Dear Pablo,

Next week will mark the six weeks that you were going to be out with concussion symptoms prior to re-evaluation from the medical staff. Hopefully the headaches and sleepless nights that haunted you after the March 10 season opener are gone.

Even if they are gone and you come through the medical evaluation with flying colors, your decision should be a simple one. Now is the time to retire.

Seriously, what do you have left to prove as a player? World Cups. Check. MLS Cup. Check. All-Star. Check. Team MVP. Check. Face of a franchise. Check. Every meaningful Colorado Rapids endurance record. Check. Remaking yourself to prolong your career. Check.

What more do you want? You probably want to keep playing as long as you can, but it is time to realize that the risks you are taking are much greater. You are no longer looking at the previous 35 years of your life. You are now gambling on the next 50 years.

A Scary Loss: I lost a day and a half to a concussion when I was 21. I was filling in at goalkeeper. I went out for a ball and my chin was met in midair by the back of a forward’s head. The next thing I knew, I was on my back looking up at concerned faces.

Somehow, I finished the game. I drove home. I think I slept. I got up and went through the next day. Two days later, I was foggy and fighting headaches. I couldn’t remember what I had done since the game. People could tell me what I had done, but I couldn’t remember it. I went to see a doctor. He said I had a concussion. He wrote some script and made me promise to take it easy. I tried.

The cup shines like the sun on a cold Toronto night as team captain Pablo Mastroeni celebrates the team's MLS Cup victory in 2010. (Photograph by Jessica Taves/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)

Ultimately, all we have are our minds and memories. As you undoubtedly know from Taylor Twellman’s experience, concussions can leave you with permanent brain damage. Concussions can rewire your mind. They can make you into someone you are not.

You are now making a decision on the rest of your life. You are making a decision for you and your family. This is a decision for you and the relationship you will have with your children for the rest of their lives.

Let me make it a little easier.

Thank You: Thank you for never quitting on the field. Thank you for leading by example. Thank you for sacrificing your body for something concrete, a win, and something ephemeral, a sense of teamwork.

Thank you for everything you did on the way to MLS Cup 2010. (Thank you, thank you, thank you on that one.) Thank you for giving the U.S. Men’s National Team some midfield grit. Thank you for showing us that there is life after 35 for midfielders.

Thank you for taking the time to consider your future after suffering post-concussion headaches. Thank you for your sleepless nights.

Thank you for deciding to retire.

All right, that last one is premature, but I think you know it is time. No matter what you have accomplished or how much you love the game, once you start talking about traumatic brain injury, it’s time to hang up your cleats.

Officially, I have suffered one diagnosed concussion and one probable concussion. Both came on soccer fields. I would not wish that pain on anyone, much less a player I respect and a person I admire.

Thank you,

Shaun Schafer
Editor and Publisher of ColoradoSoccerNow.com

Forward Omar Cummings of the Colorado Rapids takes a penatly shot against Goaltender Josh Saunders of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Saturday, April 21, 2012, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Cummings' shot was blocked as LA defeated Colorado 2-1. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com.)

Forward Omar Cummings is expected to miss four weeks with a sprain of his left ankle suffered in the 12th minute of the team’s 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Sunday.

Cummings suffered a right ankle sprain last season that sidelined him for about six weeks.

Joining him on the rehabilitation side will be defender Marvell Wynne. Wynne was scratched for a right hamstring injuring leading up to the New England Revolution match on May 2. Wynne, who started the first eight games at center back, missed the Revolution loss and the win over FC Dallas.

The injuries come just as Casey has begun to see playing time following an Achilles injury in 2011. The target forward is expected to be playing in coming matches.

Colorado is off this weekend but plays at DC United on May 16. The Rapids host Sporting KC on May 19, and Montreal Impact on May 26.

After Montreal, the Rapids begin play in the U.S. Open Cup on May 29 and do not have another regular season match until June 16, when they play the Whitecaps in Vancouver.

Jaime Castrillon scored in the 61st minute with a header off a Brian Mullan cross and Martin Rivero netted his first MLS goal with assists from Mullan and Kamani Hill in the 74th minute.

The final score was only so close because of the work of Kevin Hartman protecting the Dallas goal. El Gato was busy all day, and the workload only increased as Daniel Hernandez dissent and a foul into a 34th minute ejection. The always talkative Hernandez was followed two minutes later by Blas Perez. Perez made an ill-advised studs up tackle on defender Drew Moor.

Colorado had already been getting the better of play without the advantage. With a two-man difference in the second half, the result appeared inevitable.

Cummings Hurt: The lone downside in the win was an injury to Omar Cummings. The swift forward caught his left cleat and twisted his ankle on an attack in the 12th minute. Hill came on in relief as Cummings managed to walk to the locker room under his own power.

Time to Heal: With the win, the Rapids returned to .500 at 5-5-0 (15 points). The team also got time to heal as they won’t play again for 10 days until traveling to face D.C. United on May 16. Dallas, lacking Hernandez and Perez due to the automatic one-game suspension following ejections, faces the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday.

Record Breaker: With the clean sheet, Matt Pickens set the career record for shutouts by a Rapids ‘keeper with his 26th. He tied the record held by Joe Cannon in Colorado’s win over Chivas USA eight days earlier.

Colorado Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz takes a penalty shot against Chivas USA Saturday April 28, 2012 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids beat the Goats 4-0. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com.)

Kamani Hill got two goals, Jeff Larentowicz buried a penalty kick and rookie Tony Cascio found his second of the year as the Rapids ended a three-game losing streak.

The win moved Colorado to 4-4-0 and picked the team out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Chivas, which had won three 1-0 games on the road this season, fell to 3-5-0.

Recordsetter: The win also came with a record for Matt Pickens and the return of Conor Casey. Pickens picked up his 25th shutout, tying the club record of Joe Cannon. Casey got into the game in second half injury time as a substitute for Omar Cummings. Casey got off a shot and nearly got to put in a late one that instead fell to Hill in the 93rd minute.

Slow Start: The final score was no reflection of the first half. The Rapids spent the opening stanza stringing together passes, but failing to find the net.

Martin Rivero had an off night, and it showed in the attack. His passes weren’t quite on the mark, and when he got the team’s best chance shortly before half, his first touch was so heavy it carried into the ‘keeper’s arms.

Hot Finish: But from that cold start, the Rapids finally warmed up the night and opened up the Chivas defense. In the 50th minute, Cascio brought down the ball off his chest on a corner and quickly fired the ball home.

Cascio’s goal opened up the game as Chivas had to come out of its defensive shell and seek an equalizer. This exposed the Goats to fast breaks, and Cummings speed allowed him to set up Hill for a goal in the 80th minute. Three minutes later the lead was three as Larentowicz converted the penalty after being brought down in the box.

Quick Turnaround: Colorado gets little time to savor the win as the team travels to New England to face the Revolution on Wednesday in the first game of a three-game road trip.

Sunday the Rapids face Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, before getting a 10-day break before facing the rejuvenated D.C. United at RFK Stadium.

Return Home: Colorado’s next home match is May 19 against surprising Sporting Kansas City in the lone meeting between those two teams this season.

Host families will house Rapids Women players in their homes for the 2012 season.

Most players arrive in mid May and all leave in late July.

Many Colorado Force fans have been host families in the past and have formed close ties with players. Many have kept in contact with them long after playing with the Colorado Force and now the Colorado Rapids Women, according to the team.

If you are interested in hosting a player, please contact the Rapids Women office for more information. Each host family receives four flexpasses for the 2012 season and one free tuition for a 2012 soccer camp.

Families are needed for a number of female players.

The Rapids Women will have international players this year including those from Brazil, South Africa, Denmark, England, Australia, along with players from across the United States.

Interested hosts should contact Cayla Deacon at cayla@forcesoccer.org.

But no, the subplots abound. Let us count the ways.

1. Possible first sighting of Conor Casey this season.

2. Who’s going to get cut to make roster space?

3. A visiting team that has been a terror on the road this season.

4. A team that just picked up a $2,500 fine for misconduct.

5. A coach who garnered a $500 fine for the same incident.

Where to begin?

Casey’s Return: The burly target forward is healthy and coach Oscar Pareja said he hopes to get some minutes from him coming off the substitute’s bench.

Paired with Omar Cummings in 2010, the duo was deadly as Casey netted 13 to Cummings’s 14. The ’11 season was a loss as Casey went out with a torn Achilles and Cummings scored only three goals.

Will ’12 be a renaissance? Cummings already has three goals playing out of position. Casey’s return can only be a plus for the team’s finishing rate.

Cutting Crew: The Rapids have a full roster of 29 players and all six international spots filled. They have signed Colombian midfielder Harrison Henao and Brazilian forward Edu in the past two weeks.

Do the math. Two people must go, and the Rapids either need to pick up two more international slots or get rid of two internationals.

Jamie Smith, a Scotsman, is safe because he is still on the Disabled List. Anthony Wallace is out with injury. Otherwise, everyone who is not in the starting 11 has to be feeling some insecurity. Who will be making a final appearance in burgundy?

Road Warriors: Chivas USA has three wins in seven matches. All three have come on the road.

The Rapids are coming off a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy at home, making this a tricky test to forecast.

Union Blows: Philadelphia Union finished two men down and still got a 1-0 win against Chivas last week. The MLS handed out penalties and fines for members of both squads involved in a fracas that marred the match.

What sort of mindset will Chivas bring in the first game after such a debacle.

The Rapids fell at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1. The loss was the third in a row for the Rapids and dropped them into the bottom three in the Western Conference with a 3-4-0 record.

However, it was a score that flattered the visitors and nearly could have been a point for the home side. LA got its goals when Marvell Wynne nearly saved a Mike Magee shot from a David Beckham cross and instead headed the ball into his own net. The other first half Galaxy goal came from a moment of class when Landon Donovan simply beat right back Kosuke Kimura to a Robbie Keane pass for a score.

Those goals in the opening 45 minutes appeared to be the start of a Galaxy romp. However, Omar Cummings delivered a 63rd minute strike that halved the lead. In front of the second largest crowd in Dick’s Sporting Goods Park history, the Rapids continued to surge forward looking for an equalizer.

Forward Omar Cummings of the Colorado Rapids takes a penatly shot against Goaltender Josh Saunders of the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday. Cummings' shot was blocked. (Photograph by Jonathan Ingraham/ColoradoSoccerNow.com.)

Striking Back: Cummings equalled his 2011 goal total with his third strike of the season.

Still Waiting: Conor Casey’s comeback will have to wait at least one more week. The forward had hoped to make his season debut on Saturday, but was left waiting after being felled by strep throat earlier in the week.

Starting shuffle: Colorado went with a new lineup. Joining Cummings up top in the 4-3-3 were Tony Cascio and Brian Mullan. In the middle were Jaime Castrillon, Jeff Larentowicz and Kamani Hill. Across the back were Luis Zapata, Wynne, Drew Moor and Kimura. Martin Rivero, who had started the three previous games at midfield, was left on the bench.

Next Up: Colorado hosts the other LA team, Chivas USA, at 7 p.m., Saturday, in Commerce City.

The Rapids fell to 3-3-0 with a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders. Zach Scott scored in 63rd minuted off of a corner kick to provide the difference.

The result was fitting for the host and reflective of a game where both teams crafted chances, but both struggled to get the ball in the back of the net. An Omar Cummings goal was ruled out when its provider, Brian Mullan, was offside. Fredy Montero also got a one-on-one with Matt Pickens, but the Rapids goalkeeper swept that challenge away.

Along with being the second straight shutout loss on the road, it was also a dreary affair for the Rapids. Mullan, in action against Seattle for the first time since breaking Steve Zakuani’s leg one year ago, was booed on every touch of the ball.

The one plus was that the game never turned ugly, only the result was for Colorado.

The Rapids fell to Real Salt Lake 2-0 on Saturday night, and looked every bit as toothless as the score line indicates.

Playing at home, Salt Lake dominated the match, taking the lead in the 20th minute when defender Tony Beltran picked out Alvaro Saborio. Saborio chested down the pass and easily scored past Matt Pickens.

Although one goal is all Real would need, the home team got a second when Rapids killer Fabian Espindola poked a Luis Gil pass past two defenders and Pickens for a tally in the 57th minute. His goal tied him with Robbie Findley for the club record with 29.

On the other side of the ball, the Rapids were scrambling without the heart of the team’s midfield and never recovered.

Pablo Mastroeni was missing again for post-concussion symptoms, and central defender Drew Moor was moved into the midfield for the first time in his career with the Rapids.

While made a good account, and Tyrone Marshall filled in ably in central defense, the team never effectively moved the ball forward. Only in the late going, with the team down to three defenders and Tony Cascio on as another attacker, did the Rapids look dangerous.

Still, the change wasn’t enough as Colorado ended the first of three matches with Real with a loss.

Cummings scored in the 58th minute, his second tally in four games this season, as the Rapids beat the Chicago Fire 2-0 in Commerce City.

With the win, the Rapids improved to 3-1 on the season. Chicago fell to 1-1-1.

Cummings, who led the team in scoring to the 2010 championship season, has now matched two-thirds of his total from a disappointing 2011. He was lively all game and nearly doubled the margin several times last.

The final score, however, came from newcomer Kamani Hill. Hill, who was signed earlier in the week, came on in the 82nd minute and tallied in the second minute of second half injury time. Hill buried a rebound on his own shot to give the Rapids a two-goal final margin.

Next: The match was the perfect antidote to a 4-1 pasting the Rapids faced one week earlier in New York and sets the Rapids up for an early season rivarly match with Real Salt Lake. Colorado travels to Utah for the first Rocky Mountain Cup match of the season on Saturday.

See Ya: In the unbalanced schedule of the 19-team MLS, the Rapids will see Salt Lake three times this season, but Sunday’s was the only match against the Eastern Conference’s Chicago Fire.

The Rapids faced four Eastern Conference teams to open the season. The next time Colorado sees New York, Columbus or Philadelphia would be in the playoffs.

Welcome Back: Jeff Larentowicz, who missed the New York match due to an ejection against Philadelphia, returned to the lineup on Sunday. His presence was critical in settling the midfield and making Colorado’s 4-3-3 formation work. Captain Pablo Mastroeni missed his second game after suffering concussion symptoms.

Rapids 11: Matt Pickens, Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Luis Zapata, Jeff Larentowicz, Jaime Castrillon (Hill 82′), Martin Rivero (Tyrone Marshall 88′), Tony Cascio (Wells Thompson 66′), Cummings.