COMMERCE CITY — When striker John Spencer retired after four seasons with the Rapids, his goal was to return to his Scottish homeland to coach there or in England.
Three seasons later, Spencer, as assistant coach, has helped guide the Houston Dynamo to consecutive MLS Cup championships. He was offered the Chicago Fire head coaching job this past offseason but was not able to come to terms on a contract.
Spencer and the struggling Dynamo (0-2-4) will host the Rapids (3-3-0) on Saturday, hoping to earn their first victory since defeating New England 2-1 in the 2007 MLS Cup final.
“We’re not panicking, but you don’t want it to creep another four or five games into the season where you put yourself in a hole and have to dig yourself out of it,” Spencer said.
The Dynamo has scored just five goals and has been shut out four times, while offensive sparkplugs Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario have just one assist between them. Defensively, a team that allowed an MLS-best 23 goals in 30 games in ’07 has given up nine goals in six games this season.
The team is looking good, Spencer said, but has been unlucky not to score a vital early goal in games. He said that while facing the Rapids is always special, Saturday is pure business. His 37 goals in 88 games with the Rapids is the second-most in franchise history and is one of several reasons his name pops up when there is talk of a possible successor to coach Fernando Clavijo should the Rapids choose not to renew his contract.
“It would be unfair to say, ‘Yes, I want to come back,’ because you don’t always get your wishes. You don’t get your cake and eat it,” Spencer said. “It would be very unprofessional for me to comment. Fernando is the coach.”
More tinkering?
Clavijo has plenty of good problems to deal with ahead of Saturday. After Sunday’s 2-0 victory over D.C. United using an overhauled lineup, Clavijo has the luxury of picking players who are accomplished and hungry.
Although he confirmed the two-striker formation will remain — Tom McManus paired with either Omar Cummings or Herculez Gomez — questions remain at right wing and left back.
If Clavijo uses three defenders, he hinted he will put Colin Clark and Jacob Peterson on the wings because both are fast enough to provide defensive cover. If he goes with four defenders, Terry Cooke could return to the right wing, and the left back spot will depend on whether the Rapids want an offensive threat in Jose Burciaga Jr. or a stay-home defender in Jordan Harvey.
Ugo feeling good.
Ugo Ihemelu looked sharp in his season debut Sunday and reminded watchers why so many of Clavijo’s tactics hinge upon the cleanup presence of the speedy defender.
Ihemelu said he is wary of a Dynamo team overdue for a big win at smaller Robertson Stadium.
“Any mistake you make can be really dangerous because there is not a lot of room to recover,” Ihemelu said.
