LOS ANGELES – For the fifth time ever, the Colorado Rapids headed to Southern California to play LAFC in MLS play. Like the other four times, it was exciting. And bad.
Robin Fraser had such a refreshing lineup that led to some pregame optimism. New signings Rafael Navarro and Sidnei Tavares started in their first team debuts. Diego Rubio made his first start since May 13. It was a back five with the three veteran center backs starting. Marko Ilić was in goal with William Yarbrough out.
Like every other road game at LAFC, the Rapids came out and matched the home side’s intensity in the opening minutes. The gulf in quality showed itself after that. Mario González could have had a hat trick in 10 minutes with great chances, all off of turnovers at the back.
Mateusz Bogusz opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Andreas Maxsø pushed up on González on a clearing ball. He was unable to keep the ball from Carlos Vela. Vela started a transition play, finding Bogusz for a finish in the box. There was some controversy on the play as the head referee Guido Gonzales Jr. ran into Tavares, preventing him from catching up to Vela. VAR did not force a replay and the goal stood.
Moments after LAFC had a goal rightfully called offside, Tavares had a pass to Ralph Priso intercepted. That led to a counter attack with Ilie Sánchez finding Vela for a two-touch finish.
LAFC made it 3-0 at halftime in the 36th minute. Tavares turned the ball over at midfield. Three rondo passes later, Ryan Hollingshead was off to the races down the flank. He sent the ball towards goal, possibly as a cross to González, but it ended up in the side netting.
Fraser made two subs at half, bringing Braian Galván and Calvin Harris on for Abubakar and Tavares. A flat 4-4-2 formation dealt with counter attacks better. They had a renewed mentality. Fraser felt it was a step in the right direction. Where was that in the first half though? Was that on the players, the tactics, or because LAFC stopped trying so hard because they were up 3-0?
“The urgency of the second half has to be the standard for us. The only thing that is acceptable is to play with that level of urgency that we did in the second half,” said Fraser when juxtaposing the performance.
“We were able to put ourselves in positions to make it difficult for us. They had a harder time getting out in the second half. The standard of the effort and the concentration in the second half is what it needs to be,” he added.
I won’t waste your time breaking down the second half. Colorado looked better. They had some chances. LAFC played the score line and was still the better team. It was too little too late. Cristian Olivera scored on a turnover by Conor Ronan. The game ended 4-0.
Five games at BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium), five losses. They’ve been outscored 11-2. They have no answer for Vela. The gap between Maxsø and Wilson got torn apart.
Colorado added to the attack during the summer window, but their backline still is a weakness. They were again poor in the ball and punished for it. The midfield is still not setup to combat those two issues. It’s hard to see that getting better in the final 10 games.
One decent debut, one bad debut:
Navarro looked good. He got the ball more than he did with Rapids 2, something Fraser emphasized. Every time, he did something productive with it. He got the ball to teammates in good areas. He was feisty. He was not goal dangerous, mostly due the lack of help around him.
“Rafael’s a really good player. He can hold the ball under pressure. We would have liked to have seen us get him some more opportunities to go at goal. His work rate was impressive,” Fraser told Burgundy Wave.
The Sidnei Tavares debut saw him subbed at half. He was underwhelming. Two turnovers leading to goals. He did not handle the physicality well. It’s his first game. He’s been settled with the team for a week. Let’s not throw the U22 signing out with the bathwater just yet.
“Sidnie is a very skillful player. He has a lot of potential to help us. What was lacking, we don’t have the rhythm together. IT’s the final action that we have to improve on,” Navarro told Burgundy Wave through a translator postgame.
Both players received yellow cards.
Fraser has to be on the hot seat:
A lot has been made the last few weeks about personnel at the club. Fairly or not, the simplest move for the club to change staff and have an effect is to fire Fraser.
Kudos to @LWOSMattPollard for asking: "Robin, how much are you contemplating your short-term job security?"
RF: "I knew that was coming. I'm not because I don't make the choices. All I can do is coach the team and if that's somebody's decision, then so be it." #Rapids96
The tactics remain the same. The kids aren’t getting minutes, suggesting the coaches don’t trust them. This was another non-competitive performance. This team’s competing with Toronto FC for the Wooden Spoon. No one’s job should be safe.
Photo Credit: Antonia Geiger, emdashphoto.com.
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5 thoughts on “Sidnei Tavares Debut Disappoints as Rapids Lose at LAFC Again”
As an earlier article made clear, the current ownership and FO is not going anywhere, despite Kroenke habitually underfunding this team and Smith making an endless series of roster mismanagement steps over the years. Smith has proven he simply isn’t good enough to treat the Rapids like Ajax, where they develop and sell off talent.
Fraser is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he plays the kids, it may be good for preparing the kids for next year, but it also will almost certainly seal his fate of getting canned. If I were Fraser I’d want to be fired at this point. He’s a good coach, but when your FO is constantly working against you, it’s easy to run out of ideas. Smith needs to can him now or commit to him for another year so that he’s free to play the kids and lose every remaining game.
And, Smith needs to do his job better to set this team up for successful with the realization that, like with every team, players will get injured next year and that’s not an excuse to be the worst team in the league.
One playoff win in 10 years . . multiple bottom of the league finishes . . are the Rapids the worst franchise in the MLS? Smith talking about how great the last few years have been while lamenting “bad luck”.
Matt, thank you for the article and attempted interview with Frasier. It is always amusing to see grown men, who are supposed to be the leader of other men, turn into petulant children when asked difficult questions. Rapids fans should have a new drinking game: take a shot every time Frasier clears his throat in a post-game interview. Good luck staying upright!
This game was a continued sign of just how far the Rapids are from being truly capable of winning ANY trophy on offer. The gap in talent between a team like LAFC and the Rapids is remarkable. While I only watched the first half and last 15 minutes, the Rapids were chasing shadows. Men vs. Boys. Where do the Rapids find a victory in their next 4 games? MUFC, RSL, Revs, Sounders? Things could spiral out of control and get really ugly.
Of course, we will not see any youngsters get meaningful playing time. As you alluded to, the coaches don’t believe in their talent. I think the larger reason is that Frasier and Smith are so delusional, they honestly believe they can make a playoff push. If you believe you are in a playoff race, you don’t play your kids. Honestly, there isn’t any talent among the kids. Larraz is the only one from Rapids 2 that warrants a shot. Jackson, Anderson, Hanya, if they truly had talent they would have pushed their way into the first team given the great season Rapids 2 is having. Yapi is going to go to waste now that Navarro is here. Others have already gone off to college. Talent further down the Academy pipeline is barren as the best Academy team is the U15s.
Navarro looks like he will be a player, but Tavarez…c’mon man. Is a kid from a European B team really worth it? Why not sign a kid from MLS Next Pro? It’s the same level. He was subbed at half because he had no impact on the game and was a turnover machine. The Rapids already have a gaggle of midfielders who do that. I don’t understand the belief in Ronan either. His service on corners and set pieces continues to be terrible. He can’t get the ball beyond the first defender! Galvan again offered NOTHING. Harris runs fast and offers…NOTHING.
While I am one person, I am getting to the point I have already reached with the Rockies. I will not buy tickets to a game, I will pass on free tickets and I will not purchase ANY merchandise. If significant change isn’t made this offseason, I may not re-new my MLS Season Pass. Good grief, Rapids!!
[…] played at Minnesota United FC on Wednesday night. It was basically the same game as their previous, a 4-0 loss to LAFC. After a decent start, two Ralph Priso mistakes put the game out of […]
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Chris White 
As an earlier article made clear, the current ownership and FO is not going anywhere, despite Kroenke habitually underfunding this team and Smith making an endless series of roster mismanagement steps over the years. Smith has proven he simply isn’t good enough to treat the Rapids like Ajax, where they develop and sell off talent.
Fraser is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he plays the kids, it may be good for preparing the kids for next year, but it also will almost certainly seal his fate of getting canned. If I were Fraser I’d want to be fired at this point. He’s a good coach, but when your FO is constantly working against you, it’s easy to run out of ideas. Smith needs to can him now or commit to him for another year so that he’s free to play the kids and lose every remaining game.
And, Smith needs to do his job better to set this team up for successful with the realization that, like with every team, players will get injured next year and that’s not an excuse to be the worst team in the league.
One playoff win in 10 years . . multiple bottom of the league finishes . . are the Rapids the worst franchise in the MLS? Smith talking about how great the last few years have been while lamenting “bad luck”.
Who is less competitive since 2011?
Matt, thank you for the article and attempted interview with Frasier. It is always amusing to see grown men, who are supposed to be the leader of other men, turn into petulant children when asked difficult questions. Rapids fans should have a new drinking game: take a shot every time Frasier clears his throat in a post-game interview. Good luck staying upright!
This game was a continued sign of just how far the Rapids are from being truly capable of winning ANY trophy on offer. The gap in talent between a team like LAFC and the Rapids is remarkable. While I only watched the first half and last 15 minutes, the Rapids were chasing shadows. Men vs. Boys. Where do the Rapids find a victory in their next 4 games? MUFC, RSL, Revs, Sounders? Things could spiral out of control and get really ugly.
Of course, we will not see any youngsters get meaningful playing time. As you alluded to, the coaches don’t believe in their talent. I think the larger reason is that Frasier and Smith are so delusional, they honestly believe they can make a playoff push. If you believe you are in a playoff race, you don’t play your kids. Honestly, there isn’t any talent among the kids. Larraz is the only one from Rapids 2 that warrants a shot. Jackson, Anderson, Hanya, if they truly had talent they would have pushed their way into the first team given the great season Rapids 2 is having. Yapi is going to go to waste now that Navarro is here. Others have already gone off to college. Talent further down the Academy pipeline is barren as the best Academy team is the U15s.
Navarro looks like he will be a player, but Tavarez…c’mon man. Is a kid from a European B team really worth it? Why not sign a kid from MLS Next Pro? It’s the same level. He was subbed at half because he had no impact on the game and was a turnover machine. The Rapids already have a gaggle of midfielders who do that. I don’t understand the belief in Ronan either. His service on corners and set pieces continues to be terrible. He can’t get the ball beyond the first defender! Galvan again offered NOTHING. Harris runs fast and offers…NOTHING.
While I am one person, I am getting to the point I have already reached with the Rockies. I will not buy tickets to a game, I will pass on free tickets and I will not purchase ANY merchandise. If significant change isn’t made this offseason, I may not re-new my MLS Season Pass. Good grief, Rapids!!
My stream was interrupted late in the first half. I wasn’t even upset.
[…] played at Minnesota United FC on Wednesday night. It was basically the same game as their previous, a 4-0 loss to LAFC. After a decent start, two Ralph Priso mistakes put the game out of […]