Podcast: Gold Cup Final. 4thFest Loss. Double Game Week Preview.

Podcast – Hello Colorado Rapids fans. We hope you all had a good 4th of July. On this Sunday episode of Holding The High Line, we analyze that 4thFest loss to Sporting Kansas City and preview a difficult double game week.

First the guys banter about the Gold Cup Final. Was it mission accomplished for the USMNT even with the performance and loss to Mexico? Has this altered expectations for us going into the World Cup next summer? What does this mean for the national team hopefuls on the Rapids? How should Rapids fans feel about RSL star Diego Luna playing well during the tournament? We discuss.

Then we recap the loss to SKC? It was a good performance overall but in the context of having three really bad mistakes and not executing in small moments. Be prepared to learn what we thought on Conor Ronan’s performance. What was up with Djordje Mihailović and Cole Bassett? Also what was up with 17,576 being a sellout at DSGP, the P-I-D-S chant, and the DIA substitution jingle?

We also look big picture at whether this team can or will make the playoffs? Chris Armas continues to take the long view even though he’s technically out of contract after this year. The Rapids actually have an easy schedule the rest of the way, even though July is tough. Red talks about what it means.

Then we look ahead to LAFC and Vancouver. Colorado has a bad record at BMO Stadium, 0-8 all time, outscored 23-2. Rabbi thinks this might be the chance to catch LAFC while they’re down. Club World Cup fatigue, Olivier Giroud exit and all. Oh, and we’ll see what happens as this is the first game since the inappropriate language incident between Sergi Palencia and Chido Awaziem. Great. Similarly, Whitecaps are a good team but might be leggy due to players being at the Concacaf Gold Cup. They’ve also had two really bad losses, including a 3-0 loss to LA Galaxy. Yikes. Can the Rapids get a result against two teams who will have more rest than them? We make predictions.

Also Mark would like to formally apologize to Wheat Ridge and Glendale.

About the hosts:

Matt Pollard is the Managing Editor of Burgundy Wave, having overseen the site’s move to being independent in April 2023. He moved to Denver in 2015 and has covered the Rapids since 2016. An engineer and environmentalist by day, when he’s not watching or writing about soccer, he’s hiking or skiing in the mountains. He also writes for Last Word on Sports, covering the USMNT.

Mark Goodman, known as Rapids Rabbi or Soccer Rabbi, lived in Colorado from 2011-2018. He became an MLS Sicko after seeing Lee Nguyen of the New England Revolution pull off some silky moves at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. He’s a professional rabbi during the day and the author of the well regarded Backpass series, which started at Burgundy Wave. He watches the Pids from a far, having moved to Pittsburgh. He also covers the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship for Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

Main Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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