MLS Inquest 2012: Colorado Rapids

A new Rapids core started to come together toward the end of the season

MLS Inquest 2012: Colorado Rapids

Record: 11-19-4

Points: 37

Finish: 7th, Western Conference

Player of the Year: Jaime Castrillon

Under 1st year head coach Oscar Pareja, the Rapids began to turn toward South America to find impact players.  It's a path to success already utilized by teams like Seattle and Real Salt Lake, and while it didn't bring immediate success for Colorado, it brought them Jaime Castrillon.  Castrillon is a dynamic midfielder and Colombian international, and a few teams in MLS felt his sting this year as he led the Rapids with with 8 goals in 30 appearances.  He also notched 4 assists for the club.  He's always an offensive threat, and should be one part of a new core of talent for Pareja to utilize in the coming years.  He was an excellent addition to the club and MLS.

Flop of the Year: Conor Casey

I really don't want to rip Casey as much as I've ripped on some other players in this segment.  A lot of his issues are just due to age and the fact that he was coming off a major injury sustained at Seattle in 2011.  That injury also kept him out for a big chunk of 2012.  In the end the 31 year old Denver native just didn't have the wheels when he did come back from the injury, scoring just twice in 18 matches.  On November 16, the Rapids officially parted ways with Casey, and he departs as the club's all time leading scorer with 48 goals.  It will be interesting to see if another MLS club takes a chance on him.

The Good:

The Rapids not only have developed a good new core for Pareja's more dynamic system, but they supplemented it with some pretty heavy duty experience as well, adding former Wigan Athletic man Hendry Thomas.  Thomas provided a great stabilizing influence in front of the Rapids somewhat vulnerable defense and seemed to free up Jeff Larentowicz to be more active as well.  Thomas should fill another starting slot for Colorado in the coming years.

The Bad:

The defense was way too spotty for the Rapids this year, constantly exposing 'keeper Matt Pickens to insane amounts of shots on goal.  To put it in perspective:  the Rapids scored 9 more goals than playoff bound Vancouver, and only 2 fewer than 2nd place Real Salt Lake.  However, only Portland and Chivas USA gave up more than the Rapids' total of 50.  That mark would have certainly been much higher without the heroics of Pickens in goal.

The Ugly:

Colorado could not earn a draw to save their lives.  Their total of 4 was the fewest in MLS.  That might be ok if you're winning a lot, but the Rapids weren't, dropping 19 matches, 2nd only to TFC's humiliating 21 losses.  There were a fair few blown leads in there as well, which points the finger squarely back at the defense.  Had the Rapids been able to convert a few of those losses to draws, they would have been a factor in the playoff race.

The Verdict:

All is not lost at Dick's Sporting Goods park.  The Rapids started to gel and play better toward the end of the season, and you could certainly see flashes of Pareja's system starting to fire in players like Castrillon, Martin Rivero, and Tony Cascio.  Also, to my mind Matt Pickens is vastly underrated in goal, partly because the poor guy faces so many shots.  He's quality though.  The Rapids have also shown commitment to Pareja and his system.  They resisted the urge to toss him under the bus for the lackluster season, and parted ways with eight players from their old guard (see Conor Casey) in order to free up roster spots and salary for Pareja to work with.  If they choose wisely in the off season, they will be back in the playoff picture next year.