A little piece of history will be made at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday night. For the first time, Colorado Rapids will play a competitive fixture against a side from their own state.
The opponents are the Colorado Springs Switchbacks of the USL and the occasion is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth round. For the only MLS team whose geographical reference is their state, not their city, it is a significant moment on a micro and macro scale.
That’s because, while regional dominance is one thing, kick-starting their season is another. The Rapids dressing room was a silent, sullen place after the 0-0 draw at Real Salt Lake last time out. A point on the road is not normally met with such disappointment but Dillon Powers’ 89th-minute penalty miss had cost two important points and much more mentally. The midfielder deserves credit for volunteering to take the responsibility but the margins between success and failure become thinner the higher up you go in professional sport.
Therefore swift, successive home wins would mean a lot and, after the Switchbacks on Tuesday, an out-of-form Dallas arrives on Friday.
However, nasty cup surprises are often prefaced by looking too far ahead and last year’s fractious exit to the Atlanta Silverbacks, of NASL, was Rapids’ first loss at home in this competition.
Pablo Mastroeni and Marc Burch were sent off in that defeat and are suspended for this encounter.
THE OPPONENTS
The Switchbacks reached the fourth round of the US Open Cup thanks to victories over Harpo's FC, of Boulder, and Real Monarchs. They are currently managed by Steve Trittschuh, who played for the Rapids between 1996 and 1999, appearing in the team’s first-ever US Open Cup game and the defeat to DC United in the 1997 MLS Cup final. He also was assistant coach from 2002 to 2006.
Trittschuh has taken the Switchbacks to a record of 7-5-0 this season; good enough to leave them fifth in the Western Conference. They have won their last four of their last five games, scoring an impressive 14 goals in the process. Miguel Gonzalez and Luke Vercollone are joint top-scorers with six but the latter is a clear leader in the assist chart with seven. Aurora-born Davy Armstrong left Rapids to join the Switchbacks in the offseason and has registered 151 USL minutes to date.
PABLO MASTROENI SAYS
“The Switchbacks have been in good form as of late. They are a very composed team on the ball and have a few players who have been difference-makers this year. They are a very effective side who are looking to impress at a high level. So we need to get control of the game and dictate terms.
“We’ll field a mixed squad on the night but throughout the year it has been about coaching 30 players for when they are needed to step in and make a difference. For us it is about the mentality of the group, especially in the early stages of the game.
“Every year the distance between the two leagues (MLS and USL) gets smaller and that has a lot to do with development of the game in the US and some players not having the right opportunities at MLS level. But we know they are a good side with some dynamic players who have a lot to prove. It will be a hard-fought, competitive match.”
TEAM NEWS:
Rapids: Burch (suspended), Sjoberg (knee)
Switchbacks: Hunter (ineligible)
NOTES
Eighteen76 will be open from 5.30pm and will show the USWNT game against Nigeria in the Women’s World Cup, kickoff 6:00 p.m.
ColoradoRapids.com will have live audio commentary of this game
Tickets are still available. Click HERE for details.
