Photo: Courtesy of Philadelphia Union
Philadelphia Union
A few minutes before the Union was to play University of Central Florida in a scrimmage on
Wednesday, a message appeared on the club's Twitter account indicating that goal updates would be
tweeted. A few minutes after that, the tweet was removed.
Qatar advanced to the final round of World Cup qualifying while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were
eliminated in a wild day of matches across the Asian continent.
The 2022 World Cup hosts, currently ranked 96th in the world, scored a late goal to draw 2-2
with Iran. The draw moved Qatar into second place in Group E at the expense of Bahrain.
Changing coaches often means changing playing styles, and the decision to hire Oscar Pareja as
head coach means the Colorado Rapids of 2012 may look quite different from the teams of
2010-11.
Giving Pareja the reins of his first MLS team is going to create a roster shakeup. The
Colombian, a veteran of MLS campaigns from 1998 through 2005, has already talked about the need to
find a Carlos Valderrama-type playmaker for the Rapids.
Changing coaches often means changing playing styles, and the decision to hire Oscar Pareja as
head coach means the Colorado Rapids of 2012 may look quite different from the teams of
2010-11.
Giving Pareja the reins of his first MLS team is going to create a roster shakeup. The
Colombian, a veteran of MLS campaigns from 1998 through 2005, has already talked about the need to
find a Carlos Valderrama-type playmaker for the Rapids.
After an offseason full of major moves, promise and tangible signs of improvement, the Portland
Timbers were hit with a sizeable dose of bad news Friday.
Colombian striker Jose Adolfo Valencia, signed as a Young Designated Player back in December,
requires knee surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee and is going to be out for
anywhere from the next 6-to-12 months.
While there's still no news out of Commerce City, there's a couple of rumors going around
Twitter:
- A journalist with unknown accuracy tweeted that he talked to Rosario Central's manager and
confirmed that Martin Rivero is being transferred to Penarol in Uruguay.
- Steven Goff, a journalist with a track record of pretty good accuracy, tweeted that he's
hearing the Rapids are in talks with former U.
A couple weeks ago we looked at six Eastern teams' off-season transactions. This week, I
continue the off-season review with six teams from the Central and Mountain timezones. I have
omitted the Fire from this preview as there will likely be a comprehensive roundup of the Fire's
off-season when the regular season approaches.
Earlier today draftee Joel Helmick tweeted this:
Thank you @ColoradoRapids for the great opportunity. Made some friends and learned a
lot. Hope to return sometime in the future.
From this I think its safe to say that the Rapids didn't extend him a contract. Not really a
surprise since he was our pick in the final round of the Supplemental Draft and we already had 3
keepers under contract.
So this is where we pick up the pieces and attempt to move forward. Prepare yourselves to be
amazed at how well we can play when our merry band of egotistical misfits decide to show up. More,
after the jump:
Taking the Throne
This is really becoming 'old hat' isn't it.
photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Two years removed from winning their first MLS Cup, the Colorado Rapids have undergone some
major changes.
After a season in which it was the last Western Conference team to secure advancement to the
playoffs, Colorado dismissed head coach Gary Smith and team president Jeff Plush resigned.
