tpmontoya

(1 comments, 14 posts)

This user hasn't shared any profile information

Posts by tpmontoya

Colorado Rapids: Jersey Week 2013

After an early reveal of the new home jersey last fall, the Colorado Rapids brought out their new away kit on last night’s evening news in Denver.

Colorado Rapids Home

ColoradoRapids.com

In September of last year the Colorado Rapids unveiled their 2013 home kit during a meet the team event for season ticket holders. The home kit has the names of season ticket holders interwoven in parts of the fabric. The two other added features to these kits are the white sleeves and small Colorado flag on the bottom left side. The white sleeves were described as show of solidarity with their partner club Arsenal, while the names on the kit were announced during the preseason as part of the “One Club” initiative for both fans and the Rapids employees.

I was able to see the kit for the first time this past Saturday at the “Centennial 38” preseason supporters’ party. When I first heard about the names of season ticket holders being added to the kit, I was relatively happy. Seeing the kit in person made me even more pleased with the final product. The names are small, but readable and they go in alphabetical order. Overall the kit doesn’t clash and having no corporate sponsor on the front helps. Burgundy is a unique color in MLS, and I am happy the Rapids have fully embraced it.

read more…

Kosuke Kimura: Colorado Rapids Friday Eye Candy

 

Posted above is a picture taken from last weeks match against Montreal Impact. Kosuke Kimura came over and celebrated with the Pid Army before heading into the dressing room. Its fair to say, he keeps his body in order. Thanks Kosuke for the wonderful view up close.

Kosuke Kimura statistics: http://www.coloradorapids.com/players/kosuke-kimura

What a Wild Week for the Colorado Rapids

The work week finally concluded for the Rapids as they played two matches in four days. On Saturday the Rapids hosted Montreal in what was an absolute thriller in the final 10 minutes, then the club traveled down to St. Petersburg to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League in the 3rd round of the United States Open Cup Tournament.

The first match of the week was absolute atrocious, as the club played out of sync from the opening whistle. The Rapids failed to gain much possession to which they are accustomed too in the first half, though they went into the half with a one goal lead from a penalty kick by Larentowicz (min 18) and a solid header by Moor (min 39). The Impact continued to pressure the Rapids in the second half by controlling the tempo of their offense and attacking the center of the Rapids back line.

read more…

To DC and Back for Colorado

Well my fellow G4S readers, I am sorry I haven’t been able to post anything recently as I have been consumed by work and my family life. But now that I have a quick break from it all, let’s talk Rapids today, shall we?

Today the Rapids face DC United at 5:30 MT on Altitude TV/MLS Live. Currently the Rapids are in 5th place in the Western Conference table (last 5 matches L-L-W-L-W) and are sitting just three points behind DC in the combined table. It will be an interesting game as the Rapids will also host a home game this upcoming weekend, which lineup will Pareja and company use?

read more…

Oh Emerald City, Please be Kind to Colorado

This weekend the Rapids head to Seattle to face the Sounders. This game has all sorts of storylines you can write, but none will be greater than Brian Mullan playing his first match in Seattle since last year’s incident. Now everyone has their own opinion about it and I am sure the supporters in Seattle will clearly state theirs on Saturday afternoon.

But to be honest, I really hope they do. It’s simple for me to say GET OVER IT. It wasn’t intentional; it was a strong, poorly-done tackle. So to everyone in Seattle–please boo Brian Mullan and voice your dislike for the Rapids. The reason I am strongly encouraging it is because the Rapids are absolute thugs
and should be treated that way. A little bit over sarcastic I am sure, but it’s a game where players get caught up in the heat of situations. Right or wrong what Mullan did wasn’t in intent to injure. Now we
have all read some sort of blog or article trying to state otherwise. But if you have ever met Mullan you would understand he is a great guy who is deeply family oriented that plays the game with such high intensity and passion it can be seen by even a “casual” fan.

Reality is, the Rapids aren’t going to Seattle worrying about the fans, the players, or what anyone else thinks about what has happened in the past. They just want to play a competitive match and get three points. The Rapids are eyeing the return of Conor Casey to their lineup next week. So I’d expect a lineup much like last week against RSL. I haven’t been able to catch up on any Seattle Sounders games so my G4S buddies in Seattle may have to brief me on their possible lineup.

These games are always fun to watch as the turf in Seattle really does speed up the game. I also like playing the Sounders because I get to watch several players who are very attractive and who are also on our Allies list. I’ll go out on a limb and predict a 2-1 score, where no one better than Brian Mullan scoring the game winning goal.

Cheers Seattle!

Rocky Mountain Cup Leg 1 Recap

 

In the first leg of the Rocky Mountain Cup Saturday the Colorado Rapids lost 2-0 to Real Salt Lake, with goals coming in the 20th minute (Saborio) and in the 57th minute (Espindola). The game was fairly entertaining from start to finish, towards the end of the match some physical play had begun to develop between several players. In the last twenty minutes alone 4 yellow cards were handed out, and the final total fouls in the game were 21 (14 – RSL, 7 – COL). The possession battle was clearly one sided in the first half with Real Salt Lake holding almost a 70% advantage over the Rapids, the end possession stats show though that in the second half the Rapids controlled play. If I had to give a Man of the Match performance I would give it to Fabian Espindola. All night he was burning Colorado’s defense, creating many opportunities for RSL.

The one guy who didn’t play so well was Omar Cummings. I hate to criticize a player who I personally like and have talked to on several occasions. But it is so frustrating to see him lost and playing with no heart (at least in my opinion) the entire match. Hopefully he gets out of this really bad 18 month form, and becomes the player he was in 2010. Obviously getting Conor Casey back will help, as both of them tear it up together.

read more…

Rocky Mountain Cup Means Hate Week

This week has become known as hate week in both Colorado and Salt Lake City, and possibly for good reason. Both Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids have had a decent amount of history with some very physical games with each other, both of which have been winners of two of the last three MLS Cups. The Rocky Mountain Cup was created by the fans for the fans; a committee called the C-10 (made up of 5 supporters from each club) was established and still exists today.

From a supporter’s point of view this game is extremely important as each club battles to win the Rocky Mountain Cup (RMC) that of which Real Salt Lake holds a dominating command over the Rapids since ’07. The series results are one sided since Kyle Beckerman was traded from Colorado to RSL.

This season will have a three game set–two of which are in Salt Lake City. Both clubs understand the importance of these matches for their fan bases. In my opinion this rivalry is as good as any in the MLS and should be regarded as game of the week over Sporting Kansas City versus Los Angeles. It will also feature two of the best dressed coaches in the league in Oscar Pareja and Jason Kreis who know a little too much about each other from their playing days back in MLS 1.0.

read more

Colorado Rapids: Our Leader. Our Captain. What’s Next?

 

Rapids V RSLAs many of you have heard recently, Pablo Mastroeni has been withheld from several training sessions recently with ongoing headaches, a problem that stems from last season’s injury in the final match against RSL. Pablo Mastroeni has been a reliable player-one who doesn’t miss too many matches unless he is disciplined. The NFL in recent years has been trying to cut back the amount of brain injuries that occur to players, by thorough evaluations from the team’s medical staff. In soccer hits to the head occur often when playing 50/50 balls, something that cannot be changed in the game. Unfortunately Pablo has what seems to be a severe case of a concussion.

Now I am no doctor, but being withheld from 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs and missing several practices isn’t a good sign for any player yet alone one who plays at such an intense rate. Hopefully at some point Pablo gains full recovery from his symptoms regardless if he plays another game or not. A player’s health should not be jeopardized for any teams’ gain, as result it seems highly unlikely that he will play in the Rapids current trip to New York which would cause concern for the club. The question mark would then focus on the Rapids depth at mid field as they could be potentially starting two younger less experienced players.

Hopefully Pareja is thinking about the possibility of Pablo not returning, that way there he can have a plan b option. If Pablo can’t return I am hoping Pareja has a position open to him for coaching (Pablo recently obtained his coaching license). I am not ready to hang Pablos boots up yet, but if he cannot recover from these symptoms one of the Rapids more attractive players will be lost, and honestly who doesn’t have a secret crush on someone who is so passionate for something he loves? Be honest.

I cannot imagine the Rapids without a player who has done the club so proud-gone. So Pablo, I wish you the best in your recovery process and I hope your outstanding career could have at least one more match left in ya…

A Q for… I mean a W for the Rapids

Quincy Amarikwa rips a shot from outside the box to seal the Rapids victory over the Crew. (photo courtesy of Corbin Elliot Photography)

As you probably have read on multiple websites the Rapids won 2-0 against the Columbus Crew. What you may not have read is how beautiful it was to be back to what feels like home. It was MLS First Kick, a day to come back to the stadium grounds and stare at your favorite players as they warm up.

The day began by seeing the wonderful smile of Drew Moor, and the all so handsome Matt Pickens stop warm up tosses, The game of course had its ups and downs, as both teams shook the rust off from a regular off season. What was the highlight of the match though? Seeing my future husband (my g4s Valentine) score a Goal of the Week nominee blast from just outside the box. What seemed like a play that was developing slowly turned into a wonderful finish, topped with his “Dead Fish” celebration.

read more…

Rapids’ Preseason Trip to the Islands

This week the Rapids preseason takes them on an adventure to an island far away, one filled with wonderful beaches and beautiful people. The Rapids will play in this season’s Hawaiian Islands Invitational, with teams from four different countries. The club will face the Japanese side Yokahama FC on Thursday for the first match of the tournament. The club will then play either Melbourne (Australia) or Busan (S. Korea) on Saturday, February 25th. You can watch both of those matches on ESPN3.

read more…

tpmontoya's RSS Feed
Go to Top