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In my time of being a fan of the Colorado Rapids I am struggling to remember a season that has gotten the fan base so fired up. There were some times when players or the front office did things that made you wonder if they knew their ass from a hole in the ground, but this week is something special. The Blokes here at Burgundy Wave have brought their A Game in analyzing the Fan Forum (Chris has the best and MOST ACCURATE TAKE of any soccer writer I know) this week and I hope you have been following along.
All of this being said, I began to wonder if there is something that can be done in the short term. Because despite Pablo saying:
"Playoffs are a possibility for us" So is me winning the lottery
— Patrick Rosch (@patrickmac05) August 11, 2015
the playoffs are not going to happen.
OK, so if you agree with my assertion that the team is not going to make the playoffs, why not try and go for something different and play the kids. I know that the team has been stripped of some of its key RapKids over the years including Shane O'Neill, Chris Klute, and Deshorn Brown but there is still a good amount of young talent on this squad that should be given a shot, especially since the playoffs are not "realistically" possible.
So let's look at this possible lineup:
A note on this: I am not going to comment on the new guys that are on the team as I need to see them play.
The Defense: Clint Irwin, Michael Harrington, Drew Moor, Axel Sjoberg, Marlon Hairston
The Rapids made this big deal about bringing Harrington in and then he sits on the bench in favor of James Riley who, quite honestly, has been crap the bulk of the year. Why not play Harrington and Moor along the back line--two veterans no less--with two young guys in Hairston and Sjoberg. Give it a shot. What is the worst thing that happens?
The Midfield: Sam Cronin, Dillon Powers, Dillon Serna
The Rapids won a TON of games in 2013 with just ONE defensive midfielder. Just one. If Sam Cronin is your Captain now, start him as the ONLY D-Mid and run two brilliant, and shockingly underused players, in Powers and Serna out there. See what happens. Give Powers the creativity to do what he should be doing and with Serna as his partner. I am convinced that there would be more offense generated then there is now.
The Offense: Juan Ramirez, Kevin Doyle, Gabriel Torres
If Ramirez is a corner stone of the team, PLAY HIM EVERY GAME. If Doyle is your #9, PLAY HIM EVERY GAME. And if Torres is your leading scorer, PLAY HIM EVERY GAME. How about all three of them up front and lets give it whirl and see what happens.
Just my two cents...I don't claim to be a soccer genius and all knowing, but I do know there is a lot of talent on this team that could make this an exciting and dynamic group. Instead of the bunker ball we get, we could actually pose an attacking threat. Heck, the season is pretty much over at this point. Why not give this a try for a few games and see what transpires.