Look at that roster up there, and you'll notice that the team doesn't even have 30 names on it. There are only 28 names up there. Among them is Matt Pickens, who will not be seeing time for the Rapids again after he was usurped as a starter and saw two new back-up GKs signed ahead of him, but remains on the roster until officially signed by another club.
The Rapids got away with one last year when they brought a team full of youth into the season. Oscar Pareja was somehow able to use wizardry to get big seasons out of tons of youngsters when they had to step up o the plate. In 2014, they'll start the season with eight players who have fewer than 200 minutes of pro soccer under their belts. (Joe Nasco got all of his pro soccer experience in the NASL, a noted step below MLS.) If injuries strike, can we expect John Berner to step up like Clint Irwin did? Can Marlon Hairston step up like Dillon Powers did? Can Grant van de Casteele step up like Shane O'Neill did? We probably shouldn't hope to count on it.
The Rapids aren't likely to be signing world-beaters with their extra roster spots, either. Samuel Galindo, Albert Edward and Juan Guzman, all of whom trialed with the Rapids this preseason, seem the most likely candidates. Two of them fit that same mold of no top-flight experience, and the other has played only minor minutes in countries like Bolivia. There's still time for the Rapids to surprise us with a move for a guy like Vicente Sanchez last-minute, but the 30-man roster doesn't seem likely to be stocked with unbelievable talent when they take the field against the New York Red Bulls in just over a week.
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Matt Pollard 