Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids

File:NewRapids.PNG
Full name	Colorado Rapids
Nickname(s)	Raps, Rapids, 'Pids
Founded	1995
Ground	Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, CO
Capacity	18,776 (18,086 seated)
Owner	Stan Kroenke
Coach	Fernando Clavijo
League	Major League Soccer
2007	Western Conference: 4th Overall: 10th Playoffs: DNQ
Home colors Away colors Third colors

The Colorado Rapids are a soccer club based in Commerce City, Colorado that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was founded in 1995. The team colors are burgundy and sky blue with the home jerseys being burgundy. The away jerseys are sky blue with burgundy trim. They played their home matches at Mile High Stadium from 1996–2001 and moved into INVESCO Field at Mile High in 2002. They moved to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver suburb of Commerce City for the 2007 season. The Rapids have made two cup finals in their history, the 1997 MLS Cup and the 1999 US Open Cup, losing both times.

History

The First Decade (1996-2006)

The Colorado Rapids were one of the ten founding clubs of Major League Soccer. The inaugural 1996 season was a forgettable one for Colorado. Despite fielding experienced players like Shaun Bartlett, Chris Woods, and Marcelo Balboa, the team finished dead last in the Western Conference with the worst record in the league.

The complexion of the team changed dramatically for the following season with new head coach Glenn Myernick. Myernick brought new faces to the squad including Paul Bravo, Wolde Harris, Ross Paule, and keeper Marcus Hahnemann. The team struggled early on, but rallied to grab a postseason spot. The Rapids pulled off two major upsets and advanced to the MLS Cup final. Chris Henderson scored a mid-air volley past Dallas keeper Mark Dodd in the 87th minute in the Western Conference final, ensuring Colorado's place in the MLS Cup final. They lost the final to DC United.

Colorado continued on a roller coaster of success and disappointment: Myernick brought in more new players including Anders Limpar and Marcus Hahnemann and the club made it to the 1999 US Open Cup final, only to be upset 2–0 by the Rochester Raging Rhinos.

The 2000 season boasted two of the more memorable moments in Rapids history. The first was Marcelo Balboa's famous bicycle kick which garnered the Goal of the Year. The second was clenching a playoff spot in the final game of the season against the Los Angeles Galaxy, scoring in the 97th minute.

In 2001 Tim Hankinson took the reins as Colorado's new head coach. Scottish striker John Spencer also joined the club that year. Hankinson proved to be a somewhat controversial coach due to his defensive style of play and questionable player acquisitions. While he did bring effective players like Mark Chung, Chris Henderson, Carlos Valderrama, and Joe Cannon to the squad--and made the playoffs every year--Hankinson also signed a number of expensive and unsuccessful players including ZiZi Roberts and Darryl Powell, and traded away fan favorite Marcelo Balboa, whose career was nearing its end. After several years of mixed results, Tim Hankinson stepped down at the end of the 2004 season.

Kroenke Sports Enterprises had purchased the club the year before and made sweeping changes before the 2005 season. KSE cleaned house in the front office and appointed Fernando Clavijo as the new head coach. Clavijo brought in many new additions to the squad including Jeff Cunningham, Terry Cooke, and David "Dedi" Ben Dayan. The team saw steady improvement over the course of the season. The season's success was highlighted by a dramatic playoff victory over FC Dallas in a penalty shootout.

Colorado's 2006 season seemed to parallel trends from previous years. Clavijo's squad performed inconsistently and only secured a playoff spot at the very last instant. Lightning managed to strike twice as they duplicated their 2005 playoff run by again beating FC Dallas in penalties only to crash out of the Western Conference Final by a two goal deficit. Other highlights from the final black and blue season include securing the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year and winning the MLS Reserve Division.

The Modern Era (2007-Present)

The Rapids entered the 2007 season with new colors, a new stadium, and a great deal of optimism. Unfortunately their inaugural year at Dick's Sporting Goods Park turned out to be a disappointment. The team started out strong with a series of good results but later faded into a long winless steak that saw them sink in the standings. Colorado struggled with inconsistent results at the end of the season and ultimately finished shy of a playoff spot. The major low points in the season included an embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the US Open Cup, and a crushing defeat to Real Salt Lake that saw them lose both a playoff berth and the possession of the Rocky Mountain Cup. One of the club's few consolations of the season was winning the MLS Reserve Division for the second consecutive year.

Despite underachieving the previous year and protests from the fans, the Rapids elected to retain Fernando Clavijo though the 2008 season to the end of his contract. He bolstered the roster by adding depth to the midfield and defense. Major signings included Christian Gómez and Jose Burciaga Jr.

Image

File:Rapidskits.jpg

The evolution of the Colorado Rapids uniform.

The Rapids' image has evolved a great deal since their inaugural year. The team has undergone two image changes. Originally using green as the primary color, the team changed to black and blue by the 2003 season. As Colorado was preparing to move into their new stadium for the 2007 season, there was a great deal of discussion about re-branding the club. The Rapids went so far as to consider changing their name to Arsenal Colorado F.C. in light of a recently forged relationship the English club Arsenal F.C. They even trademarked the name and produced a logo that was later leaked to the public though the World Wide Web . The team did elect, however, to retain its traditional name. Managing Director Jeff Plush later confirmed that the team's name will not be changed.

Logo

Colorado has had three logos in their history. They originally first used the "river" logo as their primary crest with the "circular" logo as a secondary one. Later these two logos would switch with the "circular" one becoming the primary. For the 2007 re-branding, the Rapids made use of a new shield style logo which is the one that is currently used today.

• 
  Colorado Rapids logo (1995-2001)
• 
  Colorado Rapids logo (2001-2006)
• Proposed Arsenal logo (2007)
  Proposed Arsenal logo (2007)
• Colorado Rapids logo (2007-Present)
  Colorado Rapids logo (2007-Present)

Uniform

The original look of the Rapids sported a predominantly white kit with green trim. Other minor colors such as gold and blue were occasionally incorporated. Eventually black became more heavily used and eventually overtook white as the more dominant color that accompanied the green. The Rapids underwent a more dramatic image change prior to the 2003 season. The kit colors switched to black and blue vertical stripes, similar to the uniforms worn by Italian Serie A club Inter Milan. The uniforms underwent one last dramatic change for the 2007 season. The Rapids now sport burgundy and sky blue as their primary colors. The Colorado Rapids also have a brand new 3rd kit. It contains white shirts, socks and burgady shorts.

Partnerships and Affiliations

Arsenal F.C.

At the same time as the new colors were unveiled, the Rapids and the London club Arsenal F.C. announced that the teams had entered into a partnership with the intention of "building the Arsenal brand in the US; helping to improve the quality of football at MLS team Colorado Rapids and supporting grassroots football in the US", with the Rapids looking to make similar strides in England.

The collaboration between the two clubs includes beneficial coaching and player development for Colorado, along with marketing and best business practices discussions, with the possibility of arranging friendlies between the teams. It also gives Arsenal media attention in the US market, which has already proven its brand-identity potential for other European clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid. It was also announced that the deal includes a US soccer tournament to be hosted in Denver, with teams competing for the Arsenal Cup.

Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke recently purchased a share of Arsenal, reportedly 9.9% of the club for approximately $128 million. He has since increased his shares in the London club to 12.19%.[1]

CF Pachuca

The Colorado Rapids and Kroenke Sports Enterprises announced on August 7, 2007 that the Colorado-based Major League Soccer club forged a club-to-club partnership with Club de Futbol Pachuca, champions of the Primera Division de Mexico, Copa Sudamericana, Concacaf, and Superliga.

The establishment of the Pachuca Academy at Dick's Sporting Goods Park highlights the alliance, which also includes a home-and-home annual series between the clubs and an exchange of best practices. The Pachuca Academy will be the only one of its kind in the United States and will be administered in partnership with ProSport, a sports consultancy headquartered in Mexico City and led in part by former Mexican national team legend Enrique Borja.

The Rapids and CF Pachuca also will conduct their respective preseason trainings at each other's home ground.

Colorado Rapids U-23

The Colorado Rapids U-23 were founded in 2000 in order to create a developmental system for their Major League Soccer counterparts. The U-23s' compete in the Premier Development League (PDL), which grants college players an opportunity to compete without waiving their NCAA eligibility or their amateur status. While the U-23's carry the same name and colors, they are not a branch of the MLS organization. They are instead an independent affiliate.

The Rocky Mountain Cup

Main article: Rocky Mountain Cup

With Major League Soccer's expansion in 2005, Real Salt Lake became the second team in the Rocky Mountain region and the Rapids' closest neighbor. The supporters of the two clubs created a regular-season competition between the two sides to foster and memorialize this budding rivalry. Colorado won the Rocky Mountain Cup in the first two years, 9 points to 3 and 7 points to 4. The winning team's fans maintain control of the actual Cup trophy for the next year, until the next year's winner is determined.

Supporters

While the Rapids have always have been among the top teams in the league in average fan attendance, including leading the league in average fans per game in 2002, the club has had a fairly rocky history when it comes to ultras. A handful of formally organized groups have come and gone. While there have been several groups both large and small, the most notable of these were the Jolly Green Men, the River Ratz, and Ultra Azul. Reasons for the failures of these groups include lack of growth, leadership from within the supporters clubs, and tensions between them and Invesco Field stadium security. After the River Ratz become defunct, there was a period of several years where there was no real supporters group.

In 2005 and 2006, two organized groups emerged and are beginning to build from scratch. The Centennial Firm is the latest group trying to establish an ultras scene with flags, banners, and drums. Class VI was established in late 2005 to provide an alternative to the traditional standing environment. They are an organized body known as a seating club, focused on passion for the game, premium viewing location, and a focus on gameplay and is open to any fan (including both season ticket holders and single-game fans). After the close of the 2006 MLS season, the Rapids announced a new area (and official supporters' club) in Dick's Sporting Goods Park that would specifically house fans interested in an ultras experience. This section was called The Front Range.

Song

The team anthem is called “Goal!” and is performed by rock power trio and Colorado natives Rose Hill Drive.

Television and radio

Rapids matches appear on several channels including Altitude Television, which is owned by Kroenke Sports Entertainment as are the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. As of the 2007 season, Major League Soccer has determined that every game must be televised, either through a regional (or local) TV station, or a national channel. 17 of the 30 Rapids games for 2007 are slated for nationally-available channels in 2007, including ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel, Telefutura, HDNet.

While there is no English language radio outlet, all the Rapids' matches will be broadcast in Spanish on KNRV "La Buena Onda" 1150 KHz AM.

Honors

• MLS Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 1997
• US Open Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 1999
• Rocky Mountain Cup:
  • Winners (2): 2005, 2006
• MLS Reserve Division:
  • Winners (2): 2006, 2007

Players

Current roster

As of June 7, 2008 The players in bold have senior international caps Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	SEN	Bouna Coundoul
2	DF	USA	Jordan Harvey
4	MF	USA	Greg Dalby
5	DF	ARG	Facundo Erpen
6	DF	USA	Jose Burciaga Jr
8	MF	MAR	Mehdi Ballouchy
9	FW	USA	Conor Casey
10	MF	ARG	Christian Gómez
11	MF	ENG	Terry Cooke
12	DF	USA	Mike Petke
13	DF	USA	Stephen Keel
14	FW	JAM	Omar Cummings
15	FW	USA	Jacob Peterson
16	FW	USA	Herculez Gomez
17	GK	USA	Preston Burpo

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
18	DF	CAN	Ugo Ihemelu
19	MF	USA	Ciaran O'Brien
20	FW	SCO	Tom McManus
21	MF	USA	Nico Colaluca
22	MF	USA	Nick LaBrocca
23	MF	USA	Colin Clark
24	GK	USA	Justin Hughes
25	MF	USA	Pablo Mastroeni (captain)
26	DF	USA	Tim Ward
27	MF	JPN	Kosuke Kimura
28	MF	USA	John DiRaimondo
30	GK	USA	Chris Sharpe
33	DF	USA	Cesar Zambrano
35	MF	USA	Brian Grazier

Source: http://www.coloradorapids.com/Team/Roster.aspx

Notable players

File:Robin Fraser 2.jpg

An autographed Robin Fraser hero card.

• Junior Agogo (2000–2001)
• Marcelo Balboa (1996–2001)
• Shaun Bartlett (1996–1997)
• Dedi Ben Dayan (2005–2006)
• Paul Bravo (1997–2001)
• Kyle Beckerman (2002–2007)
• Joe Cannon (2003–2006)
• Mark Chung (2002–2005)
• Robin Fraser (2001–2003)
• Dan Gargan (2005–2008)
• Marcus Hahnemann (1997–1999)
• Denis Hamlett (1996)
• Chris Henderson (1996–1998; 2002–2005)
• Ugo Ihemelu (2007-)
• Aitor Karanka (2006)
• Jovan Kirovski (2005-)
• Anders Limpar (1999–2000)
• Pablo Mastroeni (2002—)
• Clint Mathis (2006)
• Gilles Grimandi (2003)
• Adrian Paz (1997–1998)
• John Spencer (2001–2004)
• Steve Trittschuh (1996–1999)
• Carlos Valderrama (2001–2002)
• Jorge Dely Valdes (1999–2000)
• Alain Nkong (2005–2006)
• Chris Woods (1996)
• José Cancela (2007-2008)

Head coaches

• Bobby Houghton (1996)
• Roy Wegerle (1996, interim)
• Glenn Myernick (1997–2000)
• Tim Hankinson (2001–2004)
• Fernando Clavijo (2005—)

Gallery of Honor

The Gallery of Honor was established in 2004 to honor former Rapids that had a significant impact on both the team and with the community. The Gallery is commemorated by large banners visible at the north end of Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

• #17 Marcelo Balboa (inducted 2004)
• #9 Paul Bravo (inducted 2004)
• #19 Chris Henderson (inducted 2007)

Team records

• Games: Chris Henderson, 178
• Goals: Paul Bravo, 39
• Assists: Chris Henderson, 53
• Shutouts: Joe Cannon, 25

MLS regular season only, through 2006

• All-Time regular season record: 146-166-56 (Through Oct. 21, 2007)

Ownership

• Anschutz Entertainment Group (1996–2004)
• Kroenke Sports Enterprises (2004—)

Home stadiums

• Mile High Stadium (1996–2001)
• INVESCO Field at Mile High (2002–2006)
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park (2007–present)

Year-by-year

Year	Won	Loss	Tie	Points	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	SuperLiga
1996	11	21	NA	29	5th, West	Did not qualify	Semifinals	Not qualifed	Started in 2007
1997	14	18	NA	38	4th, West	Final	Round of 16	Did not qualify
1998	16	16	NA	44	3rd, West	Quarterfinals	Did not enter	Qualifying Round
1999	20	12	NA	48	4th, West	Quarterfinals	Final	Did not qualify
2000	13	15	4	43	3rd, West	Quarterfinals	Round of 32	Did not qualify
2001	5	13	18	23	4th, West	Did not qualify	Round of 32	Not held
2002	13	11	4	43	4th, West	Semifinals	Quarterfinals	Did not qualify
2003	11	12	7	40	3rd, West	Quarterfinals	Quarterfinals	Did not qualify
2004	10	9	11	41	3rd, West	Quarterfinals	Round of 16	Did not qualify
2005	13	13	6	45	3rd, West	Semifinals	Round of 16	Did not qualify
2006	11	13	8	41	4th, West	Semifinals	Quarterfinals	Did not qualify
2007	9	13	8	35	4th, West	Did not qualify	Quarterfinals	Did not qualify	Did not participate
2008	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
Totals	146	166	66

Note: MLS did not allow ties prior to the 2000 season as games were decided by shootout when tied at full time.

Average attendance

regular season/playoffs

• 1996: 10,213/missed playoffs
• 1997: 11,835/15,785
• 1998: 14,812/6,582
• 1999: 14,029/6,542
• 2000: 12,580/8,789
• 2001: 16,481/missed playoffs
• 2002: 20,687/11,002
• 2003: 16,772/6,434
• 2004: 14,195/8,028
• 2005: 13,638/11,207
• 2006: 12,056/4,176
• 2007: 14,749/missed playoffs
• All-Time: 14,194

International competition

• 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
  • Qualifying Playoff v. Club León -- 1:0, 2:4 (León advances 4:3 on aggregate)

External links

• Official Website
• Centennial Firm Supporters Club
• Class VI Seating Club
• Rocky Mountain Cup Website
• Official Rapids board, courtesy of BigSoccer
• Rapidman.com
• Blog by Colorado Rapid Stephen Keel
• Colorado Rapids Live