This is probably going to be a tough one for the Colorado Rapids to escape with any points from. Though as a team the Rapids are probably better than Honduran side Real Espana, they will be playing in a historically terrible place for away teams – the diving you will see on the pitch today may well just be to dodge flying objects – with a squad that can only be described as ‘weakened’.
Guys like Marvell Wynne and Pablo Mastroeni are being kept as fresh as they can for league play after both playing a full game against Chivas USA three days ago. The most puzzling omission from the main team is almost certainly Matt Pickens, who also did not make the trip down to Honduras. This means that we’re about 100% likely to see Stewart Ceus get his first ever first team football in an actual competition for the Rapids.
Real Espana will be looking for their first CCL points after losing 3-2 to Mexican side Santos Laguna last week while Colorado with a win would boost themselves up to six points in two games of CCL. Gary Smith said a while back that it was the home games that the team would focus on, but a couple of points on the road never hurt anybody. Go Rapids!
Here’s the Rapids roster if you missed it;
GOALKEEPERS: Stew Ceus, Chris Sharpe
DEFENDERS: Tyrone Marshall, Drew Moor, Kosuke Kimura, Danny Earls, Mike Holody, Scott Palguta.
MIDFIELDERS: Jeff Larentowicz, Brian Mullan, Sanna Nyassi, Joseph Nane, Ross LaBauex, Wells Thompson.
FORWARDS: Omar Cummings, Mac Kandji, Caleb Folan, Quincy Amarikwa, Andre Akpan.