by Brendan Wyatt 

It’s June so Rapids fans can easily shove away a pointless May and focus on moving forward.  Today’s match against Vancouver could be a small spark in which could ignite a positive point streak for the burgundy boys.  

The Whitecaps come to Colorado having drew the last four games; the last two games took late rallys for VFC to bag a point.  From a distance that looks like a team that is struggling a little; though that is only in contrast to the Rapids 6 game losing skid. Vancouver sits in 7th place with 17 points, 9 ahead of Colorado who are tied with Seattle with 8 points.  The rapids failed to get 3 points against the Whitecaps in all three games they played last year drawing once and losing twice.

It is difficult to get the fans and supporters pumped up for a game when your team is paddling a canoe on dirt; but the shoreline isn’t too far away.  Last week I felt that Johan Blomberg was a week away and today i think we will see him back in the starting lineup. Kortne Ford and Marlon Hairston are both really close and if both of them get the start the odds of a Rapids win have significantly improved.  

As for guys on the other team who the Rapids should worry about, Cristian Techera netted a hat trick last week as he has proven to be a difficult winger to mark.  Kei Kamara and Brek Shea have both done damage to the Rapids, both away and at home.

Now; for those who have been paying attention to who the referees are then be aware, tonight Colorado’s favorite, Boldomero Toledo will be the center of the show; I mean center referee. 

This is the first of four games in 14 days, lineups could be a bit jumbled as the burgundy boys prepare for the dog days of summer and a bulkier schedule.  They also will benefit from none of their players being in form enough to get called up for International duty and it seems as though the team as a whole is getting healthier as well.

Predicted starting XI: Tim Howard, Kortne Ford, Axel Sjoberg, Tommy Smith, Nana Boateng, Enzo Martinez, Jack Price, Joahn Blomberg, Edgar Castillo, Dom Badji, Shkelzen Gashi. 

Injuries/Suspensions

Colorado

OUT: D – Kortne Ford (left MCL sprain), D – Marlon Hairston (right knee surgery)

SUSPENDED: N/A

SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT CAUTION: F – Dominique Badji

Vancouver

OUT: OUT: GK – Stefan Marinovic (left knee sprain)

QUESTIONABLE: M – Jordon Mutch (right hamstring strain)

SUSPENDED: N/A

SUSPENDED AFTER NEXT CAUTION: D – Kendall Waston

How to Watch

Match Date/Time: Friday, June 1st at 7pm MST

Venue: Dicks Sporting Goods Park—Commerce City, CO

TV Information: AltitudeTV

Radio: Altitude950

Live Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)

C38: Tailgate starts @4pm