September 11, 2007 10:31 PM

Rapids, MLS notes

Pablo Mastroeni and Conor Casey returned to practice Tuesday after sitting out all of last week and the game against the Galaxy.

Pablo is still recovering from an illness that sent him to the sidelines against the Crew and kept him out of the weekend's U.S.-Brazil game. A swollen knee prevented Casey from playing against the Galaxy on Sunday.

Bouna Coundoul, who suffered what is being called an abdominal bruise against L.A., also returned to training Tuesday. He is expected to play Sunday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park against Chivas USA.

Defender Dan Gargan is out for the rest of the season after tearing his right ACL on Aug. 16 against New England. Gargan underwent successful surgery to repair the knee on Sept. 5 and is recovering. He is expected to be off crutches this week.

RESERVES WIN: The Rapids Reserves defeated the Galaxy's reserve team 4-0 on Sunday to improve to 6-0-3. Justin Hughes got the shutout as Jose Cancela, Stephen Keel, Niko Hernandez and Jacob Peterson scored. More about the game here.

LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN: The Rapids Reserves will face the Toronto FC Reserves on Oct. 7 on the back end of a doubleheader with the first team at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Fans holding tickets to the Rapids game will be able to stay for free for the reserve game. The Rapids tried this before, but the visiting team canceled. FC Rocky was very disappointed. So this is a welcome development.

EL GRITO! Sunday is Mexican Independence Day, and the Rapids will celebrate it with live music in the stadium Cantina starting at noon Sunday.

PETKE REMEMBERS 9/11: Rapids defender Mike Petke, who grew up in New York and was playing for the MetroStars on Sept. 11, 2001, writes about his memories of that day. Check it out here.

BOUNA TIME! Bouna Coundoul and the Rapids Foundation have teamed up to sell exclusive "Bouna Time" jerseys, designed by Bouna himself, to raise money to help needy kids in Senegal! Fans can purchase one of the limited-edition jerseys for $75 inside Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Sunday. More details (and a photo) here.

POSTERS: The first 5,000 fans into the stadium on Sunday will receive a free commemorative poster featuring the Rapids' six Hispanic players.

AUTOGRAPHS: Forward Daniel Osorno will sign autographs and pose for photos with fans at the stadium Cantina following Sunday's game.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Major League Baseball has long dealt with the contentious issue of veteran players coming from other countries, primarily Japan, and being eligible for rookie-of-the-year awards. In recognition of the controversy involved in considering a veteran for its rookie award, MLS has announced a new award — the Newcomer of the Year — intended for players like David Beckham, Luciano Emilio and Juan Pablo Angel. Most of the players under consideration by MLS were signed this year as designated players, whose salaries exceed the league maximum of about $300,000. The influx of players includes Columbus midfielder Guillermo Barros Schelotto of Argentina and D.C. United midfielder Fred of Brazil. There are a combined 22 players from Argentina and Brazil in MLS this season, according to the league, compared with 13 last season. Some contenders: Angel (Red Bulls), Juan Toja (F.C. Dallas), Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA), Emilio (D.C. United), Schelotto (Columbus), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago), Pablo Ricchetti (F.C. Dallas), Carlos Marinelli (Kansas City) and Fred (D.C. United).

HEEDING THE CALLUP: D.C. United striker Jaime Moreno, 33, has been called to Bolivia’s national team for Wednesday’s game against Peru in Lima.

CUP FINAL: New England and F.C. Dallas will play in the final of the U.S. Open Cup on Oct. 3 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

(Source: Colorado Rapids, The New York Times)

Posted by George Tanner at 10:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack