October 8, 2007 12:24 AM
Rapids Reserves repeat as champions
Jordan Harvey, Jose Cancela and Nico Colaluca scored as the Rapids Reserves beat Toronto 3-0 to repeat as champions of the MLS reserve league.
The win gave the Rapids a 7-0-3 record, guaranteeing they cannot be caught even though they still have two games left to play.
After a scoreless first half, Harvey gave the Rapids Reserves the lead in the 65th minute. Cancela, who took the bulk of the Rapids' free kicks, played a ball to the back post. Stephen Keel deflected it across the mouth of the goal to Harvey, who pounded the ball into the back of the net.
Cancela extended the lead in the 78th minute from a cross by Galen Thompson, who played a sound two-way game at the right back position. Thompson, pushing up along the right wing, played a cross toward the middle of the box. Two other Rapids had chances to poke it home, but it was Cancela who found the receiving end and headed the ball in for a 2-0 lead.
The third goal was credited as unassisted to Colaluca. I would swear that he received a through-ball that sent him in alone against goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic. My memory of the play was that the ball came from Nick LaBrocca, but I could be wrong about that. In any case, Colaluca found himself one-on-one with Djekanovic and flipped a cheeky flick over the keeper.
The Rapids were presented with the 2007 MLS Reserve Division Cup during a ceremony after the game.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Cancela was the catalyst. In addition to taking all the free kicks, he was the true No. 10 on the field, making plays, directing traffic, sparking the offense. With the ball at his feet, he was playing at another level than most of the reserves on both teams. His individual moves were as effective and exciting as his passing, and he finished with a goal and an assist.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH? LaBrocca is nearly a dead ringer for Pablo Mastroeni. They play the same position. They have the same build, and even their heads are the same shape. A few times, I caught a glimpse of LaBrocca out of the corner of my eye and thought Pablo was on the field. Pablo is more aggressive, and his game has more bite to it than LaBrocca's does. But the similarities are there. And if it weren't for Cancela's dominant performance, I'd have made a case for LaBrocca as man of the match.
THE FORMAT: Packaging a Rapids Reserve game with a regular Rapids fixture was a great idea by the Rapids. I had been looking forward to this for a while, and I hope the reserves enjoyed getting to play at the Dick's Sporting Goods Park stadium, instead of on a practice field. The game began at 8:30, after the Rapids' 1-0 victory over Toronto FC. About 200 fans remained in the stands for the kickoff of the reserve game. The temperature was in the mid- to upper 40s. By the final whistle, only 50 to 70 supporters remained, and the temperature had fallen to near 40.
SUGGESTIONS: I really hope we see more of these doubleheaders in the future. But I would like to make a few suggestions. Don't schedule the only doubleheader in October; the weather in June or July or August won't scare so many people away. Don't schedule a doubleheader on a school night; a typical Rapids crowd is family-heavy, and this just doesn't work. Consider a 5 p.m. start; that way the reserves would kick off at about 7:30 instead of 8:30. My family and I didn't get home until nearly midnight (we live about an hour's drive from DSG Park).
SPENCER-ESQUE: In the first half, Rapids defender Cliff Wilmes spanked a one-touch volley about as hard as a soccer ball can be hit. His shot was wide, but what a shot! Spectacular timing.
POSTIES! Niko Hernandez knocked on the door repeatedly until he was subbed out in the 81st minute. He didn't score, but he came very close. His best chance came in the 52nd minute, when he beat Djekanovic with a shot to the keeper's right. But the ball hit the post and sailed harmlessly away.
(Sources: Colorado Rapids, Major League Soccer)
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