Chalk Talk
Chalk Talk - Brian's Redemption
by UZ on Aug 7, 2011 12:00 PM MDT
in Chalk Talk
MLS recently introduced a wonderful new feature called the Chalkboard, brought to you by OptaSports. After some game we will be dissecting a player or two from the Rapids using the Chalkboard from the previous game.
The first Chalk Talk that I ever did on here was detailing Brian Mullan in his first game after the 10 game suspension he had to serve after the Zakuani incident. It was largely a sad sight to see, with Brian staying stuck on the sideline all game, turning the ball over a ton and looking like he was an old, tired guy going through the motions. Not at all the five time MLS champion that he'd shown himself to be last season.
I'm happy to report that after completely crapping up the pitch against Columbus earlier in the season, he chose the second match against the Crew to turn in what might be his best performance in his short history playing for the Rapids.
Check after the jump for some analysis.
0 commentsChalk Talk - Sturftistics
by UZ on Jul 17, 2011 7:00 AM MDT
in Chalk Talk
MLS recently introduced a wonderful new feature called the Chalkboard, brought to you by OptaSports. After every game we will be dissecting a player or two from the Rapids using the Chalkboard from the previous game.
The past few Chalk Talk articles - then again, there haven't been all that many - I've taken a specific player and looked at their performance closely using the chalkboard. After yesterday's debacle of a game I figured that it might be fun to see if the statistical side of the game looked as bad as the product on the field did at times. The turf not helping anybody was pretty much undeniable, really; players and even the referee were slipping around the entire game, Conor Casey wound up with an ankle injury just settling a ball and Jamie Smith was pulled from the starting lineup at the last second, possibly after pulling his hamstring on pre-game warmups on the slippery pitch.
Still, I decided to take a look at both teams performances and how they stack up on the statistical edge of things. Did the statistics look as bad as the players did out there? Find out after the jump!
Chalk Talk - Wells Thompson: The Man, The Myth, The Mastroeni replacement
by UZ on Jul 10, 2011 1:36 PM MDT
in Chalk Talk
MLS recently introduced a wonderful new feature called the Chalkboard, brought to you by OptaSports. After every game we will be dissecting a player or two from the Rapids using the Chalkboard from the previous game.
When we learned that Pablo Mastroeni's yellow card against Sporting Kansas City would keep him away from the Vancouver Whitecaps match, the first thing to do was to figure out who would replace Pablo in the lineup. Perhaps Jamie Smith would move centrally and play ACM as he did against Real Salt Lake earlier in the year? Joseph Nane might get a second chance to prove his mettle against a team considerably weaker than the FC Dallas squad he faced earlier?
Well, the game started with Jamie Smith on the wing, Joesph Nane on the bench and... Wells Thompson playing defensive central midfielder?
Chalk Talk - The Folan experiment failed? Nope, still going strong.
by UZ on Jul 4, 2011 10:34 AM MDT
in Chalk Talk
MLS recently introduced a wonderful new feature called the Chalkboard, brought to you by OptaSports. After every game we will be dissecting a player or two from the Rapids using the Chalkboard from the previous game.
I've heard tell from some of the more fickle of Rapids fans that 'the Caleb Folan experiment has failed'. This is interesting especially because these were the same people who were trying to convince me that he was somehow a better target forward than Conor Casey after that DC United match where he scored a brace, but I digress. Yesterday was one of his better games as a Rapid and he showed us all what he can and most likely will do as he continues to learn the tricks of the MLS trade.
Chalk Talk: Brian Mullan largely unsuccessful in return
by UZ on Jun 27, 2011 7:02 AM MDT
in Chalk Talk
MLS recently introduced a wonderful new feature called the Chalkboard, brought to you by OptaSports. After every game we will be dissecting a player or two from the Rapids using the Chalkboard from the previous game.
Brian Mullan is one of the biggest reasons that the Colorado Rapids won the MLS Cup in 2010. The trade for him gave the Rapids something that they lacked for the entire season before that - a veteran, offensively minded winger who could also play defense with anyone in the league. He played fairly well as the 2011 season began as well, up until that terrible Steve Zakuani incident.
Unfortunately, the rust from a 10 game suspension seemed to hit Mullan very hard against the Columbus Crew during that 4-1 crapfest that the Rapids put on yesterday in what was supposed to be his triumphant return. Join me after the jump for a little analysis.
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