The Mountains Crumble as Colorado’s Struggles Continue
June 12, 2017
“Centennial 38 would like to publicly express its concern and disappointment over the direction the Colorado Rapids have been taking over the last six months.” wrote the largest Rapids supporter group on a open message over Facebook. Colorado’s season has been, to say the least, a disappointment. Coming off a campaign the previous year that saw Pablo Mastroeni’s team enter the playoffs with 58 points, the third most in the MLS, expectations for the 2017 Rapids were to exceed, or at least, meet the success that the team encountered last year, hopes where high from fans, as the now distraught supporters group continued writing in their message, “Everyone was looking forward to 2017 and how the team could be refined, improved, and be a legitimate contender for trophies”. Currently, Colorado has thirteen points, holding the worst standing in the MLS.
The team’s issues can be pointed to almost ever aspect of there game expect for the exceptional goal keeping from Tim Howard, who, is currently Colorado’s best talent on the field. The offense’s struggle from last season continue, with only 12 goals over the whole season, the second fewest in the league and 103 shots on goal, the least amount in the MLS. This can be contributed to the loss of Jermaine Jones to the LA Galaxy and lack of talent acquired in the offseason, the latter of which presents a major pressing concern for the future of the franchise going forward, as Centennial continued, “Minimal player acquisitions and a general lack of overall activity during the offseason, especially if rebuilding is the actual plan for 2017”. With the current level of play and the future looking less uncertain, fans question the Rapids’ business decisions both on and off the field, one of which is raising ticket princess, “as the single largest group of organized season ticket holders, believes that the entire Rapids fan base is owed an explanation for the club’s current direction. We believe it is unfair to increase ticket prices, based in large part on the success of 2016, and then seemingly scuttle that team under yet another premise of rebuilding” the post continues.
In a city hosting one of the biggest and most exciting MLB surprises, the Rapids are facing competition from other Colorado sports markets, and this will include the NFL and NBA latter in the year. With the one year removed Super Bowl Champions and a young, up and coming roster of talent on the court returning in Colorado, many fans in Denver will start paying attention to more successful and entertaining options, making the option of the Rapids already expensive tickets seem even less alluring. The allure of Tim Howard has come and gone, and the Rapids are testing their fans with their current results. The direction for the team is clear, change or die. A “rebuilding” season coming a year after such a dominant performance is baffling and completely frustrating for the fan base. The issues seem to resided in coaching and management. The path forward in Rapids success is not just a rebuild on the field, but in the office as well.
Written by Connor Hoehn, @UndraftedPunter
