Pre-Game: @ San Jose

by Brendan "Dr. Voice" Wyatt

The time has finally come, the start of the Colorado Rapids season.  It’s been easy to start fresh every year, to open the season with an optimistic view of how our boys in burgundy will do.  While it’s been a breath of fresh air each time we start a new season, the air went stale at some point along the way. 

 

This season has all the ingredients to whip up a batch of kicking ass; dare I say a top five spot in the Western Conference could be in the mix?  Adding Marco Papa in the re-entry draft was the first step.  While the nay-sayers could easily have found negatives out of that positive; his signing was overshadowed by a dull off-season and then the addition of Shkelzen Gashi.

 

Gashi’s arrival was far from overshadowed, but there were and are rumors of Tim Howard donning the Rapids badge that surrounds Gashi’s shining light.  The only thing left to overcome the excitement we the fan can conjure up is the addition of Jermaine Jones.  It almost sound like a deal you would make in your FIFA video game.  Jermaine Jones for the 2017 first round draft pick and some cash? Ok.  He has to sit for six games? Ok, that gives him ample time to acclimate.

 

As for the match that kicks the Rapids season off, it’s against San Jose; a team we haven’t beaten in at least two years.  San Jose has a twelve game unbeaten streak that goes back to the start of the 2011 season; that’s the last time the rapids beat San Jose. Ties and draws are all the burgundy boys have been able to end up with. On the bright side, the last time our boys came out with a W against the Quakes was the first game of the 2011 season.  5 years, multiple rosters, three coaches, and three designated players later could we finally have what it takes to beat the Quakes?

San Jose is opening their season in a new stadium, they got Arsenal for the All-Star game, find whatever reason you need to help spur our boys on as they look to start the season off with a win.  “No Excuses” says Coach Pablo “We’re going to San Jose to win” he stated with absolute confidence. 

 

It’s finally time to dust off that bandwagon, grab the drums out of the closet, take the scarf off the wall, and hang your lucky kit on the edge of your bed until it’s time to wear it.  Join us at the Celtic Tavern (18^th and Blake) for the viewing party; festivities kick off at 11am.  There will be a FIFA tournament, giveaways, raffles, and $2 Odell specials.  If you can’t make it out to the biggest C38 party of the year (so far) then remember you can catch the game on Altitude 2.

   

Predicted starting XI: Zac MacMath, Eric Miller, Bobby Burling, Axel Sjoberg, Mekeil Williams, Jared Watts, Micheal Azira, Dom Badji, Dillon Powers, Shkelzen Gashi, Kevin Doyle.