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At about the midway mark of the season, the Colorado Rapids are at an even 5-5-5. However, the club still sits just outside of the playoff race despite losing 2-1 over San Jose Earthquakes on the weekend. On the other hand, the Chicago Fire are well behind pace in the Eastern Conference.
Colorado (5-5-5) bid farewell to longtime Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni on June 17th. The two-time USA World Cup veteran wrote an open letter to the fans after the press release. Mastroeni was traded to the LA Galaxy in exchange for an international slot and a 2014 2nd Round draft pick. The Argentine born midfielder eventually became a U.S. citizen and appeared 65 times for the United States national team and featured in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.
Chicago (3-7-3) recently acquired Mike Magee from the LA Galaxy after a disappointing first half to the season. Chicago are currently 8 points back from a playoff spot. However, the Fire have impressed in the US Open Cup and have earned a quarterfinal matchup with Orlando City at home. Magee's four goals in four games since joining his hometown club have seen them rise slowly in the standings as well, and he will represent an important match-up for the Rapids against Hendry Thomas or Nathan Sturgis.
Even though Sam Cronin put the Rapids to the sword on Saturday, the Rocky Mountain club can find some positives after playing pretty well despite having just 10 men. Jamie Castrillon and Edson Buddle came close to equalizing in the second half after Nathan Sturgis had pulled one back for Colorado. After the match, Oscar Pareja and Earthquakes interim coach Mark Watson appeared to have an altercation that Pareja afterword described as "normal things between coaches." The Rapids now have three straight matches on the road to close out the month of June.