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MLS Preview: Columbus Crew v. Colorado Rapids
The Crew continue their chase of New England at the top of the East as they welcome the flat Rapids.
Jun 27, 2008 1:24:19 PM
Columbus Crew v. Colorado Rapids
When: 7:30 pm ET
Where: Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
The Gist: Columbus head home after a two-game road trip in which they scored three goals in both games while earning four points. They welcome Colorado, who haven’t won in three games and have lost their last four games on the road.
As extra incentive for the Crew, a win and a New England loss means Sigi Schmid will coach the All-Star team against West Ham next month. Facing a slumping Rapids team that may be without their best playmaker should allow the home side to live up to their end of that bargain.
Why You Should Care: Offensively, these teams are going in different directions. Colorado is coming off a scoreless draw against Houston in which they had plenty of chances to win the game but failed to finish. On the other hand, Columbus, after struggling to score in the latter half of May, has revived the attack with two straight three-goal games.
The Crew will look to work the ball better this week as their last four goals have all been unassisted. The key man, as he has been for the past two years, is Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who will look to get Robbie Rogers and Alejandro Moreno, who have combined for just two goals in the team’s last six games, back in goal-scoring mode.
On the other hand, the Crew defense conceded three last week, but they were facing Los Angeles Galaxy’s run-and-gun offense. Against the Rapids, whose talisman Christian Gomez left last week’s game with a leg injury and may not play this week, the Columbus backline’s job should be immensely easier.
Colorado’s Omar Cummings will have to pick up the slack if Gomez misses out. He leads the Pids in scoring with three goals, but he hasn’t notched one since week 8. The Crew’s duo of Chad Marshall and Danny O’Rourke will have to keep an eye on the speedy striker, while also worrying about winger Colin Clark make late runs with the ball.
He’s So Hot Right Now: Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Argentine playmaker has re-emerged from a slump that coincided with the Crew’s poor stretch at the end of May. Though Schelotto has just one assist in his last five games, he has been dangerous in the past two, scoring a penalty kick and setting up several other chances last week in Los Angeles.
Prediction: Columbus Crew 2, Colorado Rapids 1
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
When: 7:30 pm ET
Where: Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
The Gist: Columbus head home after a two-game road trip in which they scored three goals in both games while earning four points. They welcome Colorado, who haven’t won in three games and have lost their last four games on the road.
As extra incentive for the Crew, a win and a New England loss means Sigi Schmid will coach the All-Star team against West Ham next month. Facing a slumping Rapids team that may be without their best playmaker should allow the home side to live up to their end of that bargain.
Why You Should Care: Offensively, these teams are going in different directions. Colorado is coming off a scoreless draw against Houston in which they had plenty of chances to win the game but failed to finish. On the other hand, Columbus, after struggling to score in the latter half of May, has revived the attack with two straight three-goal games.
The Crew will look to work the ball better this week as their last four goals have all been unassisted. The key man, as he has been for the past two years, is Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who will look to get Robbie Rogers and Alejandro Moreno, who have combined for just two goals in the team’s last six games, back in goal-scoring mode.
On the other hand, the Crew defense conceded three last week, but they were facing Los Angeles Galaxy’s run-and-gun offense. Against the Rapids, whose talisman Christian Gomez left last week’s game with a leg injury and may not play this week, the Columbus backline’s job should be immensely easier.
Colorado’s Omar Cummings will have to pick up the slack if Gomez misses out. He leads the Pids in scoring with three goals, but he hasn’t notched one since week 8. The Crew’s duo of Chad Marshall and Danny O’Rourke will have to keep an eye on the speedy striker, while also worrying about winger Colin Clark make late runs with the ball.
He’s So Hot Right Now: Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The Argentine playmaker has re-emerged from a slump that coincided with the Crew’s poor stretch at the end of May. Though Schelotto has just one assist in his last five games, he has been dangerous in the past two, scoring a penalty kick and setting up several other chances last week in Los Angeles.
Prediction: Columbus Crew 2, Colorado Rapids 1
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
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