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Shootout Win Boosts Rapids, Deflates Galaxy
The Colorado Rapids hope that the confidence gained in the twice-triumphant visit to Los Angeles will continue, while the Galaxy look to regroup.
Apr 8, 2009 2:17:52 PM
Colorado Rapids coach Gary Smith was understandably "delighted" by the
outcome of the Open Cup play-in match versus the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Playing an away match didn't seem to deter the squad, which was
victorious in a penalty shoot-out.
"I hope that these early victories are starting to form a foundation for our group," said Smith, who might have been one of the few that believed his players could be top contenders in the Major League Soccer's Western Conference.
The Rapids may be reaping the benefits of having a strong second unit of players. They won the MLS reserve league in the last two years that competition existed.
Smith singled out backup Preston Burpo for praise, even hinting that the goalkeeper may have earned himself a starting spot in league play.
"Preston will be there for you when you need him," said Smith.
Conversely, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena did not pin blame on goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who made some crucial stops for Los Angeles during the game, but had no luck turning away Colorado's penalty kicks.
"The result tonight is not the fault of Josh," Arena stated.
Arena did acknowledge that injured first-choice keeper Donovan Ricketts would be back in for the team as soon as possible, which appears to be Saturday's match. Ricketts confirmed this in the locker room as well.
"I'm aiming for Saturday," the Jamaican confirmed. "Hopefully, everything goes well in training.
The Galaxy's lineup for the match was a bit bizarre, as defender Sean Franklin played in the midfield, while rookie centerback Omar Gonzalez was pushed out wide as a right back.
The overtime match took a toll on the youngster, especially after playing on Saturday.
"Omar had some stomach cramps and I had to take him off after 90," Arena explained.
Some tough choices were made in order to rest key players for the league game next week. Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis did not appear, but Arena was glad to get some little-used players minutes. He singled out Yohance Marshall and A.J. De La Garza for praise.
"Without a reserve league and those types of games, it's hard to get players outside of your starting 11 any minutes," Arena said. "That's obviously one of the reasons we played some of the guys that we did tonight."
The veteran coach saw some positives in the LA's performance.
"I thought we played fine," Arena stated. "The finishing could have been better."
Chris Klein admitted to some frustration with the outcome, considering the Galaxy had the advantage of one more player on the field than the Rapids did for much of the match.
"We definitely should have finished the game in regulation, but we didn't; they put ten guys behind the ball and defended very well," Klein said. "We just couldn't get one to go home tonight."
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
"I hope that these early victories are starting to form a foundation for our group," said Smith, who might have been one of the few that believed his players could be top contenders in the Major League Soccer's Western Conference.
The Rapids may be reaping the benefits of having a strong second unit of players. They won the MLS reserve league in the last two years that competition existed.
Smith singled out backup Preston Burpo for praise, even hinting that the goalkeeper may have earned himself a starting spot in league play.
"Preston will be there for you when you need him," said Smith.
Conversely, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena did not pin blame on goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who made some crucial stops for Los Angeles during the game, but had no luck turning away Colorado's penalty kicks.
"The result tonight is not the fault of Josh," Arena stated.
Arena did acknowledge that injured first-choice keeper Donovan Ricketts would be back in for the team as soon as possible, which appears to be Saturday's match. Ricketts confirmed this in the locker room as well.
"I'm aiming for Saturday," the Jamaican confirmed. "Hopefully, everything goes well in training.
The Galaxy's lineup for the match was a bit bizarre, as defender Sean Franklin played in the midfield, while rookie centerback Omar Gonzalez was pushed out wide as a right back.
The overtime match took a toll on the youngster, especially after playing on Saturday.
"Omar had some stomach cramps and I had to take him off after 90," Arena explained.
Some tough choices were made in order to rest key players for the league game next week. Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis did not appear, but Arena was glad to get some little-used players minutes. He singled out Yohance Marshall and A.J. De La Garza for praise.
"Without a reserve league and those types of games, it's hard to get players outside of your starting 11 any minutes," Arena said. "That's obviously one of the reasons we played some of the guys that we did tonight."
The veteran coach saw some positives in the LA's performance.
"I thought we played fine," Arena stated. "The finishing could have been better."
Chris Klein admitted to some frustration with the outcome, considering the Galaxy had the advantage of one more player on the field than the Rapids did for much of the match.
"We definitely should have finished the game in regulation, but we didn't; they put ten guys behind the ball and defended very well," Klein said. "We just couldn't get one to go home tonight."
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
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