Rapids Class VI

Rapids Roll On

Don't look now but this team is on a roll under Gary Smith. It wasn't the prettiest of games but the Rapids pulled off a big road win over the New York Red Bulls. Last year it was 1-0 win, this year the Rapids left it until the end for a 5-4.

Who was the man of the match? Conor Casey for his hat trick (only 4th in the history of the Rapids)? Omar Cummings? Medhi Ballouchy? Have your say in the Class VI forums by voting for your MOTM here.

New England At DSG Park Tonight

Tailgating starts at 5pm tonight for the Rapids - Revolution game tonight. The weather is looking perfect and the Revolution haven't won in Colorado since their first trip under their current head coach Steve Nicol back in 2002. The Rapids have won 3 of their last 5 games including 2 on the trot. Can Colorado make it 3 in a row?

Bring a light coat, put on some burgundy and join Class VI before the game in Lot AA. New England's supporters group Midnight Riders will be joining us. You should too. (NE corner of the stadium).

Getting back to the match, Class VI's Jason Maxwell takes a look at the match over at his blog View From The Couch. He sees a 1-0 win in the cards for the Rapids.

We Want Rapid Man doesn't have a look at the game. But last Wednesday Nick did mention that Petke expected to be healthy enough to start. Good news as he's looked like a good partner for Corey Gibbs in the center of the defense.

Brian Forbes over at the Denver Post takes a look at the game. He also touches on the problems the Rapids have had winning at home this year.

Coach Gary Smith speaks with Class VI

Gary Smith was kind enough to agree to be interviewed. Now keep in mind I'm no journalist and this was done via Telephone - so the answers are not his exact words but what I was able to write down

I. You've gone 3-2 since you've taken over the team. What is the single most important thing you implemented or changed to get the team's fortunes reversed?

Coach smith felt sure that it is because we're playing a 4-4-2. He feels the shape for a lot of players gives them stability. It's not too complicated to understand and it's important to stick with it.

II. Historically, MLS coaches that don't have years of playing or as an assistant coach within MLS have had difficulties finding success because of how different the league is from the rest of the world. Do you feel you have a deep enough understanding of the league's nuances to be ready to take the job full time?

It's a significant decision to make considering his role with Arsenal. He says he's slowly but surely coming to terms with the league, the players, and the demands.

And just as importantly with the climate - playing through the summer instead of winter months, like in Europe, adds greater stress to the players .

If the opportunity were to arise to take the position permanently, he certainly foresees successful times ahead.

III. Going into the season, the Rapids traded their Beckham slot to DC United along with a first round draft pick for Christian Gomez and made him the highest paid player on the team. Why has Christian lost his role your team selections?

He said given poor run of form, leading to Fernando Clavijo's exit, he needed to build more of workman platform for Christian Gomez to flourish.

Following the Kansas City game with three away games, he felt it would be tough for Christan Gomez and decided to stick with it. In the future, it's building a good foundation for Christian Gomez to succeed.

IV. Most fans don't really know how you became part of the organization. How did you get connected with the Rapids and become part of the organization?

It was a joint decision by Arsenal and Jeff Plush together and to put the Arsenal Academy in place and to support John Murphy and Fernando Clavijo as an auxiliary coach.

V. Two players that have been fan favorites were Herculez Gomez and Bouna Coundoul. Herculez of course was traded to Kansas City, and Bouna has yet to play with you at the helm. Why was Herculez traded and why has Bouna fallen out of favor with your team selections?

Bouna is because he has been away on international duty. While he was away, Preston Burpo came in and played extremely well and retained the position. There's no slight on Bouna, but both players are vying for the spot.

Herculez had been with the Rapids for a period of time and found it hard to break into the team even before Gary took over. He needed a new challenge and they got a good offer, so it was a good fit for both the team and player at the time.

VI. In the victory over Chicago, you made three substitutions, yet it looked like you stuck with the same tactics for the entire 90 minutes. Can you explain the thinking behind each of the substitutions and why you decided not wo switch to a more defensive shape when Chicago started pushing their attack to even up the game?

He felt they were quite effective with the shape they had and it proved hard to break down.

Mike Petke had an injury to his ankle. Terry Cook, as well as he was doing, he took out and moved Nick Labrocca to the right and put Mehdi Ballouchy in the middle to provide more stability. He felt Tom McManus gave all that he had and with eight minutes to go, putting in a fresh pair of legs up top was exactly what the team needed.

We'd like to thank Coach Gary Smith for his time, and look forward to him bringing victory to Dick's this weekend and well into the playoffs

Herculez to Rapids Fans

Herculez Gomez has sent the following message to all the Rapids Fans

Hey all! I just wanted to thank all of you for your warm wishes and continued support.
I leave with me nothing but great memories and lasting friendships.

While my time with the Club was not always positive, I firmly believe that I am leaving a great group of guys behind, a group that can accomplish many things.

Colorado will always hold a special place in my heart.
Thank you for all the great memories.

Thank you to all those who still believe in me and even those who don't. ; )

I look forward to my new challenge in life.

I wish you all nothing but the very best.

Herc

Class VI wishes Herculez Gomez nothing but success in the future (except when his success directly impacts the Rapids of course!).

Rapids Beat Fire

Our Rapids beat the Chicago Fire today at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. Jordan Harvey opening the scoring (although at this point it's been ruled an own goal) and Omar Cummings added another. Who was the man of the match for the Rapids? Have your say and vote for the Class VI MOTM at our boards [Click Here].

Players' Impact

After last nights victory over FC Dallas to put us back into contention for the playoffs, I decided to do a little analysis of players to see what kind of impact they have on the team. Now all these stats were manually compiled - so I'm sure there some errors but here's what I found.

Not surprisingly, Pablo Mastroeni has the biggest impact on the team. When he plays, we pick up 60% of the possible points PP (pts gained/games played * 3 pts). He's been on the field for 22 goals for us and 15 against us and is the only player on the team that has seen more wins at 8 then losses at 7.

Next up for impact was Terry Cooke. I know you're not surprised that he has achieved a PP of 57% contributing 2 goals and 6 assists. But the perception that he's a defensive liability falls shallow when his Goal Differential (GD) is +4, second highest on the team.

Two players at the top of PP is John DiRaimondo (52%) and Ugo Ihemelu (50%). Ugo has a GD of +2 surprisingly and John -1.

Looking at two players that were shipped off Herculez Gomez and Rafael Gomes and the stats speak for themselves; Herc ranked 4th from bottom with a PP of 40% and Gomes at 14%! That's right, we were 1-6 with Gomes on the field. Herculez, often brought in at the end of the game, had a GD of +1 while Gomes was -1.

Two players that have seen significant time on the bench are Christian Gomez and Jose Burciaga, Jr. with PP of 41% for both. Gomez is -1 while Burciaga, Jr. is -4, third worst on the team.

So who who has a GD of worse then -6? Colin Clark and Conor Casey. We've lost 5 more games then we've won with Clark on the field, which is quite surprising for a player of Clark's popularity.

Touching on the other regulars: Erpen 47% +0, Cummings 47% -1, Kimura 45% +3, LaBrocca 44% +1, Ballouchy 44% +1, McManus 44% +3, Harvey 43% -2, Peterson 42% -2

I know stats don't tell the whole story in soccer but we're a nation of sports statistics so hopefully people will appreciate a little statistical analysis.

RAPIDS TRADE HERCULEZ GOMEZ TO KANSAS CITY

Colorado Receives Multiple Draft Picks and Allocation Money in Exchange for Fifth Year Forward

COMMERCE CITY, COLO. (Wednesday, September 3, 2008) – The Colorado Rapids traded veteran forward Herculez Gomez to the Kansas City Wizards in exchange for Kansas City’s natural fourth round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, a first round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft and allocation money, the club announced today. Per club and league policies terms of the allocation money are not disclosed.

Gomez appeared in 37 games for the Rapids during the 2007 and 2008 seasons after coming to Colorado in December 2006 following three seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy. While with the Rapids, he scored six goals and tallied three assists. Gomez etched his name in the Rapids’ record books scoring the first-ever goal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in a 2-1 Colorado victory over DC United on April 7, 2007.

Transaction

Colorado Rapids – Trade forward Herculez Gomez to the Kansas City Wizards in exchange for Kansas City’s natural fourth round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, a first round pick in the 2009 MLS Supplemental Draft and allocation money.