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MLS Colorado Rapids

Rapids Weekly Notes

August 15, 2006 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release


Last Game

MLS-

Rapids 1 (9-8-4, 31pts.) vs. LA Galaxy 0 (6-11-5, 23pts),

Saturday, Aug. 12 at INVESCO Field at Mile High

Next MLS Game

Saturday, Aug. 19 - Rapids (9-8-4, 31pts - 3rd in West) vs. D.C. United (13-2-6, 45pts - 1st in East)

RFK Stadium 2:00 p.m. (MT)

TV: ESPN 2

RAPIDS INJURY REPORT : (Updated 8/15/06)

OUT: Terry Cooke (Right Knee)

DOUBTFUL: Matt Crawford (Right Hip); Chris Wingert (Right Ankle)

QUESTIONABLE: NONE

PROBABLE: NONE

RAPIDS NOTES:

Rapids vs. D.C. United Head-to-Head: Colorado has an 8-12-5 all-time record against D.C. United in the regular season. The Rapids have only won two games in Washington D.C. since their inception, but are one of only two teams to defeat United so far this season. These two teams matched up for the 1997 MLS Cup final which D.C. won 2-1 in a downpour on their home turf.

Melvin Tarley Joins Rapids: Colorado announced this week that the club has signed former Real Salt Lake player Melvin Tarley for the rest of the season. Tarley scored six goals against the three MLS teams the Minnesota Thunder upset in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup, including four against the Rapids. In exchange for his rights, Colorado gave Real a fourth round draft pick in the 2007 MLS Supplemental draft. Tarley, who holds a green card status, will not count as a Senior International on the team's roster.

Fabrice Gets Call-Up: Twenty-one year old Fabrice Noel has been called up to the Haitian National Team for the first time in his career. Noel will travel to Miami, where he may earn his first cap with the full national team. Haiti will take on Guatemala in an international friendly that will be played on Wednesday, August 16 at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He will then join the Rapids in Washington D.C. for this weekend's match.

Niko Scores, Rapids Win: Nicolas Hernandez became the Rapids' leading scorer with his sixth goal on the season against the Galaxy last weekend. The goal was his fifth game-winning goal of the season, which is good enough for a tie with Jaime Moreno for the league lead. Niko has scored in five Rapids games this season and all have been Colorado victories. Here's the five: May 6 vs. DC, June 9 vs. RSL, July 4 vs. NE (2 goals), July 26 vs. HOU and Aug. 12 vs. LA.

Away-Game Viewing Details: Fans of all ages are invited to join other soccer fans at the British Bulldog this Saturday for the Rapids at DC United Official Away-Game Viewing Party at 2:00pm! Fans can partake in a full day of of soccer action as well, as the all-day festivities will begin at 7:00am as the British Bulldog will be showing live English Premiership Matchday 1 action. At 2:00pm the Rapids take on DC United live on ESPN-2 in ESPN'S MLS Game of the Week! Food and drink specials are available for all fans who attend, and there is no admission charge. For more information on this weekend's viewing party, fans can contact the Rapids at 303-405-6123.

Rapids Tops When Scoring First: The Rapids are tops in MLS when scoring the first goal. Colorado improved to 7-0-1 (93.8%) when they get on the board first following Nicolas Hernandez's goal to open the game against the Galaxy.

Cooke Chasing Rapids Assist Record: With his next assist, Terry Cooke will tie Adrian Paz for fourth place on the Rapids' all-time season high assist chart. He will pass Ross Paule's 2001 and Mark Chung's 2002 totals of 10 assists notched in a season and be just five behind Carlos Valderrama's record of 16. Through 19 games Cooke is ahead of Valderrama's pace with 10 compared to El Pibe's eight at the same point of the season in 2002. Here's a look at the Rapids' ten highest single season assist totals.

Carlos Valderrama ‘02 16 Mark Chung '02 10

Adrian Paz ‘98 13 Ross Paule '01 10

Chris Henderson ‘97 13 Anders Limpar '00 9

Adrian Paz '97 11 Ross Paule '99 9

Terry Cooke ‘06 10 Chris Henderson '98 9

Terry Cooke, Leading MLS: Englishman Terry Cooke's two assists on July 20 put him back atop the MLS leaders table with 10 total assists. Cooke, the former Manchester United midfielder, is also currently tied for the Rapids' record for the most assists in one game, along with Colombian international Carlos Valderrama and former Rapids stalwart Ross Paule, with three.

Local Talent Gets Playing Time: Continuing with their constant efforts to identify and develop local talent, the Colorado Rapids have already had two local players on the pitch representing the club this year. Fort Collins native Colin Clark, who played at all levels in the state of Colorado, made his MLS debut with the Rapids on Saturday, April 29 in the 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo. Another local talent, Daniel Wasson, who grew up in Colorado Springs, made his debut in the 2-1 win over D.C. United and scored his first career goal on Saturday, May 27 in the 2-2 tie against Real Salt Lake. The Rapids have the third most local players in their roster of all the six Western Conference teams, and the fourth most in Major League Soccer. The Galaxy and Chivas USA lead the pack, followed by the Red Bulls. Here is the count of local players with their respective club: Chivas USA (10 players born in CA); Los Angeles Galaxy (9 players born in CA); Red Bulls (6 players born in NY/NJ); Colorado Rapids (5 players born in CO); DC United (4 players born in DC metro area); Chicago (2 players born in IL), New England (2 players born in NH and RI), Dallas (2 players born in TX), RSL (2 players born in UT); Houston (1 player born in TX), Kansas City (1 player born in MO) and Columbus (1 player born in OH).

Rapids All-Time vs. Opponents at INVESCO: The Rapids will be opening their new stadium in Commerce City in April 2007, and as they close their final season at INVESCO Field, the numbers tell the story of a home field advantage that will only increase at the new facility. DC, Columbus, New England and Kansas City have already played their final games at the stadium and the records will be updated as opponents play their final games at the mile high venue this season. Rapids Final All-Time Records vs. opponents at INVESCO Field:

vs. DC United (4-0-2) vs. Chivas USA (1-0-3)

vs. Columbus (4-0-2) vs. Houston (1-1-0)

vs. New England (5-1-1) vs. Salt Lake (3-1-0)

vs. Kansas City (6-1-1) vs. Los Angeles (6-1-3)

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