2011 Player Rating and Review: Jamie Smith

This offseason, the Burgundy Wave staff will give short reviews on the play of all Colorado Rapids players who received a decent amount of time on the pitch during the season along with a season grade. Starting with Goalkeepers and then moving up the field as necessary from defenders to forwards, today we'll feature Jamie Smith.

Name: Jamie Smith
Number: 20
Appearances: 20 (2)
Stats: 3 Goals, 4 Assists
With a magic foot from Scotland, Jamie...

Jamie Smith made a name for himself in 2010 by being the 'service master' as it were for Colorado, providing plenty of assists and providing the best service into the box on the team. Though he had some really bad days and was inconsistent at times, he looked poised to be a good player on the Rapids for years to come. He expanded on that premise and absolutely blew it out of the water in 2011 in the minutes he received, putting together an early case for team MVP until injuries sidelined him.

Jamie started off the year with a bang and an early goal of the year contender against the Portland Timbers and continued to get an assist or two along the way. In a year when goals were at a premium for Colorado, he provided a couple of very nice ones. He even learned how to defend a bit more consistently in the midfield, probably his biggest flaw in 2010.

Sadly, injuries caught up to the older Smith and he missed a lot of last season, including tearing his ACL in the final few games keeping him away from the playoffs.

Hopefully once he comes back in 2012, he can keep himself healthy. Jamie has shown time and again that he is a weapon that the Rapids always can find use for. Fortunately, in the new revamped midfield, Jamie won't need to be the every day starter any more so he can be used more as a specialty guy, probably a good thing at his age.

PLAYER RATING: 8