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Well, the big tournament that absolutely nobody has been waiting for is finally about to start! Back in September of 2011, the Colorado Rapids were informed that they were invited to the 2012 Hawaiian Islands Invitational Soccer tournament, kind of a re-branding of the old Pan-Pacific Championship.
The two semi-finals games -- it's a quick tournament with only four teams, eh? -- will take place on Thursday the 23rd while the final and 'consolation final' between the third and fourth place teams will both be on Saturday the 25th.
The first game will feature the Colorado Rapids and Yokohama FC of Japan's J-League at 1:30 AM Mountain Time. Yeah, the games are really late at night for us, thanks Hawaiian Standard Time! If you want to catch some earlier action, Melbourne Heart play Korean side Busan I'Park FC a bit earlier in the day.
The championship game will be on Saturday at 10:30 PM MT if the Rapids make it past Yokohama.
You can watch all the games of the Invitational on ESPN 3 if you want to get your Rapids fix before the home opener on March 10th. It's always fun to win Mickey Mouse cups so... go Rapids!