The Rapids will face FC Dallas on Saturday, March 1, in their home opener to kick off the 30th season in club history. To preview this week’s game, we caught up with former Rapids defender and club legend, Marcelo Balboa. Along with play-by-play partner Jorge Perez-Navarro, Balboa will helm the Spanish broadcast for Apple TV and MLS Season Pass this weekend.
You were on the team in 1996 and played in the club’s first home opener in Colorado, which also happened to be against Dallas. How did that moment feel to you?
For me, coming back from Mexico, I missed the first game in Kansas City. I wanted to make sure I played in that game, because we knew how important the very first home game was. As a player coming back, we were kind of the “Designated Players” of that time. We came back from the national team and we wanted to make an impact. We had a discussion with the national teams of how important it was for us to come back and make sure that we performed well, and we made sure that when we stepped on the field, we gave 100%. That day, it was special. We had been waiting for years after the 1994 World Cup for a league of our own. We wanted to give a future to our children and wanted to show this country that soccer was going to make it. About that day, what can I say? Such a great atmosphere. I was lucky enough to score the first goal for the franchise, but I couldn’t have done it without Jean Harbor. The ball he put in, the work he did, the individual ability to get the ball and dribble past guys and cross it in... I owe the credit to him because he laid a perfect ball for me. It was just a special night. We waited years and years to have a professional league. Not a semi-pro, not an amateur, but a proper pro league. To see the way the fans in Colorado responded, how they showed up, how they supported us, it was just one of the coolest days. I think if you go back, that is one of the coolest days in our history.
As part of the club’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, the Rapids will be retiring your number on August 16th. What does it feel like to have your number 17 retired by the club this season?
When you play, you want to do something special. You want to leave your mark on your sport, on your team. You never know how good or how bad you were, if people accepted you or if they didn't accept you. I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in, getting my number retired, if it wasn't for Steve Trittschuh, Peter Vermes, Marcus Hahnemann, Paul Bravo, John Spencer...I can go down the list of players. All of my teammates who helped me, because there were 11 players on the field. We all did our jobs, and we did them well. So, to have my number retired, it’s just special. You can't even put it into words. I've never had my number retired. This will be the first time that “17” won't be worn. It'll just be hanging in the stadium, which is kind of weird to me to think that it's just going to be sitting there. I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for all of my teammates and all of the fans in Colorado that have supported us for years and years and years and are still supporting us now. So, it’s just an absolute honor and I’m blessed.
What are your thoughts on the current Rapids squad?
It's too early to tell. You go to the LAFC game [in Concacaf Champions Cup] where they played in the cold. They did a great job and got the result they needed. Then you go to St. Louis into a tough environment with a new coach, but no shots on target. Same thing [on February 25] with the Concacaf Champions Cup. You lose 1-0 to LAFC and you get knocked out [on away goals]. The beauty of it is that the hardest part of soccer is putting that ball in the back of the net. That's why forwards and wingers get paid the big bucks. Defense wins championships, but you can't win a championship if you don't put the ball in the back of the net. The hardest part of our sport is putting that ball in the back of the net. Sometimes, it takes a little time to get that chemistry back. It takes a little time to get the players’ legs underneath them. Like we always say in MLS, and I've been doing this for 30 years both playing or being on TV: “You don't win a championship in the first 10 games. You win a championship in the last 10 games.” If you go through history, you'll see the teams that get on a bit of run, like Atlanta United last season. In 1997, we made a run at the end of the season and made it all the way to MLS Cup Final. So, it's important that they're getting their feet underneath them. We've seen it before. When Rafael Navarro gets one, more will come. When Djordje Mihailovic gets one, more will come. When Kévin Cabral gets an assist or two, more will come. Let's be honest: it’s not easy playing in cold weather, you know? It's going to be a little warmer this weekend, so I think little by little, this team will get that part of the offense clicking again and sometimes it takes a little time.
Who are some Rapids players that fans should keep an eye on this season?
When you look at a group like this, you have to look at Djordje. Djordje is a guy that's been brought in, and the club has spent big money on him to be a DP. He's the guy that has to create. Rafa has been a big signing too for this club. His job now is to score goals. So, when you start looking at players, these two are key for this group. Also, Zack [Steffen] in goal. Goalkeepers have to come up with at least two to three big saves in a game to keep you in a game, and he does that. You can keep going. Colorado doesn't have a team where you say, “We've got a star, and if he plays well, the team will succeed.” Everybody has to play well. Everybody has to be on the same page. Everybody has to have the same mentality within this Rapids group. When that happens, you'll see this team take off. I believe last year they went almost two months without losing a game. That's what this team is capable of doing. Sometimes it takes a little time, and you better have that at the end of the year rather than in the first five or six games.
Your thoughts on Saturday’s matchup against Dallas?
I see a difficult game. I see a difficult game because Dallas has added strength. They've added speed. When you talk about Anderson Julio or Lucho Acosta, one of the best 10s in this league over the last few years. You also have to play against veterans like Sebastian Lletget. This is a team that wants to attack, that wants to keep possession of the ball, and that's going to be very difficult. You can't leave a lot of space in behind, which kind of fits into the Rapids’ low-block/mid-block strategy. Let them come, let them send their numbers forward. We saw that last year: Colorado was probably in the top five teams in transition that hits teams quickly with Cabral, Navarro and Bassett. So, I look at this to be a very tight game. I definitely think it's going to be a much more difficult game than we saw last year, because Dallas has greatly improved.