For Matt Wells, a 90-minute change in physical point of view provided a needed perspective shift ahead of a 60-day break between matches.
And in the Colorado Rapids coach’s words, a “thoroughly unenjoyable experience.”
The first-year head coach watched a 2-1 loss to FC Dallas from a private room at the top of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park while serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. To a certain extent, he said he was able to distance himself from experiencing the emotions of the game. The distance provided objectivity. And from objectivity, clarity, as his team lost the fifth of its last six MLS games, giving up two penalties in the first half en route to the loss.
While there are always things to nitpick in the style of play and execution, Wells is laser-focused on the way his players carry themselves as the Rapids enter a 60-day break between games for the World Cup.
“My feeling is we didn’t have one player who really went to the heights to say, ‘Not on my watch, we cannot dominate a game of football this much and lose,’ and then channel it within their own personality, identity and position, and put that on the pitch,” Wells said. “I didn’t see enough of that life, energy, passion, desire to win. And when I really reflect on it, I’ve seen that before.”
Fitting that narrative almost perfectly, Paxten Aaronson and Georgi Minoungou, who combined for the Rapids’ only goal of the match, also each gave up a penalty.
Aaronson tripped Logan Farrington in the 11th minute at the edge of the box, and Farrington converted. On the Rapids’ next possession, though, a beautiful end-to-end play allowed Minoungou to find Aaronson with a neat cross, which the Designated Player buried to even the score.
Minoungou made minimal, but penalty-worthy contact with Ran Binyamin right before halftime, the referee deemed. Santiago Moreno beat Nico Hansen to his left for what would eventually be the winner. Colorado was the better team in the second half, generating 11 of its 17 shots in the final 45 minutes, but nothing came from it but more to work on during the break.
Wayne Frederick earned the Rapids’ fourth red card of the season for dissent from the bench late in the game. FC Dallas keeper Jonathan Sirois was getting his time-wasting money’s worth on a goal kick. When the entire Rapids bench made their thoughts known, referee Ismail Elfath took exception to something Frederick said and sent him packing.
Wells has purposefully instilled a chippy, physical mentality into the Rapids’ style of play, but itap past the point of rough competition and entering a territory of disciplinary mismanagement. He’s joked about not wanting his team to win the “fair play award,” but the Rapids lead the league in yellow cards by a wide margin (41 in 15 games) and are tied for the league lead in red cards.
The accumulation of cards of either color is starting to affect player — and in two instances now, coach — availability. Further, the in-game conflict leans towards the official in many cases.
“I think you have to walk the line. … Emotions can get high in a game, and thatap normal, but I think collectively, itap important to just maintain the goal: we’re down 2-1, we have to score a goal. We can’t battle with the ref, we have to battle against FC Dallas,” Aaronson said. “I think itap about controlling our emotions. Obviously, in every football match, people get frustrated with referees, but I think we have to maybe do a better job of just completely blocking that out and focus directly on the opponent.”
The Rapids don’t return to play until a July 22 home game against San Diego FC, another struggling Western Conference club this season. The players will have a few weeks of vacation before returning for effectively another preseason ahead of the MLS season’s resumption.
