One Week Away...

The Rapids will kick off their 15th season a week from today when they travel to California to face Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center (March 26, 8:30 pm MT). Here are some notes to take you into the final off-season weekend.

• With the inclement weather this morning, the guys were given the day off. They'll return for a couple of closed sessions this weekend on the fields here at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz are excused as they represent the players in the on-going meetings with Major League Soccer.
• We're in the process of finalizing a loan deal for goalkeeper Steward Ceus to join the Charlotte Eagles of the United Soccer League’s Second Division for the 2010 season. Fans may recall that the 6'6" keeper was loaned to Charlotte last summer. He started 10 games for the Eagles from June to August, posting four shutouts. The current deal is structured so that we can recall him at any time.
• Midfielder Greg Dalby has been waived.
• If you want to get a taste of what the 2010 MLS season will bring, be sure to tune in to Fox Soccer Channel's MLS Preview show tonight at 6 pm MT. We haven't looked up the replay schedule, but it may be shown at other times in case you miss it tonight.
• And, if you want to read ESPN.com's 2010 preview on the Rapids, click here.
• We'll have more details on the launch of our new website next week. In the meantime...
• Midfielder Jamie Smith will be a regular 'blogger' for the website of Sport TV in his native Scotland. He wrote his first entry earlier this week: How Did I End Up Playing in America.
• Also this week, FC Denver spoke to defender Drew Moor.
• Our Premier League partners, Arsenal FC, drew Barcelona for the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. Click here for more on the draw.
• Rapids Season Ticket holders should be receiving their 2010 season ticket next week. Full Season Ticket Holder will also receive instructions on how to claim their exclusive gift, the burgundy and white Rapids adidas scarf that Omar Cummings is showing off in the photo above.

Have a good weekend.

One Week Away...

Winter Storm Warning Cancels Charity Shield Match

The National Weather Service in Denver this morning issued a Winter Storm Warning from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday, calling for heavy snow (6-12 inches) and potential wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour for our area.

With this in mind, the Rapids and Seattle have cancelled the preseason Charity Shield match originally scheduled for Friday, March 19 here at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Coloradoans are likely not too surprised that it's been 60 degrees and sunny the past couple of days - including right now at 11:30 am MT on Thursday as the team is wrapping up training on the fields at the complex...

Winter Storm Warning Cancels Charity Shield Match

Rapids Defeat Air Force 6-0 in Scrimmage

After a scoreless first half, the Rapids scored six unanswered goals in a 6-0 win over the Air Force Academy in a scrimmage played on the Rapids Training Field at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Pat Noonan led the scoring with a hat-trick, with Rob Valentino, Oscar Murillo, and trialist Andy Lorei adding one a piece. Click here for a game recap and lineup.

Rapids Defeat Air Force 6-0 in Scrimmage

Back to Work..

After spending last week in cold and windy London, the team was welcomed back to training at Dick's Sporting Goods Park this morning with sunny skies and 55 degree weather. It was also the first time this spring that the team was able to practice on natural grass at home.

Prior to this week, the fields at Dick's Sporting Good Park were still frozen, thus too hard to train on early in the spring. Therefore, the team had taken to the turf fields for their home preseason workouts - until today.

With the backdrop of the snow-capped Rocky Mountain in clear view, the team went through a two-hour session out on Field 17. They'll be back on Wednesday for a morning workout, and then a scrimmage against the Air Force Academy later in the afternoon.

We caught up with head coach Gary Smith today to get his thoughts on the trip to England, the players coming back from injury, and the status of the roster:

Undercurrent: Tell us about the England trip; did you get what you wanted out of the trip, and how do you see the team on its return to Colorado?

Gary Smith: “We had a very bright morning today; I thought the guys looked very sharp. I think they’re really pleased to be back home, first and foremost, but on the back of an enjoyable and competitive trip as well.

There’s no doubt about it, the two games we played were physically demanding. The guys that are probably pushing at this moment in time towards the starting eleven got probably more minutes than most. But I certainly want to keep my mind open to the fact that we’ve got good players, good depth in the squad, and everybody should be given that opportunity.

We work towards Friday’s game on the back of that good week; with, I would hope, the fellows in really good spirits, and certainly fired up and enthused after being around such a good environment at Arsenal.”

Undercurrent: When the team left for England, you said you hoped to see some of the guys that had previously been injured in action. How do you evaluate their progress after last week?

“For sure, Pablo is at the top of that list of those injuries that have made the best progress. He played two periods - two 45 minutes. Physically he looks in great shape; I think he’ll just be working towards match sharpness now.

Colin Clark and Jeff Larentowicz slot in behind Pablo with 20 and 25 minutes of football in each game, and I think the pair of them are looking and feeling much better about themselves. With a good week under their belt this week – we have a lesser college game tomorrow – and then obviously a more competitive outing against Seattle on Friday, those two guys will play a good part in each game. And on the back of that, I would hope that they’re in contention for the following week and start of the season at Chivas.

Scott Palguta’s been out for a good period of time, and I think he’ll be certainly someway behind those three guys in competing for a place. And then, just extremely hopeful that some of the other bodies – Jamie Smith, who missed out against San Jose, trained again today – they’ve just got little niggles that I think is just going to keep them out of short periods.

The main group’s looking much more settled and I think working towards what will look a much more familiar lineup towards our first away game.”

Undercurrent: On the recent trialists and competition for spots – is that something you’ll continue looking at?

“I think we’re all pretty comfortable with the way the group’s coming together and settling in. For sure, always, every coach is looking to improve. And, the opportunity to bring in stronger depth, more competition, is just a process of time.

The fact that we have a settled 24 at the moment doesn’t necessarily mean that that will be the same 24 that starts the season. Sadly, that is the nature of the business we’re in. So if the opportunity to bring in better players is there, and that is always the key, than I’d like to be able to explore that. So don’t rule out the possibility of one or two additions before the season actually commences.

Back to Work..

Images: Rapids' Float at St. Patrick's Day Parade

A big thanks to the Rapids supporters that took part in the Rapids float at last Saturday's Denver St. Patrick's Day Parade. Enjoy some photos and short video below.

Images: Rapids' Float at St. Patrick's Day Parade

Message for Season Ticket Holders

Hey Season Ticket Holders, here’s an important message regarding your season tickets:

If you signed up to receive your season tickets as paper tickets, they will be mailed to you the week of March 22nd. We are sending them via UPS, so please make sure we have an updated mailing address for you on file (no PO Boxes, please). If you need to update your address with us, you can do so by logging into Manage My Account or by emailing us at customerservice@dsgpark.com.

If you signed up for Flash Seats as your method of ticket delivery, they will arrive in your Flash Seat account that same week of March 22nd. You will receive an email notification once they arrive! Click here to learn more about Flash Seats.

We look forward to seeing you at our games this season.

Message for Season Ticket Holders

Arsenal TV: Conor Casey's goal vs. Arsenal

Arsenal TV has provided us video highlights of the Rapids win over the Arsenal reserves from earlier this week, including Conor Casey's goal and post-game comments from Colorado head coach Gary Smith and Arsenal reserves manager Neil Banfield. Fan can see the clip below or visit the team's Youtube page by clicking here.

Arsenal TV: Conor Casey's goal vs. Arsenal