If you'll recall, we talked a lot a while back about how Gary Smith was more of a youth stifler than a youth grower while Oscar Pareja loved to develop kids to play in his systems. Well, last night's match against Dallas was a perfect example of that as Shane O'Neill made the bench in Colorado's 2-1 loss against FC Dallas.
Pareja sticking O'Neill onto the bench so soon after his signing with the team is not just a sign of how good the kid might be -- you have to remember, this was coming with an almost completely healthy Rapids team available so there were numbers ahead of him -- but a sign that the new administration is going to be using the kids a lot more than the previous. It's a shame that he never got time on the field but still, a start!
Davy Armstrong signed with the squad and was lauded by Gary Smith, but still never even sniffed the bench except for during a US Open Cup match that Smith played his C squad in and the 'Miracle at Metapan' where Steve Guppy had the reins of the team. Compare that to this, and get excited. The youth movement may have officially began last night and who knows, Davy could be next.