Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes - Player Ratings

Saturday's game was yet another wonderful example of how hilariously easy it is to craft your tactics against the Rapids.

All San Jose did was sit back, let the Rapids have the ball almost the entire game and just counter attack the hell out of them. Teams have been doing that all season, but this was probably the biggest fold-job the Rapids performed in such a situation. Clearances were missed, goal-scoring chances were flubbed, it was the whole package of what's wrong with the 2012 Rapids.

How did the players do? Well, some were better than others, but I wouldn't say anyone did anything resembling a great job.

Scoring Guide:

0 - Awful, horrible, why is he even on the field?
1-3 - Poor. Why is he starting?
4-6 - Decent. Played a reasonable game, but could have done much more.
7-9 - Great game! Did nearly everything right with few mistakes.
10 - Perfect game.

STARTING XI

Luis Zapata - 3.5
A couple of solid runs forward encompassed Zapata's contributions to the game. Zapata's lack of defensive mettle is one of the biggest reasons that counter-attacking has been so effective against the Rapids this season. I, for one, can't wait to get Anthony Wallace back. His defending will help stop that unfortunate trend next year when they're facing solid counter attacking teams like the Quakes.

Drew Moor - 4
There wasn't much to complain about from Moor, but he didn't do anything ground-breaking either. It's hard to get excited about the best performer on a defense that gave up four goals.

Hunter Freeman - 3
Did just about as much as Zapata did defensively, but didn't have the decency to add in any good attacking runs. Getting a solid defensive right back, like Anthony Wallace is for the left side, should be one of the top priorities for the team this off season.

Marvell Wynne - 2
Two of the goals came directly from awful clearances from Marvell, who headed the ball twice into the turf in the penalty area right onto the foot of Chris Wondolowski. You might be aware that giving the ball to Chris Wondolowski in the penalty area is a bad idea.

Jeff Larentowicz - 4
Larentowicz had almost no effect on the game in the half he played. It was almost a 2011 game, he took two shots from way too far out simply because nobody else seemed able to score.

Martin Rivero - 3
Yeesh. If the Rapids are ever going to be a solid playoff contender, Martin is going to have to learn how to play in cold weather. He looked completely off his game in the frigid conditions. On the bright side, even on his worst days he provides a solid passing game. It would just be nice if he didn't slip and fall quite as often.

Brian Mullan - 4
I can't remember a single touch that Mullan had all game. That could be both a good and a bad thing.

Hendry Thomas - 4.5
Well, at least Thomas provided his usual solid passing game through the midfield. Would have been nice if he had gotten into some more defensive plays, but he looked like he was struggling with the weather conditions as well.

Omar Cummings - 4
Cummings was more frustrating than anything. Half the time, he couldn't get a decent touch on the ball to save his life. The other half, he got a great touch but biffed the chance in the end. Perhaps unlucky not to have scored.

Andre Akpan - 5.5
I mean, he didn't do too much throughout the game but he did have the best scoring chance all night and he turned it into a goal. Bonus points for goonie time!

SUBS

Kamani Hill - 3
Had 45 minutes of playing time, didn't provide all that much.

Tony Cascio - 4.5
Cascio was his usual self. He provided an injection of energy and some good touches, though he wasn't able to get close enough to the goal to get any chances for himself.

Steward Ceus - 4
He only faced one shot, and it went in. Hard to blame him on it, though.