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Through the month of December, Burgundy Wave will do a short review of every player who received even a paltry sum of minutes in 2012. We start with the goalkeepers and then move our way up to the forwards. Today, we'll cover Martin Rivero.
Name: Martin Rivero
Number: 10
Appearances: 30
Stats: 2 goals, 8 assists
If there's one player who is going to be immensely important to Colorado's fortunes next year, it's probably going to be young Martin Rivero. He showed a ton of promise this season, leading the team in assists and bringing a new flair to the Rapids midfield that we haven't seen in quite some time.
Of course, there's still plenty of room for improvement, as one would expect from a young guy coming into a new league and playing a tough position. The biggest problem he had this year was consistency. He always seemed to play worse on turf than on grass. In the few cold weather games the team played, he was invisible.
And no matter where they were playing, the guy just couldn't aim to save his life. Stat of the year for Martin: His 3.3 shot conversion percentage was the worst among anyone who actually scored a goal this season. If he takes 61 shots again next season, I would hope that at least eight or nine of them will go in.
Expecting him to turn into the next David Ferreira might be a bit too much to ask right now, especially in only two years. Fortunately, the team seems intent on keeping him around for a long while. After a full off-season with the team and a full training camp, we'll see how he continues to grow next season. Even if he stalls and stays at the point where he is right now, he's proven that he can remain useful, if not a budding star.
PLAYER RATING: 6.5
.GIF TO SUM UP HIS SEASON:
A bit disjointed, but very fun to watch when it worked out!