Podcast: The Pádraig Smith Press Conference

I watched the press conference and WOW. To say this man is delusional would be an understatement. He clearly lives in his own universe. Random thoughts on the baloney he put forth:

Injuries: I am sick of hearing about how the injuries to our lords and saviours Price and Rubio would have made the difference this season. Every team in the league has suffered injuries to this point. The real test of an organization is how you build your roster to overcome the injuries that inevitably come. The fact that the Rapids couldn’t overcome these injuries and still remain in playoff contention says a lot about Smith. Should injuries to these two have had such a dramatic affect on the overall performance of this team? I don’t think so. He failed to address the complete lack of talent overall on this team HE put together. Which leads to…

The talent on the roster is better than the record: Really? These types of statements prove he lives in another universe. Who from the Rapids starting 11 would start for any of the top 5 teams of either conference? Would Superman Rubio start for LAFC? Philly? Cincy? RSL? C’mon man! The Rapids DO NOT have the talent to compete for titles at the MLS level. Look at what other teams have done to compete. RSL for example. Look at what they have spent and the talent level they have brought in to make themselves competitive in the West. The Rapids bring in two unknown players ON LOAN. I cannot be the only person who sees what is going on throughout the league and know that the Rapids simply cannot compete.

Standards and Demanding Environment: What standards is he talking about? The Rapids have 1 championship in 28 years of existence. To hear Smith tell it, just making the playoffs, in a league where roughly 50% of the league makes the playoffs, is the standard. KSE has won championships with their other properties but “making the playoffs” is perfectly fine with the Rapids.

Glory Days: Smith was still talking about the players brought in back in 2019. What about the complete whiffs he has made since then? What about how completely barren the academy is? What about the inability to develop talent? (i.e. Anderson, Larraz, Rodriguez, Bassett, Yapi) That’s on you, Smith. If you intend to play “moneyball” then your academy needs to hit consistently. Your track record is garbage.

Expected Goals: At least Smith and Frasier are on the same page here. The Rapids are just unlucky to not be finishing all of the chances they create. To quote MLS Extra Time, “do you watch the games or are you just looking at the stats?” Well I watch the games and I see the Rapids lose the time of possession battle regularly. I see a team that has mastered the art of the back pass. What other team in the league can take a throw in just outside the opponents box and turn it into a 40 yard kick from the goalie? I see the turnover machine that is the midfield. I see forwards who regularly trip over the ball or themselves rather than put a shot on goal. I see defenders who can’t make line splitting passes. I see corner kicks that can’t make it beyond the first defender. I see free kicks that look like Broncos field goals. According to Smith, don’t believe your lying eyes.

Rapids fans, nothing is going to change until or unless KSE sacks this whole sorry front office. Smith has been a disaster for this franchise. As the rest of the league continues to leave the Rapids behind in all facets (stadium, talent, academy, atmosphere, trophies) Smith continues to make excuses. I watched nearly 30 minutes of nothing but blah, blah, blah. I have no hope that the offseason or next year will be any different or better than what we have seen for the past 3-4 years.