Colorado Rapids vs San Jose Earthquakes
MLS Regular Season, Week 23
August 10, 2019 - 7:00 PM
DICK'S Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colorado
Can the Rapids build on big performances?
After a match as action-packed as last week’s 6-3 victory over the Montreal Impact, there’s plenty of praise to go around the Colorado locker room. Of course, the spotlight will fall squarely on forward Kei Kamara who dazzled the DICK’s Sporting Goods Park faithful with three goals and notched the second hat trick of his illustrious 13-year MLS career. The fifth-leading goalscorer in MLS history racked up goals by penalty, slotting home a rebound, and a trademark high-rising header to cap off the night. The Sierra Leone native was awarded a spot on the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi for his efforts.
Not to be outdone, midfielder Jack Price was also in spectacular form last Saturday with three assists and joined Kamara in being selected to the Team of the Week. The former Wolverhampton man found each of his assists in delivering the ball off of set pieces, which have become a calling card for the 2019 Rapids. “Pricey places great balls in, and it shows. Set pieces are a big thing for us,” said defender Sam Vines following the match. Price now has seven assists in his last six starts for the Rapids.
Another of the beneficiaries of Price’s pinpoint passes was Diego Rubio, who found the goal in the first half off of a corner kick. On a bit of a hot streak himself, Rubio now has five goals in his last seven games. It’s apparent as his first year with Rapids has progressed that the forward has a burgeoning chemistry with the players around him. “I’ll never be relaxed. If I score a goal, then I’ll want two. If I score two, then I’ll want three,” said Rubio following the match.
Will altitude slow down San Jose?
Though the Earthquakes (11-7-5, 3rd in the Western Conference) are coming off of a lackluster 1-1 draw against Columbus Crew SC at home last week, this is an opponent that the Rapids won’t take lightly. Just two weeks removed from suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of San Jose in northern California, there are plenty of lessons to be drawn in order to prevent a repeat performance this time around in the friendlier confines of the Mile High City.
San Jose is a difficult team to prepare for with their unique man-marking defensive system implemented under first-year head coach Matias Almeyda. It’s a high-risk, high-reward scheme that calls upon players to constantly pressure the ball and more and more often, in this revitalized Quakes season, provides prime opportunities for quick turnarounds and counter attacks for San Jose’s dangerous frontline (76 shots in their past three games). “Everyone is committed and whoever is not committed is left to be exposed. We don’t believe in star players; the stars are far away in the sky and cannot be touched,” said Almeyda of his philosophy earlier in the season. In their second time around seeing Almeyda’s system, in turn, the Rapids’ gameplan and players should be more familiar with the frenetic pace of play.
With all that being said, it's easier to dictate the style of play on your home ground than it is on the road, especially in a venue at altitude like DICK'S Sporting Goods Park. One of the most intriguing storylines for this matchup will be how Almeyda's men fare as the game bleeds into the 70th minute and beyond.
In roster news, San Jose recently traded midfielder Anibal Godoy to Nashville FC for $650,000 in General Allocation Money effective January 1, 2020, meaning he’ll stay with San Jose for the rest of the 2019 season. Former Cruz Azul winger Carlos Fierro, who transferred to the club at the end of June, has yet to make an appearance.
What to watch for...
Jordan Angeli, Radio Analyst
The Rapids will face the Quakes again and what better a time to do so after last weekend's six-goal performance. Learning from last match, a good start will be key for the Rapids. In their last meeting, San Jose scored within two minutes of the opening whistle. In that game, the Quakes attacked the flanks of the Rapids diligently and, if all goes the same, there could be opportunities to attack those same spaces in transition for the Rapids at home. For example, if the Rapids line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, they could counter into the Quakes' defensive channels (they attack our left side, we counter and attack their right side hoping to catch their outside back up the field). One way to do that is utilize a run from the Rapids number 10 into that outside channel on the same side San Jose attacked in. If it is on to play him in, then great! If not, the space in the middle of the field would open up to dribble and opportunities in the attacking third could flow from there. Capitalizing off of dead balls will continue to be a place to punish other teams with multiple threats in the air on attacking corners and set pieces.
Lastly, managing the game will be crucial. Due to San Jose’s style of play, they often wear their opponents down and make them pay in the last 15 of each half. I think the Rapids should stay compact to avoid exerting too much energy early and then flip the script by trying to use the altitude to their advantage late in the match.
