Commerce City – The Rapids began the season with a fancy new stadium, a revamped lineup and an entertaining brand of soccer that suggested they might climb into the upper echelon of Major League Soccer.
Midfielder Herculez Gomez, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy, looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. Striker Roberto Brown looked like a dependable finisher. The midfield controlled possession and pace.
The back four, three of whom played elsewhere last season, looked solid. Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul justified coach Fernando Clavijo’s faith that he was ready to replace Joe Cannon.
But the short-handed team that takes the field tonight for its annual Fourth of July extravaganza has struggled because of an unusually high injury rate and national team callups. Gomez and Kyle Beckerman are with the national team at the Copa América in Venezuela. Pablo Mastroeni, who was with the national team last month in the Gold Cup, was injured in his second game back.
Defender Mike Petke is out with an ankle injury, although his return should come sooner than expected. Doctors now say what was initially diagnosed as a fracture was only a contusion.
“My message is very clear: We can sit and cry, or you can go and fight,” Clavijo said. “If we’re playing with 10 players, I play to win. I think the attitude has been good. We’re fighting every game.”
Colorado started the season 2-1-1 and was 4-2-3 after beating the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on May 26, but five consecutive losses followed. The losing streak ended Sunday with a scoreless tie at Chicago, leaving the Rapids 4-7-4 at the season’s midpoint.
The injuries and callups have forced Clavijo to move players out of position. Forward Nico Hernandez has had to play midfield, which exposes his limitations and doesn’t highlight his strengths. Mastroeni has spent most of the season in the back, instead of the midfield where he and Beckerman play well together.
“I don’t want it to sound like an excuse, because we have to win games regardless. You need to adapt,” Clavijo said. “Every game we have to improvise. It’s been hard.”
Faced with their third game in seven days, Clavijo gave the players a break in Tuesday’s practice, most of which was spent in a spirited soccer volleyball game. The air was filled with laughter, cheers, jeers and facetious accusations of cheating. It was a mental health day.
“We are going to get out of this hole,” Clavijo said. “We feel all along that we have a good team. Our main goal is the championship. This is not a sprint, it is a marathon.”
