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Rapids ready for LA on Wednesday
The Rapids get no time to dwell on Saturday’s loss to San Jose.
Colorado takes the field on Wednesday night against the hottest and arguably best team in MLS, the Los Angeles Galaxy. While it might be a necessary strategic exercise to ponder what could have gone better in the 1-0 loss on the road, the Rapids will instead have to ramp up for a way to stop Edson Buddle’s attacks and a stingy defense.
Buddle has scored nine goals and assisted on the team’s lone other score as the Galaxy raced to a 5-0-1 (16 points) start. The only blemish for the Galaxy came in a scoreless draw on a visit to Kansas City. The Rapids, 3-2-1 (10 points) are tied for second in the West with Seattle, both trailing the Galaxy.
In past seasons, the Galaxy have had a tough time coming to Colorado. Since moving into Dick’s Sporting Good Park, the Rapids home record against L.A. is 3-0-1, and Colorado has outscored the Galaxy 9-1. LA’s lone goal came in last season’s 1-1 tie.
The Player: Buddle, the MLS Player of the Month for April, is also the player of the week for the first week of May. Buddle earned the honor from the North American Soccer Reporters after scoring twice and tallying an assist in a 3-1 win over the expansion Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
CSN Vote: I can’t come up with a good abreviation for Coloradosoccernow.com, so that’s why I used “CSN.” There was no way to deny Buddle accolades for the weekend. He was first on the list followed by Dwayne De Rosario. I have been a critic of De Rosario in the past. He is not as explosive as he once was, and he will vanish for stretches in a match. However, he is the bright spot in a wretched start for Toronto FC.
Ricketts: With the explosion up front, it’s easy to ignore what’s happening at the back for LA. Donovan Ricketts sports a 0.33 goals against average after six games. The LA defense, so porous in the previous two and a half seasons, is now rock solid.
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