June 22, 2008 1:43 PM
Lights, sprinklers, action!
Have you ever seen a Mercedes or a BMW or a Hummer driving down the road for miles with its turn signal on? But it doesn't turn ...
Or that same vehicle changing lanes with no signal, no warning?
Have you ever been cut off by someone driving a Cadillac?
Isn't it frustrating that a person with such a nice car seemingly doesn't know how to use it properly?
Well, that vehicle is Dick's Sporting Goods Park. And somebody with the Rapids needs to figure out which lever is the turn signal, which pedal is the clutch and which knob operates the hazards.
In the 68th minute of play Saturday night against the MLS champions, the stadium lights shut off. So the game stopped. The rest of the stadium had power, thankfully, but the four large standards in the corners just went dark. It took nearly 20 minutes for the lights to return and for play to resume.
It was embarrassing.
That followed another problem with the sprinklers at halftime. Once again, players were on the field warming up for the second half when the waterworks began without warning. This is at least the second time this has happened. If I had known that I should've been keeping track of this sort of thing, I might have in my notes somewhere that it's actually the third time. Read the Rapids' side of the story here.
Now maybe all of this isn't the Rapids' fault. Maybe the problem with the lights was the fault of the electric company. And maybe the miscue with the sprinklers was the fault of the water company. But that's not the perception the ticket-buying public will walk away with.
Listen, I want people to love this stadium. I want Rapids fans to call it home. I want soccer fans to appreciate the commitment and investment the Rapids have put into the sport with this facility. I want Commerce City to blossom around it.
I want opposing players to look forward to coming here because of the amenities; then I want those players to burn their lungs to a crisp in the altitude.
I want the world to know what a wonderful building this is to showcase our boys in crimson and blue.
I want Dick's Sporting Goods to continue to believe it's a good idea to sponsor this stadium and this team.
But if these high jinks keep up, the mistakes will be more memorable than the magic -- to fans and the players and everybody else.
IT'S BURPO TIME! With Bouna Coundoul absent because of duties with the Senegalese national team, goalkeeper Preston Burpo recorded a shutout in the 0-0 draw with the Dynamo. It was nice to see Burpo record the clean sheet, especially after a couple of three-goal games. His best save came in the 28th minute, as he tipped a Stuart Holden header off of the crossbar and back into his own hands.
MEN OF THE MATCH Burpo was announced as man of the match at the stadium. And as much as I would like to give him FC Rocky's nod as well, I think I will go with a three-way tie between Pablo Mastroeni, Ugo Ihemelu and Facundo Erpen. The Rapids' back line took a lot of pressure off of Burpo, who faced two shots.
SPEED KILLS: An Ugo Ihemelu with 80 minutes of running under his belt is still faster than a Dwayne De Rosario just coming off the bench.
HALFTIME: The "Guitar Hero" contest was the best halftime entertainment the Rapids have offered in a while. My family digs the disc dogs, but we all thought this was a blast.
THE REAL WINNER: The Rapids let the crowd decide the winner of the "Guitar Hero" contest, and the fans chose Aurora's Ben Eberle, the younger of the two finalists. OK, that's sweet and all. But Caleb Whitmen, of Thornton, the hot dog who dressed up like Slash, played a much more difficult song, and he did it with flair. He was playing "Welcome to the Jungle" with the guitar behind his head, for cryin' out loud. I think the crowd was rooting for the underdog, but I also think the underdog actually lost this one.
ONE POINT: Saturday's tie was the first of the season for the Rapids.
FOOLED: From where we were sitting (in the northwest corner of the stadium), Tom McManus appeared to have scored another amazing goal in the first half, at the south end of the pitch. McManus had the ball at his feet and a clear look at goal (gotta love that), and he drilled a laser that went just under the crossbar and just inside the right post. His aim is unmatched on the team. But the display of finishing was for naught, as the flag had gone up and the goal was waved off. My son and I were too busy picking our jaws up off the floor to see the offside call, and we were high-fiving, screaming and howling like morons. We didn't realize until we saw Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad lining up for the free kick that it was not a goal (sigh).
ANOTHER NO-GOAL: Houston appeared to score in the 78th minute as Brian Ching banged home a rebound. But Ching was called for a hand ball.
PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1, KIND OF: Craig Waibel is fast becoming the player Rapids fans love to hate. Last season, he fouled Herculez Gomez then gave a one-finger salute to the crowd after receiving an earful. For the remainder of the match, he was booed every time he touched the ball. And every time he got near the sidelines, he heard it even louder from the Rapids' fans (and sometimes couldn't help cracking a smile). On Saturday, it was much the same. Following a reckless foul on Jacob Peterson, who eventually had to leave the game, Waibel drew a yellow card and the wrath of the crowd. From then on, he was booed on every touch. And, again, he fought off laughter from the taunting.
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