Denver, CO, August 13, 2004 (CSA) — The Rapids are moving on.

After a few days of seeing the sights in our nation's capital, which included D.C. United's newest memorial face Freddy Adu blowing past their backline, MLS' whipping boy heads to Chicago for hot dogs and good times.

Ahhh! Travel is wonderful. Unless you are the hapless Bad News Bears on tour.

After learning about the embarrassment Goliath must have felt after losing to David in Dallas, the Rapids proved through sheer lack of determination, grit, and coordination that they could lose to a full side even faster than to a team playing two men down.

D.C. was decent Wednesday night, but by no means marvelous as they held a 3-1 "everybody scores" training session-quality evening for their fans to attend.

Not that many did, just over 10K. Watching the Rapids come to town midweek (without U.S. National Team star Pablo Mastroeni) is apparently much like a happy hour tooth cleaning. You should go, but you'd rather be at the bar with your friends.

A minor highlight was enjoying a late-season checkup on Adu, who started and finished the game.

In short? Adu had decent play, good moves, and confident patience in one-touching home the opening tally of the game, his third goal of the season and first since his powerful upper-corner shot past L.A.'s Kevin Hartman back in May.

D.C. Head Coach Peter Nowak summed up why Freddy got the chance to go the full 90: "The last three weeks he has proven to all of us, including my players, that he deserves to be on the field."

John Spencer also had his first goal in months (since April, as it happens) pulling one back for the gipper; too little, too late.

Spencer's comments echoed his feelings on the showing.

"Obviously, you won't score goals if you don't have chances," he said. "It's easy for a striker to say he's going through a bad spell, but we've got to create more chances."

After the game, Head Coach Tim Hankinson described the theme for the current Rapids road trip in movie genre terminology: horror movie.

"I think we are still recovering more than anything else," Hankinson said. "We had a nightmare in the 90th minute in Dallas three days ago, and basically [Wednesday night] we had a 90-minute nightmare."

Goalkeeper Joe Cannon said "a lack of possession on our part" is a primary point of failure.

He doesn't believe the dual pressures of recent defensive injuries combined with a strategy of pushing the wingbacks forward are causing the defensive collapse. Moreover, he described the wingbacks as a key to a strategy the coach hopes may lift them into the playoffs.

"We weren't able to deal with the pressure [delivered by the other team]," Cannon said. "We tried to play through the middle of the field and ended up losing it more times than not."

Perhaps this pressure is why Cannon has been faster to distribute balls after they enter his area.

"I don't want the other team to set up pressure against us," Cannon said. "Counters, if there is a one-on-one up top, then maybe I can exploit it, but honestly we don't have a lot of height up top."

What about tomorrow?
But enough of sad yesterdays! It's on to the Windy City where dreams and hopes are made of. At least, the Rapids can recall that they beat Chicago at home a few weeks ago, so perhaps that fading memory will spur them to action.

Unfortunately, Hankinson does not appear confident this will happen Saturday

"I hope we get angry," he said. "That should be the emotion."

Hope? It works in the movies, maybe it can work for the Rapids. Nothing else has. Of course, nobody's been fired yet.

"I feel we haven't been stepping up for whatever reason," said Cannon. "No one is playing to their potential, whether it's missed opportunities on one end or not making the big save... [However], a couple guys on defense are doing a good job.

"Hopefully we can continue into the playoffs. Chicago is going to offer us a good test, but it's a game we can definitely win. They're going to have some guys missing. I'm excited to get back on the pitch and try to get those three points."

Cannon refers to the fact that in beating San Jose while a man down (Logan Pause was shown a red card), Chicago showed the same reserve of confidence Dallas did last week. Yet losses to Dallas and San Jose this week mean Colorado remains in contention, although going up against a team that can win when a man down does not bode well.

While several players are showing obvious signs of frustrations with their teammates, nobody yet has felt the need to publicly call each other out.

Perhaps the team remains cohesive enough to avoid squabbling. And perhaps they just don't feel that performance would improve if anyone was called on the carpet and asked to take responsibility for their actions. And, perhaps players just don't care enough about the team to try.

And...perhaps.

Fans? What fans?
And nobody has apologized for their behavior. Perhaps the Rapids team does not appreciate their follies, does not appreciate the pain and suffering they have put Colorado fans through?

Maybe they do.

"Bear with us," said Cannon. "Obviously, it's disappointing that we're not playing to what we can and giving fans the entertaining soccer they deserve.

"At the same time, we're still in playoff contention. For us right now, every game is going to be a playoff game. And when we come home, we're going to need their support as much as we ever have."

Hankinson has yet to indicate any consideration for the other half of the team/fan relationship. "Still recovering?" Indeed.

Speaking of recovering, after his first start since the opening part of the season, defender/striker Gary Sullivan was taken off at halftime, but was not among the injured in the game, ostensibly removed due to a lack of 90-minute fitness.

Not so fit were strikers Rey Ángel Martinez and Jean-Philippe Peguero, neither of whom traveled to D.C. as they struggle with recurring injury problems.

The Rapids staff indicated Martinez has continued swelling and pain in his left toe that they feel has hampered his on-field performance, although it has not been re-broken. While he stayed in Colorado for the Washington leg, he may make an appearance in Chicago if any injuries discovered after the D.C. game warrant.

Meanwhile, Colorado's team will be complacently located in the defensive end of Soldier Field Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. (MDT) as they take on the Fire. Fortunately for fans, there's no television to detract from what is forecasted to be an otherwise enjoyable Saturday evening.

BilFish can be reached at bilfish@cybersoccernews.com.
© Fisher/Cyber Soccer Associates, LLC 2004