Rapids beat Ventura Fusion 6-1 in second pre-season matchup

The Rapids played their second match of the MLS pre-season, running rampant over 3rd tier Premier Development League side Ventura County Fusion for a 6-1 win. Caleb Calvert scored a brace and added an assist. The other Rapids scorers were Kevin Doyle, Marlon Hairston, Liam Callahan, and Jaime Siaj, who scored on a penalty kick. Details on the match were shared via the team’s official twitter account.

The team played two completely different starting lineups in the first and second half.

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A few things worth noting:

• Trialists Jun Marques Davidson and Cody Mizell both saw the field in the second half. Davidson played center back, while Mizell manned the pipes as the team’s goalkeeper. With Tim Howard recuperating from injury, the team will likely need to carry a short-term third GK, behind Zac MacMath and John Berner.
• Micheal Azira and Marc Burch made their first appearances for the Rapids this pre-season. Axel Sjoberg did not take the field in this match.
• Liam Callahan seemed to have played as a left midfielder/left winger in this match. Callahan played primarily at left back for Syracuse University. With unsigned draftees, having versatility can be helpful in securing a spot with the club, so I take that as a small sign that the Rapids want to have a utility player on their club that can fill in at a couple of different spots.
• I’m not going to get excited about Calvert scoring two goals and adding a late assist, because this was a meaningless pre-season game. OK, I’m a tiny bit excited.

The Rapids play again in one week in Tucson, Arizona, in the Desert Diamond Classic. You can get tickets through the official team website here, and streaming information will be posted at Burgundy Wave when it is announced.