MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids notes

Published on March 6, 2006 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


Haiti Mood

The Colorado Rapids will be traveling to Florida on Wednesday, March 8th in preparation for their exhibition match against OKAP, the Madame Gougousse Haitian Cup tournament winner, in a game that will take place on Saturday March, 11 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) at North Miami Stadium, which is located on the Florida International University's North Campus. The Madame Gougousse Haitian Cup tournament is an annual event that has been played in Florida for several years. Two of the current Rapids players, Jean Philippe Peguero and Fabrice Noel, played in the tournament at one time or another before they turned professional with the Rapids.

Another Rapids Scrimmage

The Rapids will be taking on the United States Under-20 National Team on Friday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) at the Sunrise Hilton training grounds. The Rapids' connections with the Under-20 are many. Fernando Clavijo served as the assistant coach for that time at one point and Erik Carlson, the Rapids' new team administrator served four years in the same capacity with them. Rapids player Jacob Peterson recently played for the Under-20's in the Youth World Cup along teammate Hunter Freeman. Jordan Harvey, also a Rapids addition this year, played for the Under-20's in the Youth World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Rapids opponents in Spain Unveiled

The Colorado Rapids will be playing three games during their 12 day stay in the city of Bilbao, Spain. Fernando Clavijo's side will be taking on Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, March 15 at 7:30pm local time. The team will then take on Spanish third division leaders Sesao on Tuesday, March 21st at 7:30pm. Fernando Clavijo's team will close their Spain leg of the 2006 preseason by traveling to Santander to play Racing Santander on Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30pm.

Taking on the Old Continent

The Colorado Rapids will embark on their final preseason trip on Sunday, March 12 when the club travels to the city of Bilbao, Spain. During the team's 12 day stay in the Basque country, the Rapids will be hosted by first division team Athletic Club Bilbao, which has made all their facilities available to the Rapids. This trip was set up with the assistance of Miami based travel agency EUStudy tours, under the close supervision of Mr. Miguel Salazar, who has also arranged various official receptions for the team hosted by Bilbao government officials.

Rapids Player Moves

The Colorado Rapids waived four players last week to comply with Major League Soccer's roster limit. The Rapids waived developmental players Amir Lowery, Ricky Lewis, Josh Elbaum and Alexandre Boucicaut. The team also offered developmental contracts to four players, including two Colorado natives. The four player are: Jacob Peterson, Jordan Harvey, Daniel Wasson (COL) and Colin Clark (COL).

Time with the National Team

Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni played 25 minutes with the United States national team in their game against Poland played last Wednesday in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The United States defeated Poland 1-0 with a goal by Revolution striker Clint Dempsey.

Scouting the Mexicana Tournament

The Colorado Rapids will be scouting the first Torneo Mexicana de Aviación tournament, a youth soccer tournament (Under-19) that will be played from May to June in 15 cities across the United States, including Denver, CO. This scouting opportunity, which became a reality through the efforts of the Mexico-based sports promotion company Prosports, will allow the Rapids coaching staff to scout all the games played in the Denver market, continuing the club's efforts to identify local youth talent. In the past years, the Rapids have successfully identified various local players that have either been signed or invited back to train with the team. Some of the most recognized names on that list are: Nat Borchers (Pueblo), Josh Elbaum (Denver), Steven Keel (Littleton), Colin Clark (Ft. Collins), Daniel Wasson (Co. Springs), Nick Clark (Durango), and Zack Kobilca (Aurora). For more information on the tournament, fans can visit www.torneomexicana.com.

Around the State

The Colorado Rapids made their Pueblo, Colorado match debut on Saturday, February 25th, when they played an exhibition game against local Colorado State University-Pueblo. The Rapids flew 13 players and assistant coach Steve Trittschuh back from Pachuca, Mexico, where the team is currently in preseason, to play the match. The Rapids defeated CSU Pueblo 9-0 in this game.

Double Rapids

While the Colorado Rapids contingent that flew back from Pachuca defeated CSU Pueblo 9-0 in Pueblo, CO, the other part of the team was collecting 3 points at Hidalgo Stadium in Mexico. The rest of the team that remained in Mexico played against the Universidad Autonoma de Hidalgo and defeated them 5-1 at Hidalgo Stadium. With this result, the Rapids compiled a 2-1 record in their preseason trip in Mexico.

Head Coaching Debut

Just like assistant coach John Murphy took advantage of his opportunity to coach the Rapids last year when Colorado beat DC United 6-2 in the Hall of Fame game match played in Oneonta, NY, Steve Trittschuh made the best out of his shot at the helm of the team this past Saturday. Trittschuh, the former Rapids captain, led the Rapids to a 9-0 win over CSU Pueblo in a friendly match played on Saturday, February 25th at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo, CO. This is the first time that Trittschuh has coached the Rapids outside the Major League Soccer Reserve tournament, where he led the team to a 5-4-3 record last season.

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Major League Soccer Stories from March 6, 2006


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