Colorado Meets A-League Affiliate in Exhibition Wednesday
July 30, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
The Rapids will travel to Charlotte, NC to meet the Charlotte Eagles, their A-League affiliate, on Wednesday, July 31 at Transamerica Field. The Eagles are currently fourth in the Southeast division of the Eastern Conference, the same division as the Charleston Battery, who the Rapids defeated in U.S. Open Cup play on July 17. The Eagles are completing their second season in the A-League this year, following up a successful inaugural season in 2001 when they surprised the A-league by making the playoffs and finishing seventh overall. The Rapids are currently third in the Western conference of the MLS, and 3-0 against A-League teams this year.
Four Rapids Will Represent Colorado at All-Star Game Saturday
Mark Chung, Chris Henderson, Pablo Mastroeni and Carlos Valderrama will all travel to Washington D.C. for the 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on Saturday, August 3. Henderson and Mastroeni were chosen to play for Team USA by U.S. National Team Coach Bruce Arena. MLS players, coaches, media, and fans voted Valderrama and Chung onto the starting lineup. The match, designed to celebrate the growth of U.S. Soccer and recognize the players from the last four World Cups, will take place at 1:30 MT at RFK Stadium on August 3, and will be televised live on ABC. Beckerman, Trembly Depart for England with USA U-23's
The U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team left yesterday for Huddersfield, England, where they will play the reserve teams of four professional clubs across a seven-day period. For the trip, U.S. U-23 MNT head coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick has called in a 20-man roster that includes former U-17 and U-20 Kyle Beckerman and Seth Trembly (both of the Colorado Rapids), as well as Columbus Crew forward Edson Buddle. In February, in the team's first action since the 2000 Olympics, the new group of U-23 players posted an undefeated 1-0-2 record and finished second in the Madeira International Tournament in Portugal before falling 2-0 to an older Italian team just days later in Messina, Italy. The Americans will meet the Bolton Reserves (August 1), Huddersfield Town Reserves (August 3), Crewe Alexandra Reserves (August 5) and Manchester United Reserves (August 7) before returning home.
Garlick Out 8 Weeks After Thumb Surgery
Colorado Rapids goalkeeper underwent successful surgery at Rose Medical Center in Denver last Wednesday to repair a fractured left thumb. Garlick, who injured the thumb in warm-ups before playing 100 minutes in the July 20 match against the Columbus Crew, is expected to be out of action for eight weeks.
Loyal Fans Rewarded
With a league-leading average attendance of 22,585 a game, almost 3,000 above the second place team, the L.A. Galaxy, the Colorado Rapids would like to say thanks to their loyal fans. To show their appreciation, the Rapids are hosting Fan Loyalty night on August 10, when the Rapids take on the Columbus Crew at INVESCO Field at 7 p.m. With the purchase of an $11 ticket, fans will be upgraded to the best available seat in the lower bowl. This means that a fan purchasing an $11 ticket could be upgraded to a $25 VIP seat by taking advantage of this offer quickly before all the best seats are sold. The deadline for the upgrades is Friday, August 9 at 5 p.m., and will not be available the day of the game. To take advantage of this offer, fans should call (303) 299-1599.
Kramer Set for 100th League Appearance
Colorado goalkeeper David Kramer will make his 100th regular season MLS appearance when he next steps onto the field. Kramer, who ranks second on the club's all-time chart for goalkeeper wins, shutouts and games played by a netminder, should break the century mark on August 10 when the Rapids host the Columbus Crew. Kramer has appeared in 24 games with the Los Angeles Galaxy (1996-97), 44 games with the San Jose Clash (1997-99), and 31 with the Colorado Rapids.
Rapids Setting New Personal Scoring Marks
With eight goals and seven assists through his first 20 games in 2002, Colorado midfielder Mark Chung is on pace to set a new personal standard for goals and points in a season. Chung is currently eighth in league in scoring with 23 points on eight goals and seven assists. Chung's previous best season was in 1997 when he was a member of the MLS Best 11 after scoring 10 goals and adding eight assists (28 points) in 32 games. Midfielder Chris Henderson has already tied his career season high with nine goals this season, matching his total from 2000 when he played with the MLS Champion Kansas City Wizards. Another record setter is forward Chris Carrieri, who has already set career high marks for goals this season. The University of North Carolina product has scored eight of the team's last 13 goals, two of which were game winners. He now is tied for second on the team with eight goals and is fifth in the league in points per game. Carrieri surpassed the 14 points he tallied last year with his hat trick on the Fourth of July against the Chicago Fire. He now is third on the team in points with 20.
Photos from "Run the Rapids" Stadium Race posted on the Web
Runners who participated in the "Run the Rapids" stadium race before the Rapids game last Saturday can find their photos online. Photos were taken of every participant in the "Run the Rapids" race, and fans can go online and visit http://www.skipix.com/events.php3 to purchase a download of thier photos and order copies or email them to friends and family. The 2nd Annual "Run the Rapids" Stadium Race was a huge success last weekend, raising around $15,000 for the Colorado Rapids Community Care Foundation. For more info. on the Foundation or the Race, fans can call (303) 299-1526.
Major League Soccer Stories from July 30, 2002
- MSG Network, MetroStars Team For "Cheering For Children" Charity Auction Tomorrow - New York Red Bulls
- San Jose Earthquakes Acquire 2003 MLS SuperDraft Pick From New England Revolution - San Jose Earthquakes
- Inaugural United For D.C. Celebrity Golf Tournament Tees Off - D.C. United
- Colorado Meets A-League Affiliate in Exhibition Wednesday - Colorado Rapids
- ABC Enhances All-Star Broadcast - MLS
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