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Played
April 3, 2011 7:00 PM EDT
Dick's Sporting Goods Park — Denver, Colorado
Referee: E. Bazakos
Attendance: 9857
April 3, 2011 7:00 PM EDT
Dick's Sporting Goods Park — Denver, Colorado
Referee: E. Bazakos
Attendance: 9857
MLS Game of the Week Head to Head Preview: Colorado Rapids vs D.C. United
Revitalized D.C. United head out west.
By Stephanie Gardner & Steven Streff
Elsa
On Form
Colorado Rapids: Omar Cummings has returned from helping his Jamaican national team, where he scored a winning goal against El Salvador. He, along with the tireless defensive wall, brings a consistency and mentality that cause the Rapids to perform like champions.
D.C. United: Charlie Davies hasn't played a full 90 minutes in MLS yet, but he already has three goals to his name. Two of those goals came from the penalty spot, and it can't be expected that United will get a penalty every game, but with Davies on the field, United will have a chance in every game. His speed still has the ability to change the games. It's time to question whether or not Ben Olsen should start Davies or not. This just might be the time to give Davies the nod.
Off Target
Rapids: Minor injuries and illnesses that were thought to knock a player down seem to only make this team stronger. However, the second team playing and losing in the US Open Cup against Chicago Fire proved that the bench is lacking a bit in form.
United: Branko Boskovic is one of United's most internationally experienced player, but he failed to see playing time in either of D.C.'s games this season. The designated player apparently wasn't good enough to see the field before Santino Quaranta or Fred, as United looked to rebound from a two goal deficit last week in New England. Olsen has said that Chris Pontius is keeping Boskovic out of the squad, but how much longer can United afford to keep their DP on the bench?
Tactics
Colorado: The starting XI will be taking the pitch intent to remind fans and opponents that there is a reason they are the reigning MLS Champions. Casey and Cummings may be up top at first, but fans are hoping to see Cummings and Folan influence the pitch with their combined talent for part of the match.
United: The big tactical decision this week for Olsen is who he plays in defense. Starter Perry Kitchen is in Guatemala with the US U20s, and his running partner, Dejan Jakovic, is suspended after seeing red last week against New England. Clyde Simms and Jed Zayner, two possible candidates to replace the pair, are still listed as questionable with injuries. Taking all that into account, if Olsen decides to stick with his 4-4-2 (he switched to a 3-5-2 at halftime last week), then Chris Korb, Rodrigo Brasesco, Ethan White, and Marc Burch should start. United supporters are probably hoping that Zayner or Simms are ready to play though.
Intangibles
Colorado: It will be the first time since the season opener that the defending champions are all on the same pitch. The cobwebs of team unity hopefully won’t take too long to clean out. More importantly, the last time DC United came to Dick’s Sporting Goods they shamed the Rapids with a 1-0 loss. Kosuke Kimura shared that this time, it’s personal.
United: Davies is helping to drive this team forward at the moment. With him on the field, United will always have a decent chance to get something out of a game.
Outcome
Stephanie Gardner: The Rapids will use this home game as a chance to regroup and reclaim their championship identity. They will defeat Charlie Davies and his DC United team 3-1.
Steven Streff: Colorado is proving to be a team to beat this year, and United are nowhere near that level yet. Questions will still be asked of United's defense, as they fall 3-1 to Colorado.
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Colorado Rapids: Omar Cummings has returned from helping his Jamaican national team, where he scored a winning goal against El Salvador. He, along with the tireless defensive wall, brings a consistency and mentality that cause the Rapids to perform like champions.
D.C. United: Charlie Davies hasn't played a full 90 minutes in MLS yet, but he already has three goals to his name. Two of those goals came from the penalty spot, and it can't be expected that United will get a penalty every game, but with Davies on the field, United will have a chance in every game. His speed still has the ability to change the games. It's time to question whether or not Ben Olsen should start Davies or not. This just might be the time to give Davies the nod.
Off Target
Rapids: Minor injuries and illnesses that were thought to knock a player down seem to only make this team stronger. However, the second team playing and losing in the US Open Cup against Chicago Fire proved that the bench is lacking a bit in form.
United: Branko Boskovic is one of United's most internationally experienced player, but he failed to see playing time in either of D.C.'s games this season. The designated player apparently wasn't good enough to see the field before Santino Quaranta or Fred, as United looked to rebound from a two goal deficit last week in New England. Olsen has said that Chris Pontius is keeping Boskovic out of the squad, but how much longer can United afford to keep their DP on the bench?
Tactics
Colorado: The starting XI will be taking the pitch intent to remind fans and opponents that there is a reason they are the reigning MLS Champions. Casey and Cummings may be up top at first, but fans are hoping to see Cummings and Folan influence the pitch with their combined talent for part of the match.
United: The big tactical decision this week for Olsen is who he plays in defense. Starter Perry Kitchen is in Guatemala with the US U20s, and his running partner, Dejan Jakovic, is suspended after seeing red last week against New England. Clyde Simms and Jed Zayner, two possible candidates to replace the pair, are still listed as questionable with injuries. Taking all that into account, if Olsen decides to stick with his 4-4-2 (he switched to a 3-5-2 at halftime last week), then Chris Korb, Rodrigo Brasesco, Ethan White, and Marc Burch should start. United supporters are probably hoping that Zayner or Simms are ready to play though.
Intangibles
Colorado: It will be the first time since the season opener that the defending champions are all on the same pitch. The cobwebs of team unity hopefully won’t take too long to clean out. More importantly, the last time DC United came to Dick’s Sporting Goods they shamed the Rapids with a 1-0 loss. Kosuke Kimura shared that this time, it’s personal.
United: Davies is helping to drive this team forward at the moment. With him on the field, United will always have a decent chance to get something out of a game.
Outcome
Stephanie Gardner: The Rapids will use this home game as a chance to regroup and reclaim their championship identity. They will defeat Charlie Davies and his DC United team 3-1.
Steven Streff: Colorado is proving to be a team to beat this year, and United are nowhere near that level yet. Questions will still be asked of United's defense, as they fall 3-1 to Colorado.
Follow Goal.com on
to get the latest soccer news directly. Check out Goal.com's page; be part of the best soccer fan community in the world!
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Colorado Rapids 2-1 D.C. United
- 27.27 %
-
Colorado Rapids 3-1 D.C. United
- 18.18 %
-
Colorado Rapids 1-2 D.C. United
- 18.18 %
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | May 16, 2012 | D.C. United 2 - Colorado Rapids 0 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | May 14, 2011 | D.C. United 1 - Colorado Rapids 1 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Apr 3, 2011 | Colorado Rapids 4 - D.C. United 1 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Oct 2, 2010 | Colorado Rapids 0 - D.C. United 1 |
|
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | May 15, 2010 | D.C. United 0 - Colorado Rapids 1 |
|
Colorado Rapids
    |
||
| May 26, 2012 | Colorado Rapids 3 - Montreal Impact 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | Colorado Rapids 2 - Sporting Kansas City 2 | MLS |
| May 16, 2012 | D.C. United 2 - Colorado Rapids 0 | MLS |
| May 6, 2012 | FC Dallas 0 - Colorado Rapids 2 | MLS |
| May 2, 2012 | New England Revolution 2 - Colorado Rapids 1 | MLS |
D.C. United
 |
||
| May 26, 2012 | D.C. United 3 - New England Revolution 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | D.C. United 3 - Toronto FC 1 | MLS |
| May 16, 2012 | D.C. United 2 - Colorado Rapids 0 | MLS |
| May 12, 2012 | Houston Dynamo 1 - D.C. United 0 | MLS |
| May 5, 2012 | Toronto FC 0 - D.C. United 2 | MLS |
| 18 | Matt Pickens | Goalkeeper |
| 6 | Anthony Wallace | Midfielder |
| 3 | Drew Moor | Defender |
| 22 | Marvell Wynne | Defender |
| 27 | Kosuke Kimura | Defender |
| 20 | Jamie Smith | Midfielder |
| 25 | Pablo Mastroeni | Midfielder |
| 4 | Jeff Larentowicz | Midfielder |
| 11 | Brian Mullan | Midfielder |
| - | Caleb Folan | Midfielder |
| 9 | Conor Casey | Striker |
| 31 | Steward Ceus | Goalkeeper |
| 21 | Joseph Nane | Defender |
| 34 | Tyrone Marshall | Defender |
| 29 | Scott Palguta | Defender |
| 11 | Sanna Nyassi | Midfielder |
| 14 | Omar Cummings | Striker |
| 12 | Quincy Amarikwa | Striker |
| - | Pat Onstad | Goalkeeper |
| 8 | Marc Burch | Defender |
| - | Rodrigo Nicolás Brasesco | Defender |
| 24 | Daniel Woolard | Defender |
| 22 | Chris Korb | Defender |
| 8 | Branko Bošković | Midfielder |
| 6 | Kurt Morsink | Midfielder |
| 11 | Dax McCarty | Midfielder |
| - | Santino Quaranta | Striker |
| 23 | Blake Brettschneider | Striker |
| 13 | Chris Pontius | Midfielder |
| 28 | B. Hamid | Goalkeeper |
| 15 | Ethan White | Defender |
| 5 | Fred | Midfielder |
| 14 | A. Najar | Midfielder |
| 7 | Stephen King | Midfielder |
| 16 | Josh Wolff | Striker |
18 
6 
3 
22 
27 
20 
25 
4 
11 
0 
9 
0 
8 
0 
24 
22 
8 
6 
11 
0 
23 
13
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |