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Rapids readying to face Union
One player returns from injury and another is lost for the season as the Colorado Rapids make their first visit to the home of the expansion Philadelphia Union.
Conor Casey, who has missed two games with a head injury suffered on July 25, returned to training this week. Coach Gary Smith did not say if Casey, the team’s leading scorer, would start, but said he would play a significant role.
Simultaneously, the midfield will have to shuffle again as the team confirmed Friday that Colin Clark is lost for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Clark was untouched when he went down in the second half of the Aug. 7 game against San Jose.
While there is no silver lining to the loss of Clark, the one area the Rapids have an abundance of quality players is midfield. The team returned to the 4-4-2 in last week’s 1-0 home win against the ‘Quakes. Clark’s absence sould be absorbed by giving more minutes to veteran Claudio Lopez or returning Mehdi Ballouchy to the starting ranks.
The Series: The Rapids, 7-5-6 (27 points), meet the Union, 4-10-4 (16 points), for the first time. Philadelphia will travel to Colorado in the return match on Sept. 29.
Lately: Philadelphia earned a point on Wednesday in a 1-1 tie with Colorado nemesis Real Salt Lake. The Rapids win on Aug. 7 snapped a seven-game winless streak.
On TV: Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Mountain Time at PPL Park, and the match will be broadcast live on KWGN Channel 2.
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