2013 MLS Playoffs, Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders: The Onus Is On Pareja To Blast Seattle Down The Flanks

The problem with that formation, of course, lies in the wings, where the diamond is usually pinched in to keep the ball working up the middle until the fullbacks work their way up the field on the attack. That leaves occasional pockets of space to work with if you're the other team and you're looking to find a way to attack back.

Say, this sounds like it could potentially be an all right situation for the Rapids! In fact, if Seattle play that way, Colorado will be in an altogether decent tactical situation right from the outset. It's no secret that the Rapids have a system of pressure and possession in the deep center of the park with fast waves of attack down the wings. Against a team that is leaving their fullbacks a bit more exposed than they might be in a more width-based system, Colorado can punish them simply by executing their natural game.

When the defense is on point behind them, it's usually a good day for the Rapids, even though a goal is allowed on occasion. And make no mistake, a goal will likely be allowed today. When looking at the road record of this team — I'm not counting the Vancouver game in this, because the team clearly was struggling to find motivation — the offense has often been the biggest problem, even in matches where the defense struggled as well.

I'm not here to talk defense, though. I'm fairly certain that the Rapids are going to let in at least one goal. Everything is against them in that category. A desperate Sounders team, flooding the midfield and playing in front of a raucous crowd? It's hard to bet against that producing at least one. I'm here to talk about how the Rapids should be able to score a few of their own.

Unfortunately, the Rapids as a team were sitting back in that match, as we so often saw them do on the road this year. It wasn't completely Harris' fault that he could scarcely make anything happen, because he received the ball most of the time while standing around or just past the halfway line. Labrocca hardly fared better, because the Seattle fullbacks had Atiba and Nick's numbers and were easily closing down Brown by double-covering him. Colorado had nine shots all day. One was the goal. Seven of the others were taken from outside the box, and the majority of those came nowhere close or were blocked. Despite the draw and Labrocca grabbing the assist on the set piece goal, I think that was one of the worst games that Pareja coached all year.

Compare that to the 5-1 sloshing that the Rapids put on the Sounders on Oct. 5th. Here's how the goals happened:

What's the biggest difference between those two games? Pareja's lineup choices and decision to go out and ruthlessly put bodies forward from minute one instead of sitting that few feet back, something that has been a theme from home to road games this year.

You do not get that when you sit back and play a slow and ambling game in the attacking half, though. Watch the matches against the Quakes and the Caps again. There's no movement, no speed, no intensity, no isolation. When Edson Buddle was in the box, he was usually surrounded or incredibly tightly marked, because he had to catch up to the play. Nick Labrocca is not a striker, and it shows when he's forced to try and make things happen in the final third. Atiba Harris is good at what he does best, but what he does best clashes badly with what the Rapids do best. (Gary Smith'd love him, though!)

It can look like longball sometimes when things aren't clicking, because it kind of is. They're hoofing it to the unmoving forwards, who at that point are best served either passing back, taking on the defense by themselves (Deshorn Brown actually did that a few times, to be fair) or hoping that an overlapping run by a fullback can make it happen instead. I recall at least one time in that Whitecaps game, Buddle got the ball smacked to him, standing in front of all four Whitecaps defenders, who didn't even move that much to take him on. It was lifeless, and a perfect symbol for the road play that I was talking about before.

For those of you who didn't want to read all of that garglemesh, here's the TL;DR version:

If Pareja decides to go do-or-die and plays the same type of game he loves to play at home with a lineup that features speed and talent on isolation plays, I think the Rapids have a chance to nick a goal or two in this match, and perhaps even shock the world with a victory. If he goes conservative and sits back like he has so many other times… let's not talk about it. Go Rapids.