Derby day! Or, if you will, rivalry week, or perhaps "hate week," though I consider that one a bit strong. Whatever you call it, it's coming to its fiery conclusion later today for the first of three times this season. Three conclusions, you say? Well, I clearly didn't think that one through. At any rate, this is one of the days for which supporters wait anxiously all season.
With good reason, too: It's a derby with some history in its still-short life; the vitriol is palpable at times not just in the stands but on the pitch. It's a rivalry punctuated by individual events: The inflammatory celebrations on our own pitch by that one fellow who I shall not name for all our sakes — he shall henceforth be known as Macaroni — the angry spat involving Checketts and Elbow Noodles, the vandalization of the RSL supporters bus last season, the late goals by Saborio — and much more.
It's sometimes argued that it's an artificial grasp at the rivalries seen across Europe — the big cross-town ones come to mind — but it's truly not. It was created by a group of bipartisan fans in our very early days, not the league, and while the promotion of it might sometimes seem a bit forced, it has developed quite genuinely into one of our bitter rivalries. We certainly have more than just the single rivalry, though. (For more on this sort of thing, do check back and read this week's Debates feature and voice your opinion.)
But surely others will do a better, more nuanced job of explaining the Rocky Mountain Cup and its intricacies. Let's get on to what, for me, is the meat of the match.
I confess, I've not watched much of Colorado this season. I've not really felt like exposing myself to them before now, so perhaps some cursory research is in order. We do know they're suffering a bit from injuries — Mastroeni, who is still struggling after concussion against our boys; Conor Casey, who is still recovering from that nasty achilles tear. They'll also be missing Jamie Smith and Anthony Wallace, but I don't think too much of that.
Of course, we're without a couple of our key players: Ned Grabavoy, through a rib something-or-other, and Javier Morales, through a hamstring strain. How we fill their places in the squad is of vital importance, and a year ago, I'd be shaking a bit in my boots. (The English usage of boots, I mean. I don't walk around in steel-toed boots or anything — not that there's anything wrong with it.) This year? Not so much. Luis Gil has proven himself a bit, even if we do know he's got more to work on; Sebastian Velasquez has come in and made a name for himself, even if he's still a bit raw; Kyle Beckerman's added more attacking nous to his play; and, of course, there's much more to draw encouragement from.
After having watched training, I see a focused, aware bunch of players who will be a bit disappointed with their home form — style, at least, if not results — knowing that they can, indeed, do better. I don't suspect we'll rest our first-choice players in this marquee match. We'll have a solid week to prepare for our visit to in-form Sporting KC, so we've got no reason to not play up to our best against the Rapids. Indeed, a slower-paced-than-usual match against Montreal Impact may have been slightly to prepare ourselves for an undoubtedly faster-paced match tonight.
On our day, we needn't worry. We can quite handily beat the Rapids if our parts combine as we know they can. We'll need our defensive line synced up, our midfield in top tippy-tappy form, our forwards making the gut-busting runs we've come to expect. (How spoiled we are!) Everyone'll need to track back, and everyone'll need to get forward. It's how we play the game. You know — the right way. None of this hoof-and-run stuff for us.
As I've taken a look at the chalkboards for the Rapids-Fire match, I can deduce a few things: We'll have to shackle Jeff Larentowicz, who hit 75 of his 80 attempted passes — importantly, none of them were key passes — and new boy Martin Rivero, who was a force in their midfield. Further, if we can keep Kosuke Kimura and Luis Zapata pinned back a bit, we'll be better off. The presence of a right-sided midfielder who can attack the ball and move forward should help in that regard, which is where we will perhaps miss Ned Grabavoy. I'd imagine Will Johnson starts on the left, giving us a bit of width and defensive shape, and Kyle Beckerman steps back a bit to control the match from deep. His passing and vision will be essential.
Right, let's go through the lineup, shall we?
Nick Rimando undoubtedly starts. Mister Consistent, that one. In front of him, I'd expect our first choice line: Beltran, Borchers, Olave, Wingert. Mmm, Borlave. Having those four at the back will be important, as it's our best-tested lineup and is one that will certainly communicate well as a result.
Kyle Beckerman should be sat right ahead of the defense, while Will Johnson and — wait for it — Sebastian Velasquez should feature on the left and right, respectively. Will on the left will give a slightly more defensive shape on that side, while Sebas on the right will hopefully provide a safe passing outlet and give him the opportunity to make some darting runs behind the attacking Colorado left back. Luis Gil will likely step into Javier's spot once again, and he'll be hoping to get involved early. He does provide a bit more safety than Javier does, though we would certainly benefit from having the risk-taking Morales in the side.
Up front, Fabian Espindola will continue his search for the Real Salt Lake record books to make his mark in them, and Alvaro Saborio will, well, do the same, though he'll have to score a few more to feature ahead of Espindola. A good old-fashioned footrace, how exciting! Espindola's attacking movement will help shackle the full backs, while Saborio's intelligent movement in the center will be of the utmost importance, especially when we need an outlet out of the midfield.
In short form: Rimando, Beltran, Borlave, Wingert, Beckerman, Velasquez, Johnson, Gil, Saborio, Espindola.
It's not entirely first-choice, but it's certainly not far off. Now let's go win this thing.
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