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The Rapids host the Chicago Fire for their annual 4th of July Extravaganza
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(AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek)
The Rapids big 4th of July bash will start at 5:00 Saturday evening. Visitors to Dick's Sporting Goods Park will see fireworks, hear music, enjoy a beer garden, visit the supporter groups tail gates, and even get to see a soccer game. And, what a game it should be too?
The Fire's Danger Men
The Rapids will be facing the Chicago Fire who will have plenty of fireworks of their own. The Fire's offense is one of the best in MLS. The team has a good combination of skill, pace, creativity, and sheer force.
The Fire's highest profile player, Cuahetemoc Blanco is a Mexican legend. An iconic player, Blanco seldom fails to entertain. Sometimes the entertainment is his prowess with a soccer ball, sometimes its his gesticulations at the referees, the players, or the crowd. Blanco is an entertainer as much as he is a soccer player.
Paired with Blanco is the All-American forward Brian McBride. McBride has represented the Rapids at three World Cups. McBride is a fearless forward who has made a career out of putting his body, particularly his head, on the line. As a consequence a good portion of McBride's face is now supported by metal inserts rather than bones.
At the outside wing positions the Fire have two very good players in Chris Rolfe and Marco Pappa. Both players are goal scoring threats, and both players will give the Rapids outside back plenty of work.
With the Fires attacking players many are wondering why the team has struggled of late. The Fire's last win was back on May the 28th against Chivas U.S.A. Since that game the Fire has been shut out of three of their last four matches.
The Fire has not played a league match in two weeks, but has been kept busy by games in the Superliga and the U.S. Open Cup.
Good opponents
The Fire are a good test for the Rapids. At seasons start the Fire were projected to be at the top of the league, the Rapids near the bottom. An early better would have picked this game to be a loss or tough tie for the Rapids.
Now with the game afoot, the two teams are tied on points, and tied on goals. The Rapids defense has been slightly better than Chicago's.
Returing players and missing players
The Rapids will welcome Conor Casey back into the lineup this Saturday and it could not come at a better time. The Rapids squad will be without Omar Cummings and Colin Clark, two key players to this years successes. As with Casey's departure, the Rapids do not have adequate replacements for either.
Stepping in for Omar will be Noonan who may compliment Conor Casey quite well. Noonan's skills are pretty well suited to the second forward position. Colin Clark is a pretty big loss to the Rapids. Peterson, Cooke, or LaBrocca could be shuffled to cover the left side, but none of them have are the threat that Clark is with the ball at his feet.
Both players will be playing the The Gold Cup. An unfortunate consequence of success with a players club is that the club then loses the player to national team duty. Rapids fans will be happy that Omar and Colin are receiving this honor, but we could use both of them on Saturday.
The Chicago Fire will also be without a couple of players of their own, also on Gold Cup duty. The first player, Logan Pause won't be terribly crucial. The Fire have good backup options for Pause. The second missing player, Jon Busch, could be a huge loss for the Fire. Busch, the Fire's goalkeeper, is capable of stealing games. His replacement, Andrew Dykstra, has never started a league match.
What team is losing the most by the missing players? It's tough to tell. The Rapids are losing offense. The Fire is losing defense. If the Rapids were travelling to Chicago I would say the bigger loss would be to them. But, for a home match, the visiting team will sorely miss their starting keeper.
Prediction
The Rapids have fallen off the pace recently with last Sunday's loss and last Wednesday's tie. The team has generated plenty of scoring chances. The return of Conor Casey will be very important to the Rapids, but it is yet to be seen if he will return with his scoring shoes on. Whenever a player returns from national team duty there is always the risk that a let down will follow. Casey picked up where he started after last season, he's capable of getting on track again.
The Rapids have lost only once on the Fourth of July. That history won't help them, but the crowd will. The Chicago Fire is a good opponent, but the loss of Jon Busch will be the team undoing. The Rapids by 2.
If you don' t show up for the soccer
The Fourth of July match has turned into the Rapids signature event. If you don't come to the game for the soccer, which you should be going to the game for, here's a few other attractions:
- The crowd. Every sporting event is more compelling when there's a good crowd, and this game is sure to have a sizeable one. The Rapids are nearing a sellout for this game, and are starting to offer standing room only tickets. Too often people leave Dick's Sporting Goods Park ignoring the game and complaining about the crowd. With the opponent, the entertainment, and a lot of people this should be a fun event.
- The Samples will be playing a half hour reunion concert after the match.
- The fireworks. The Rapids claim this is the biggest firework show in Colorado. It has certainly been spectacular in the past, and even if its not the biggest it will always be near the top of the list.
- The carnival outside the stadium. The Rapids will have a beer garden, music, kids games, and other activities prior to the game. The supporters groups will be putting on a show of their own with a giant tail gate located on the Eastern side of the parking lot.
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