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Supporters Shield leading Colorado Rapids take on Columbus Crew SC in a match that pits two of the more surprising teams in MLS:
The Rapids were supposed to suck this year and sit bottom of the Western Conference. They are now 7-2-2 and top of the league.
Crew SC made it all the way to MLS Cup last year narrowing losing that match. They are now in a relegation spot (if MLS had relegation) as they are 18th in the league on points.
Many story lines abound in this one but the goal for the Rapids is to grab a road result, if not outright win this match.
What to Watch For
1) Oh my Kei--unless you have been living under an MLS rock, you are quite aware of the saga with former Crew SC forward Kei Kamara who was traded to New England Revolution this week. It was a shocking end for a player that had carried the Crew to MLS Cup. Just. Crazy. Our friends at the Massive Report have a great look at this saga.
2) The Run of Form--the Rapids have not lost since April 9 and are 5-0-1 (16 points) in their last six. This is one of the best runs ever for the Burgundy Boys and there really is no reason why they cannot grab a result in Columbus as the Rapids are in the in form team and Columbus is playing poorly.
3) The Substitution Issue--a concern that is slowly growing is the health and fitness of the players. The Rapids have not made a great deal of subs in a match and when they do happen they are later on. Now there are a couple of schools of thought: a) the Rapids are playing well so why mess with it and b) there is a three week break coming up from late May to Mid June. But is squad rotation an issue? Should we be concerned that so few players are being subbed in or out? Or are we just being too picky right now?
Officiating Assignments
Referee: Chris Penso
Assistant Referees: Kermit Quisenberry and Jason White
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic
Injuries/Suspensions
Injuries: Colorado--OUT: Marco Pappa, Sean St. Ledger and Eric Miller. Columbus--LISTED ON REPORT: Gaston Sauro and Mohammed Saeid.
Suspensions: NONE
How to Watch
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 14 May 2016 at 5:30 PM MDT
Venue: MAPFRE Stadium--Columbus, Ohio
TV Information: Altitude Sports Television
Radio Information: Altitude Sports Radio AM 950
Weather at Kickoff: 49 degrees and cloudy skies
Predicted Starting XI
Well, a short week means there could be some changes in the Rapids lineup. Based on that, here is my prediction for the Starting XI that is sure to be wrong:
Zac MacMath, Marc Burch, Axel Sjoberg, Bobby Burling, Mekeil Williams, Sam Cronin, Micheal Azira, Shkelzen Gashi, Jermaine Jones, Dillon Serna and Kevin Doyle.