill, a couple of large canopies to shade us, and a table and utensils and what not.

And just to get the party started, we'll also be providing 200 hot dogs for your eating pleasure outside The Dick. Like any normal tailgate, the best way to rock the house is to add to the show. Please help the party along by bringing a dish or drink to share! Class VI was known for some fantastic food last year, and we can't wait to see what we all bring this year.

So, how much would *you* pay for all of this? Nothing? Oh. Well, okay then. If you insist. Fine. In fact, we were totally going to make it free anyway. Just being neighborly and such.

On the other hand, if you are feeling neighborly, and are considering joining us for tailgates this season, we would really appreciate a donation to the cause. Unfortunately, after investing $130 Million, the Rapids and Commerce City don't want anyone else taking money at their stadium, which means we can't take cash at the tailgate! Please visit the Class VI donation page and find the donation button. Anything at all would be very helpful. And grab a Class VI pin while yer there! There's only a half-dozen left, get 'em before they're gone -- forever.

Speaking of ways to help... we are looking for a few more volunteers to help us get the gear to each and every tailgate. If you know you'll be attending many (if not most) of the games, please consider helping us out! Just email mark@rapidsclassvi.com and let him know or talk to him during the tailgate.

One more piece of great news! The Scarves Are Here!!! Everyone who has ordered a scarf, please stop by the tailgate to pick yours up. If you ordered online with shipping? It's on the way to your house right now! If you haven't ordered? Then it's your lucky day. Please consider ordering online for pickup at the tailgate to simplify dealing with money issues. If you can't do that, just show up, enjoy the tailgate, and grab your scarf then!

We're looking forward to a great season on AND off the field.

Cheers,

The Class VI committee for good times, good times

Class VI Partners

Clint Mathis: YOU'RE TRADED!

Clint Mathis has been traded to the Pink Cows

"I believe the Rapids traded him in exchange for a pair of six-packs: Bud AND Bud Light." (Thanks for that research Greenie)

ESPN has precious few details to add to this player development.

Ives Galarcep's Soccer by Ives (btw - a great soccer blog if you're looking for one) had a few more juicy details for enquiring fans like us.

Ives' last two paragraphs really sums it all up:
Can he still score goals? Mathis only netted two goals in 25 appearances for Colorado last season. In 2005 he scored three goals to go with four assists for Real Salt Lake. That's five goals and five assists over two seasons, not exactly lighting the world on fire.

However, Mathis' best seasons in MLS were in New York and being reunited with Reyna and Arena can't hurt. Yes, he has lost a step or two, but he just might have some magic left in those boots.

Some of you may remember the original announcement by the Rapidos back in 2005 regarding the "blockbuster" trade that brought Clint to our shores.

Rapids played soccer

And if you could care less about the business side of soccer, we have a report that the Rapids beat a small public college last night on their practice field.

3-0 was the final score, relatively respectable for the college kids, I'd say. Of course, they were playing the Rapids Reserve squad, so that should make a difference.

Rapids Match Report

And, frankly, if you don't care about the business side, then why weren't you out there last night to watch the game? ;-)

Speaking of Reserve squad, let's take a look at who hasn't made the first 11 just yet. This is assuming Mastroeni's just trying to get into match fitness. And by that I mean he apparently got a red card from reports on the ground. In a scrimmage. Against college kids. DOH!

Rapids Lineup:

Zach Thornton, Dan Gargan, Stephen Keel (Colin Clark 53), Chris Wingert, Jordan Harvey, Nico Colaluca, Dan Wasson, Pablo Mastroeni (Nick LaBrocca 50), Yherland McDonald, Omar Cummings, Jacob Peterson (Kosuke Kimura 70)

Kroenke smack down

The estimable TribalFootball.com is reporting this morning that Kroenke has denied the denial by the Rapids' Jurgen Mainka regarding Kroenke's interest in Arsenal F.C. of the English Premier League.

Kroenke is reported to have said, "Jurgen who? And who are these 'Rapids' you keep referring to? I'm an important billionaire, not some hack MLS owner."

Of course, the same article is essentially repeated in Forbes online magazine. With new rumors and speculation and additional fun information that states, "Kroenke reportedly holds a 9.9 pct stake in Arsenal."

What fun! Our poor little Rapids team is about to buy that little Brit club across the pond! Too-da-loo! Chip-chip. Cheerio! and all that. Maybe we could organize fan get-togethers with our brethren? :-)

* Yes, this IS the best photo of Stan I could find.

Class VI Seating: Game One Sold Out

MAJOR UPDATE:

THERE ARE NO SEATS LEFT IN OUR 108 SECTION. ANY CLASS VI SEATS FOR THE HOME OPENER ARE NOW IN SECTION 109 FOR THOSE LOOKING TO GET CLASS VI TIX FOR THE HOME OPENER.

Class VI lobbied hard for additional single seat tickets for each game. We were granted this by the Rapids. Why? Because we knew our Class VI crew would breeze thru all the extra single-game tickets they could give us!

For the future, please keep in mind to grab extra Class VI tickets early for each game as they will probably go fast every week.

The new Class VI tickets in 109 are priced at $22. If you have questions, please call the Rapids Class VI Hotline at 303.727.3541 or email
mmyrick@dsgpark.com

Bulldog has his day

Finally! The Rocky recognizes what all of us soccer fans have known for a while now...

The British Bulldog is the greatest soccer bar in the world! At least for those of us living in the Greater Denver MetroPlex.

Rocky: A Bulldog with Bite.

====================================
The text is commemorated here for all fans of the British Bulldog
-----------------------------------------------------------------
hen Isaac James talks about the food his mother and his aunt cooked when he was growing up, from chappli kebabs to saag paneer, his foreign accent grows strong. You can hear exactly where he's from: the suburbs of Chicago.

"I was born in Peshawar, Pakistan, near the Afghani border. I'm fluent in Pakistani, but I was really young when we moved to Joliet," said James, 41. "I remember a little of school there and the food (and that) there was a war going on."

Like many a Colorado resident, James came to play and stayed. "I wanted to rock climb, backpack and ski, so I had to find a job," he said. "Hey, it's at least a five-hour drive to wilderness from Chicago."

After a career that included owning a printing company and sales management, James and his cousin, Aamer Arboleda, opened the British Bulldog a year ago.

Generations of Denver imbibers know these premises well from its recent incarnation as the Stout Pub and for decades as the Punch Bowl.

James has added a few British beer mirrors and photos of bulldogs and Winston Churchill, the British Bulldog himself.

"I also chose the name because I was in the Marines. The bulldog is the Corps' mascot," James said.

Good Brit brews from Fuller's to Bass are served at the right temperature - slightly cooler than room temperature - and in a proper glass. You won't get a frosty mug from any freezer here.

When it came time to devise a menu, James knew he wanted to serve British pub classics, U.S. faves and some Tex-Mex items.

"But the big thing for me was to offer real Pakistani border food in Denver," he said.

James had some family recipes and brought out his aunt to get the kitchen organized and perfect the saag paneer recipe - spinach with house-made cheese.

"Our saag rocks!" James insists. The side of meatless curry with pita is a vegetarian favorite.

James also raves about his fusion Anglo-Indian sandwich, a baguette stuffed with spice-coated Peshawari chicken, bacon, provolone, lettuce and tomato. His Anglo-Indian meatballs are stuffed with provolone.

The place has been spiffed-up, but the same ornate, well-worn wooden bar remains with its stained-glass inserts. Most critically, the mountain landscapes painted on the high wooden booths have been preserved.

"They're part of Denver history," James said. "The legend is that a Native American artist traded the paintings for whiskey and food."

Sports play a big part in James' plan for this true, nostalgia-worthy Denver institution. The British Bulldog sponsors a local rugby team and opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday to accommodate rabid fans of Arsenal and Manchester United who want to watch soccer games live from England.

Over the years, many famous folks have visited the premises, from Teddy Roosevelt to John Wayne and Elvis. Next, why not British soccer superstar David Beckham when his L.A. Galaxy team plays the Colorado Rapids?

"I'd be delighted to have him here - I'll say my prayers," said James, belly-laughing at the thought of the star coming to his humble pub.

THE LAST WORD: Aloo gosht salin (pronounced ah-loo goosht sahl-in) - spicy potato, tomato and lamb curry served with Pakistani-style basmati rice, pita bread and fresh cilantro chutney.

COMING FRIDAY: Look for dining critic John Lehndorff's review of Hoke's BBQ in Weekend Spotlight.

The British Bulldog

• What: British-style pub and restaurant serving English, Pakistani and American fare

• Where: 2052 Stout St.

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday

• Price range: $1.50-$12 appetizers; $6.50-$10 sandwiches and main dishes

• Information: 303-295-7974; britishbulldogdenver.com

• John's favorite items: Potato-filled fried samosas with cilantro chutney; wonderful spice-layered chicken masala with Pakistani rice; bright green saag paneer with creamy cheese chunks; spicy Peshawari chicken

• Also available: Green chile; shepherd's pie; bangers and mash; chappli (ground beef) kebabs; Cobb salad; deep-fried pickles; Philly cheesesteak; Greco-Indian sandwich with Peshawari chicken, bacon, tomatoes, red onion, feta and raita (yogurt cucumber sauce)

Blast from the Past

Ever wonder what happened to Chris Carrieri?

NO? Oh, well, move along then.

For the rest of us...

The Cary News brings a nice profile of what Carrieri's been up to of late. He's back in USL-1!

Rapids Scrimmage Wednesday, March 28th

The Colorado Rapids will be having a scrimmage on Wednesday night at 5pm. It's at the new Rapids Practice Field at Dicks Sporing Goods Park. It is the gated one with the really green grass.

The Rapids will play Metro State.

For parking, park in Lot AA (spaces closest to the practice field). Bring your cameras and get a first hand peak at some of the new players.

Here's a short article about the game. Admission and parking are both free.

More Rapids Gear

I know, I know. It seems unbelievable that more than one store would have Rapids gear.

It's simply stunning that they have a *good selection* of merchandise!

Couple of quick hitters for all y'all.

First, MLSgear.com has most of not all of the Rapids gear available. They also have free ground shipping through April 1st!

Second... MLSgear.com has at least one item we couldn't find at the Altitude Authentics online store:

The new Rapids Stadium Jacket!

Below is the cool new hoody. If you buy from Altitude, it's $55+$7shipping+Tax. If you buy from MLSgear.com? It's $54.99 shipped free!

No, no. No need to thank us. Thank YOU for watching ;-). Now, go out there and get that gear!

And don't forget Class VI scarves and pins right here!

Party a smashing success

Ahem. Sorry about that Isaac, we'll get those tables repaired, the dancing got a little out of hand ;-)

The party was too much fun to take pix, but it looked a bit like this

We want to thank the many many folks who came out for the Class VI inaugural pre-season party at the Bulldog yesterday afternoon. It was a perfectly dreary, English-weather way to welcome in the new soccer season.

Attendees were greeted by quite the collection of silent auction items. From Clint Mathis' XXL shorts to the popular Nico long-sleeve warm-up jersey, things were hottin' up in the bidding wars. One lucky fan won the Mastroeni jersey auction and many more got some cool door prizes.

For me, though, it was all about winning some new friends & re-connecting with stalwart Class VI-ers of old. Good times, folks!

Many of us also got our first look at the sexy new Rapids home jersey. Looks even better in person!

We also appreciate the very generous bidding from everyone, the funds will go a long way towards funding the tailgate infrastructure we've purchased, including a tailgate grill, canopies, and food. Well, we haven't bought the food yet.

Therese, the Fuller's London Pride beer representative, announced that Fuller's will be the exclusive beer provider of Class VI, and will be on-hand at every tailgate this year to provide us with Beer!!!!!!

Isaac proved once again why the British Bulldog is the top destination for soccer fans in Denver. Great grub, great drinks, great prices, great atmosphere.

Muchas Gracias to Fuller's and the British Bulldog and all of our great partners!!!

MLS is Newsalicious

Arsenal Colorado?!?
Hate to revive old rumors, but the London Times is reporting new activity that centers around a Kroenke attempt to purchase a good chunk of the London-based Arsenal F.C. for around $80 Million.

Finally official: Freeman gone
Sure, the Rapids haven't reported it, but it's still a done deal. MLSnet.com reports that the "New York Red Bulls traded two draft picks to the Colorado Rapids on Friday" for Hunter. Good luck buddy.

So, what'd we get? Not much. We gots us a new 2008 third round SuperDraft pick and a 2009 fourth round supplemental draft pick. Yahoo.

More multi-level marketing schemes make front-jersey news!
Galaxy, Toronto make sponsor moves. The LA Galaxy, riding their new-found Beckham bandwagon, turned a $5 Million a year jersey deal with herbalife. If you live in LA, you'll be wearing the Herbalife Galaxy jersey. I'd snicker, but with a stadium named The Dick, I'm worried enough about our own sponsor.

BTW -- Toronto picks up the Bank of Montreal (BMO) as their shirt sponsor.

Best way to steer clear of bad sponsor ju-ju? Get Your Jersey Now, while it's still clean! (note: the Rapids have added a few more items for sale!)

FIFA sanctions Toronto FC
...to play in MLS. Which is good news. With 14,000 season tickets sold, it would be troublesome had FIFA not decided to let the team play with us.

DC United works to mitigate Rapids home-field advantage
In a bid to make our home opener more interesting, DC United traveled yesterday to Mexico to begin 2 weeks of high-altitude training. They'll play Chivas de Guadalajara on April 3rd before traveling directly to Colorado for the home opener April 7th.

Of course, DC will also have played four highly-competitive international matches as a warm-up to the Rapids. Yowza, gonna be hot in The Dick!

Bloody 'ell matey, Party is Today!!!

CVI Pre-season Party TODAY!!!

3pm - 7pm @ the British Bulldog.

Ahem. Now that I've got the large font out of my system, let me say that we're excited to see everyone today! Tons of RSVPs mean a packed house and that's great news. The crappy weather* will guarantee that the British Bulldog will have full English-quality damp atmosphere!

* On the other hand, my yard needs the water, so rain away!

What to bring?

• Yourself & a friend. Does my wife count?
  
• A sense of humor
  
• Your gear! Wear your Rapids jerseys, Class VI pins, all that stuff
  
• Your cash: Isaac's famous Pakistani pub grub, 2-for-1 drinks, rapids auction items and more!
  
• More cash: You can pre-order now and get the first Class VI scarves!
  Posted by BilFish at 06:50 AM

Jersey Discounts are here! (sort of)

We're moderately pleased to (finally) announce that Class VI members who are season-ticket holders will be receiving the Front Range Supporters' Card. This entitles you to 15% off all Rapids merchandise.

Hopefully these cards went into the mail yesterday, but only hold your breath if you really enjoy it. Or you're passing a cemetary. Remember, it's not nice to breathe when others can't.

Now, before you get excited about the big 15% discount, let us add a few more conditions.

On the plus side, this 15% off is not just for Rapids merchandise, it is good for all merch. at ALTITUDE AUTHENTICS stores (i.e. Nuggets & Avs).

On the minus side, it's only good at Altitude Authentics stores.

On the minus side, it only counts for regularly-priced merchandise.

On the plus side, the new Rapids jerseys are priced to move!

On the minus side, only season-ticket holders who are in Class VI get in on this.

On the plus side, we are told there will be specials run exclusively for Front Range Membership card holders at various times this season.

So, to recap

• You must be a Class VI member
  
• (for now) you must be a season-ticket holder
  
• 15% discount on all regularly-priced merchandise (NO discounted stuff)
  
• Only good at Altitude Authentics stores
  
• Specials throughout year for Front Range cardholders

Separately, we've learned that season tickets should be received by all holders by approximately March 31st.

Also, Class VI maintains an inventory of singles for each game so we can invite friends and family along to sit near us in 108, at a nice discount.

Well, there's only 5 single-seats left for the first game from our inventory, so if you're thinking about it, get 'em before they're gone! After that, we can't guarantee where your friend/family/acquaintance/boss will end up sitting!

Pre-Season party in 2 days!

And the news keeps getting better.

The RSVP's are rolling in, and not just from Class VI members!

We're pleased to announce that some special player guests will be making an appearance at the party.

Barring any unforeseen team-related issues, we hope that Class VI fans will have a chance to hang out with a couple of the lads and enjoy some relaxed conversations.

Maybe a few questions about how it felt to be in Valencia...? Sounds fantastico!

If you didn't catch the details last time 'round, here they are again!
UPDATE: Tailgating important to you? We'll have final details at the party! Like free prizes? We'll have raffles at the party!

"It's that time of the year again for the annual pre-season party..."

At least, that's what we'll say next year if our planned Inaugural Class VI Pre-season Party goes off without a hitch!

March 24th, 3-7pm.

It's Party Time! Mark your calendars now.

Details:
What & Who: Class VI pre-season party, open to all Class VI members & family, as well as friends/associates you are trying to get signed up with Class VI!

We are also inviting several Rapids players to join us for a few hours of fun and merriment and conversation. Entertainment will also include DVDs of an historic FA Cup Final and more!

And if that's not enough, we've got soccer ball cookies to commemorate the Class VI tradition of bringing food to share at games. And we have another surprise dessert on tap as well!

When: Saturday, March 24th, 2007. 3-7pm.

Where: British Bulldog in downtown Denver (also our official away-game viewing party location!)

Food/drink: Isaac will be hooking us up with great drink specials: 2-for-1 on Beer, Well, & Wine! (Do they even serve wine at the Bulldog?)

What can I bring? For starters, your Rapids gear and Class VI pins! If you don't have a pin, don't worry, you can pick up one or more at the party ($4)! And don't forget to bring money to purchase some of the Bulldog's celebrated American and Pakistani food selection!

Finally, a sense of humor is always nice ;-)

Hunter Traded!?!

We've received enough confirmation to elevate this to website-quality rumor:

Insider sources have confirmed that Hunter Freeman has been traded to the Red Cows.

We're not sure what the Rapids have received in return - but we wish Hunter well.

When we find out who got the fish and who got a few kernals of grain in this trade, we'll let ya know.

Rapids play soccer!

Many Rapids fans are to be found hurting today with eye sprains, neck strains and finger pains after attempting to watch the Rapids take on famed side Valencia in Spain yesterday afternoon via live webcast.

It was like listening to an underwater tuba concerto while nursing a nasty hangover.

My eyes are still blurry, but it was worth it to occasionally get a peek at who our likely starting 11 lineup will be come April 7th!

Consensus is that Zach Thornton will be standing in all his statuesque glory in goal for us. Nothing personal, but I miss the Cannon.

Who else was there? Here's the official Rapids Lineup from the website (as there was much confusion for those of us using the "drunk driving simulator" to watch the game):
Zach Thornton
Dan Gargan (Chris Wingert 59)
Mike Petke (Stephen Keel 64)
Ugo Ihemelu (Colin Clark 69)
Greg Vanney
Terry Cooke
Kyle Beckerman
Jovan Kirovski
Herculez Gomez
Roberto Brown (Omar Cummings 61)
Nicolas Hernandez.

Final score: Valencia 4 : Rapids 3. Not bad, really, against an amazing team in prime form competing well against billion-dollar teams like Real Madrid.

My only commentary is that, yet again, we get a defender from LA who turns out to be more of a liability than an asset, causing more goals than he stops. Hope this improves.

Okay, two comments. From what I could tell on blur-o-vision, the two strikers we brought in to wow the crowd this year, Roberto Brown and Hercules Gomez, were invisible and Nico had a very productive game. Cookie had a trademark cross to Beckerman for an assist-goal combination hopefully indicative of what we'll see here in Colorado.

If you want more news on the game... the Denver Post has a little write-up on the game and the Rapids crack PR staff has the (assumed) slightly generous game recap.

Assistant Coach John Murphy puts up a good piece on the experience of playing in England and Spain.

Rapids Management Blinks

It's good news - bad news here at Rapids Fan Central.

The bad news? The Rapids may not be packing 'em in for the home opener.

The good news? We may not be packed into a completely full stadium for the home opener on April 7th.

The bad news? Now we just *might* be packed in like sardines given the new promotion the Rapids are offering!

Yep.... The Rapids, scared of not filling enough seats for the opener, have blinked and dropped prices -- too early in our view.

For 72 hours it will be $5 off every seat in the house. Click on the link to take advantage of the offer.

Let's not discuss whether this makes us purchase-ahead season-ticket fans look like chumps before the season has even begun.

Let's not discuss whether the Rapids are already starting down the path of de-valuing the Rapids experience.

Let's not discuss whether the Rapids might have over-priced the tickets to begin with.

Instead, let's discuss how we can spread the word and tell our friends that if it was ever time to buy a seat to the game, Now's the time!

Send everyone over to our little site here and have them click over to get some good tix at hot prices! Or just forward the email if that's how you roll!

Class VI Scarves Have Shipped

The weaving of the Class VI scarves is complete and they were shipped last Friday!

Thanks to globalization, we can order scarves online in Colorado, have them produced in Poland, and then shipped right back here. Think locally, buy globally. Is that right?

So, hopefully the scarves will arrive in time for our Pre-Season party (this Saturday, hel-l-l-o-o-o-o!)

Speaking of arrival times, we were given a satelite tracking number so we could find out just where our order is, and we checked the website to get the latest image of the scarves in transit...

Class VI discussion board

Class VI members are up to something. Something fun.
Check it out at the CVI discussion board.

Interested in the latest tailgate info? Wanna chat with fellow CVI-ers? Wanna get the latest ticket and team news and discussion?

Well, what are you waiting for! Join the many CVI members that regularly visit the Discussion Boards.

You need permission to view the discussion boards (the Class VI section) if you don't already have it.

To get on the private Class VI section of the board:
1. See the CVI Discussion Board link on the right-hand nav bar? Click it!
2. Register a User Name and password.
3. Drop an email to Mark@rapidsclassvi.com giving him your name and User Name. If you're on the CVI roster - he'll give your User Name permission to view the discussions.

In the boards are the plans for road trips, a preseason party, CVI scarves, Tailgating, and other things!

Rapids Jerseys for sale online!

Merry St. Patrick's Day! The leprechauns have brought us a treat. Rapids gear finally on sale!!!

Check out the Rapids store website here to see the jerseys and more, alongside official pricing.

Don't forget to click on the grey bar across the top just above the shirt images. They also have a hoody, pullover, and long sleeve t-shirt for sale.

I must say, the Rapids have come through with decent pricing. $65 home jersey, $60 away jersey, $45 pregame jersey, and $24 long-sleeve tee.

*NOTE: Don't forget that Class VI gets discount pricing, so consider waiting until we get the official word on how to order at a better price!

For me? I'm digging on the new pregame jersey. That's how I roll!

Happy St. Patrick's Eve!

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Eve, one of the most magical times of the year!

Don't forget to put a green beer out for St. Patrick and hide a green burrito under your pillow tonight. This ensures the good saint doesn't go thirsty as he makes his rounds tomorrow, and the burrito is good luck, especially if it has 4-leaf cilantro in it!

For those of us in the true spirit, we'll be enjoying Saint Brendan's superior Irish cream liquor in our coffee this morning. For lunch? It's a wee dram of Irish Mist with a sniff of Smithwicks! And for after work (or at least after four) we'll be enjoying twelve t'ousand sips of the Tullamore Dew. On the rocks or not, as is your pleasure.

Wash it down with a barrel-full of draft Guinness and St. Patrick's Day will come soon enough. No peeking!

Sláinte

Can't wait for the Party?

Pre-Season party on Saturday the 24th too far away? Well, it's your lucky day!

Yerp... This Saturday (2 days from now) the Bulldog has some cool St. Patrick's Day specials for your (British) Irish needs! It goes along with the St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday morning at 10am downtown.

From an email I received from the owner:

The Bulldog will open at 6:30AM with a Free Beer Breakfast Special until 11AM. Order our Authentic Irish Breakfast and receive a Free Pint of Beer. We’ve made a batch of Corned Beef and Cabbage for the day, and will be serving all of our usual British fare all day long!!

We hope to see you all here bright and early for a pint and a bite, or see our float in the Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade through Downtown, then join us later for $3 Shots of Michael Collins Irish Whisky ALL DAY!!!

Here's the map of the parade route which passes Coors Field downtown.

What's a dickfer?

Anyone getting excited yet?

Click the image for a larger version. And, on a semi-related note: Tailgating details and more pix of the stadium coming soon!

Rapids hire a Marketing person!

Rapids take over DIA (at least, Gates B38 & B40)

For the first time in Rapids history, the team has hired a marketing person (or persons, or firm) to market the massive investment they've recently made in a little soccer stadium over in Commerce City.

Check here for the article outlining the Rapids new "Blanket the City" advertising campaign.

They've also got a number of photos of Pablo and Kyle on different streets, holding sandwich boards, running naked down the sidewalk.*

In any case, we're just happy to see the Black & Blue... errr, Burgundy & Blue splashed across the greater Denver Metro Region for all to share. It's nice to feel respectable every now and again. Which reminds me: it's still pre-season, so we're still tied for first place!

And on the heels of this news, we hear that the Rapids have (sort of) sold out the Beckham appearance on August 26th.* That's good news and it means we're going in the right direction.

I think those of us in Class VI section 108 will be glad for the company of thousands of fans to cheer with us as we spank the likes of Fake Salt Lake and other industrious, hard-working losers that spasm at the thought of Mile High breathing.

Oh, and if you're looking for more signs that the Rapids are coming to town? Check I-70 Westbound just as you pass Wadsworth. On the left, big billboard.

Now, if you're more interested in that picture of Cookie above, then check out this UK article interviewing his thoughts on Beckham.

*not really true.

CVI Pre-Season Party Announced!

UPDATE: Tailgating important to you? We'll have final details at the party! Like free prizes? We'll have raffles at the party!

"It's that time of the year again for the annual pre-season party..."

At least, that's what we'll say next year if our planned Inaugural Class VI Pre-season Party goes off without a hitch!

March 24th, 3-7pm.

It's Party Time! Mark your calendars now.

Details:
What & Who: Class VI pre-season party, open to all Class VI members & family, as well as friends/associates you are trying to get signed up with Class VI!

We are also inviting several Rapids players to join us for a few hours of fun and merriment and conversation. Entertainment will also include DVDs of an historic FA Cup Final and more!

And if that's not enough, we've got soccer ball cookies to commemorate the Class VI tradition of bringing food to share at games. And we have another surprise dessert on tap as well!

When: Saturday, March 24th, 2007. 3-7pm.

Where: British Bulldog in downtown Denver (also our official away-game viewing party location!)

Food/drink: Isaac will be hooking us up with great drink specials: 2-for-1 on Beer, Well, & Wine! (Do they even serve wine at the Bulldog?)

What can I bring? For starters, your Rapids gear and Class VI pins! If you don't have a pin, don't worry, you can pick up one or more at the party ($4)! And don't forget to bring money to purchase some of the Bulldog's celebrated American and Pakistani food selection!

Finally, a sense of humor is always nice ;-)

Donate (yes, donate) money!

Okay, so we say "no fees & no obligations" on the website. Yet, you will also notice a Donations link in the menu.

So... How do we reconcile this blatant disregard for our own policy?

We're glad you asked. Class VI takes a lot of money to operate, for example the start up costs for tailgating are high. Please consider donating to the cause - especially if you plan on participating in tailgating anytime this year. We need to buy a gas grill, canopies, a table, and a crack pipe for the Grand Poobah.

For those who missed it, here's the Donation page;-) Please use it, and help Class VI grow into the great club we know it can be! And thanks to the donors who have already helped our club so much!

Remember that whenever you buy Class VI merchandise, you also help us grow. Feel free to get your scarf pre-order in now!

Rapids latest signing

I'm guessing Kimura is the Japanese guy
Kosuke Kimura could become the Rapids latest signing if this press release from Western Illinois University is correct. Looks like he'll be on the development roster somehow.

The article says "Kimura became (past tense) the first Japanese player to join Major League Soccer." Again, I assume this fits in with Plush's master plan to get some South Americans on board.

I don't think the Rapids have confirmed this, but their pattern of letting others get press releases out first means it's probably accurate.

FC Rocky took a look at Kimura last month.

Here's his college bio @ WIU. Wow, my pet fish might be bigger than this kid. Either that or they actually use accurate stats in college.

Are Rapids Tickets Expensive?

Are they expensive? Well, that's not exactly the question asked recently by Ian Plenderleith of USSoccerPlayers.com, but it gets answered anyway.

Check out his article for the full details and prices for all the teams.

Some interesting tidbits. LA Galaxy come in with the most expensive tickets. And that doesn't include parking, for which price the reporter couldn't get LA to go on record about. Hello $25!?!

It appears the lowest price for a ticket to a Rapids game? $17. The Rapids also share that they have sold 3,500 season tickets. Not quite Toronto FC closing in on 14,000, but not bad given our Mgmt team.

The Revs killed parking costs last year, and the Rapids join them this year with free parking. That'll save some cash.

Both KC and the Red Bulls are raising their prices for their Beckham game. The Rapids, as we know, are only demanding that fans purchase another game or two. Fair enough. if you're not that big a fan, you shouldn't get a cheap Beckham ticket!

The Rapid have the lowest-end "pricey" ticket at $540 for a season ticket, but Chivas has the cheapest season ticket at $180 (Rapids' cheapest is $270).

Finally, I agree with the commentary that teams have shown little imagination in providing incentives, and have been very slow to adopt kid-friendly ticket pricing. Take the Rapids, who want to see paid tickets from kids as young as 2! Gee, thanks for ensuring I will struggle to bring my kids into the tradition of appreciating professional soccer.

Clavijo Speaks

After missing both scheduled appearances to talk with fans, Rapids Coach Clavijo finally let's the fans out of the doghouse with a fantastic article written by every Rapid Fan's friend, Brian Jennings.

Read the Soccer365 article here.

Brian puts Clavijo through his paces, and forces the coach to acknowledge his original promise to the fans to whip this team into shape in 3 years.

There are many insights from Clavijo on how he sees the team coming together, but here are the two most important quotes:

“I’ve been saying all along it would take 3 years to put a group of players together and this is 3 years, so no excuses. Everything is falling into place and you have to believe that this is our time.”

“One other thing is sometimes personal goals influence team goals and have in the past... We cannot blame anybody else. I think we have an opportunity with the new stadium and the whole thing going on, we cannot just be happy getting into the playoffs but to make a good run for it.”

NOW we have the full roster

And the full roster is quite revealing. While this is NOT necessarily the final roster that we'll field April 7th, it's close to it. Certain trades may still be made through April 15th, and people can still be added and dropped.

Rapids reveal roster compliance list.

In this case, Matt Jordan (GK) and Fabrice Noel (forward) were dropped at the last minute, and available to be picked up by another team tomorrow during a teleconference Waiver Draft.

What was *not* revealed was the fate of Aitor Karanka, our useful Spanish left back. He was neither waived nor dropped, yet he is not listed on the roster. I'm sure there's some legalese on how that could happen, or maybe his contract was simply not renewed. Who knows? The Rapids certainly wouldn't share that kind of boring player news.

Note: only 17 players are listed on the Rapids Senior Roster. Most of us assume that's because Zach Thornton still has to be officially signed by the Rapids. Either that, or we're going with only one goalkeeper for the season!

Finally, some news!

No.... it's not the entire roster printed out nicely in a press release or on the website.

But, the Rapids *did* put the Zach Thornton article back online after removing it a couple days ago.

Yep. He was traded by Chicago in exchange for a cup of (warm) tea and two Rapids (Atletica) jerseys with minor holes in them. And a conditional supplemental draft pick next year.

On the other hand, the Rapids announced the somewhat surprising signing of left-sided midfielder and improbably-named Yherland McDonald, a Costa Rican most recently playing in Norway.

So that answers the "who fills in for the gaping hole at left mid" question. A 20-year old Youth International slot will fill it.

These two signings add to the other additions brought into the Rapids camp this off-season, for at least 7 transfers into the Rapids:

• Zach Thornton (Da Fire)
  
• Yherland McDonald (Fredrikstad FK - Norway)
  
• Roberto Brown (Tacuarembó FC - Uruguay)
  
• Greg Vanney (Da Burn)
  
• Brandon Prideaux (DCU)
  
• Herculez Gomez (LA)
  
• Ugo Ihemelu (LA)
  
• ...and a bunch of college draftees, mostly unsigned
  

Here's who we've lost (or so we think):

• Joe Cannon (LA)
  
• Eric Denton (waived)
  
• Luchi Gonzalez (Miami FC - USL 1st division)
  
• Sasha Gotsmanov (waived)
  
• Aaron King (waived)
  
• Thiago Martins (Bodø/Glimt - Norway)
  
• Alain Nkong (waived)
  
• Melvin Tarley (waived)
  

No News Snooze...zzz....

This icon represents what happens when expected news releases don't materialize!

It's now officially the day after the official roster deadline. Theoretically, the roster is now compliant (see details from post a few days ago).

And? No news from the Rapids professional management team. Sure, *some* teams made this sort of information both public and easy to find. Who was cut? Who's on the official roster? Only MLS HQ knows...

Maybe the PR folks are so busy cutting deals on behalf of the team they can't be bothered to report on what has to be official news at this point.

Rapids to scrimmage DU

According to a DU Pioneers press release, the Colorado Rapids will scrimmage the University side on Wednesday, April 25th, exact time TBA.

Of course, the same press release suggests we'll be playing at Invesco... :-) Perhaps a grain of salt with this news might be in order. On the plus side, the Rapids are in-between road trip games, with 5 days before their next MLS match-up, so it makes logistical sense.

Rapids Roster Deadline Today!

From the MLS HQ press release:
Today marks a key date for all 13 MLS teams as they must be roster and budget compliant. In order to be compliant teams must be inline with the following by 5pm EST today:

• no more than 18 players on the Senior Roster
  
• no more than 10 players on the Developmental Roster
  
• no more than 4 Senior Internationals*
  
• no more than 3 Youth Internationals (subject to trades)**
  team salary budget must be equal to or less than the cap set forth by the League

* Toronto FC gets three (3) additional Senior International players as long as those three players qualify as domestic for US-based teams.
** Toronto FC may have five (5) Youth Internationals

More key roster dates for the season for those who care:
March 5, 2007: Waiver Draft

April 9, 2007: First date Senior Roster players may be waived without financial charge to team salary budget

April 13, 2007: Primary Transfer Window closes

June 1, 2007: College Protected list finalized (all college players from 2007 SuperDraft either on roster or waived)

June 15, 2007: Secondary Transfer Window opens

August 15, 2007: Secondary Transfer Window closes

September 14, 2007: Roster Freeze Date / Trade and Discovery Deadline