better than Marcus Hahnemann in any respect. Hahnemann not only has a couple of caps for the USA to call his own but has been able to stick on Premier League side Wolves as well as getting a short stint at Fulham earlier in his career after his time with the Rapids. Pickens couldn't even get a single start at Championship staple Queens Park Rangers. Pickens is truly talented and having one of the best years of his career, but I would probably take a younger Hahnemann over our current Pickens.
ADVANTAGE: 1997
Obviously, the fact that shootouts were still allowed back in the days made the defense look worse than it probably was. Hard fought draws often turned into losses for the Rapids in the early days especially. But can you imagine that 1997 defense losing only two games at Mile High Stadium? Can you imagine them keeping their goal differential in the top tiers of the league?
ADVANTAGE: 2010
Offense: This one is a wash. Never before in the history of the Rapids have they been able to claim one of the top MLS striker duos in the league. They have that now and they have it in spades. Certainly, having Paul Bravo is a tip of the cap to the 1997 squad, but who else could come up to the plate and face the duo of Cummings and Casey? Wolde Harris? Shaun Bartlett? Steve Rammel? The current striker duo up top would go down as the best in Rapids history, even if this wasn't the best team overall in Rapids history. And this truly is the best, no matter what happens in the final.
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Matt Pollard 