COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Three games into their respective tenures with the Colorado Rapids, it continues to be an adjustment process for strikers Luis Solignac and Kevin Doyle.
But as Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni emphasized, the process is more akin to rearing prized tropical fish than buying a pack of sea monkeys.
“Any time you put anything new in a certain environment it’s going to take some time,” Mastroeni said. “If it’s an aquarium, there’s a feeling out process. There’s fish that have been living in that thing for a while that are trying to figure out where they belong.”
Since the arrival of the two foreign strikers, the Rapids have scored only two goals in the past three games, strikes from defensive midfielders Lucas Pittinari and Sam Cronin. The team has also been outshot 48-41 during that span.
“It’s just a case of learning and understanding,” Doyle said. “It’s not just been me and [Solignac] getting to know each other but the other attackers.”
Solignac echoed those sentiments.
“We’ve played just one game together, so we’re trying to get to know each other,” Solignac said of Doyle. “There are many things to put together when we play.”
Doyle and Solignac are learning the system and tactics Mastroeni and the players have been working on since preseason, while the rest of the group has had to learn and adjust to the tendencies of the newcomers.
“They’ve just kind of been thrown to the fire,” Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers said following the team’s 2-1 loss to Portland last weekend. “I honestly haven’t had much time to practice with them. There’s some things we can work on as duos and trios in practice.”
It’s not just in practice. The pair also continue to face adjustments off the pitch.
“Those guys are still trying to figure out their living situations, let alone the tactics we’ve employed over the last couple of months,” Mastroeni said. “So it’s going to take some time. Their commitment to the team and their effort has been remarkable.”
For Solignac, it’s a commitment that has gone beyond the training facilities at Dick’s Sporting Good Park.
“I try to do everything outside the pitch to achieve a high level of fitness in every game,” he explained. “Not just here but at home, what you eat and how you sleep is important. It’s important to be professional in these aspects.”
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It’s been equally important for Doyle, who cited altitude and a seven-hour time difference between Colorado and his native Ireland as some of the biggest challenges in his adjustment to a new club.
“I also played my first turf game against Seattle,” Doyle said. “It’s getting used to the travel and getting into a routine. New experiences will be good for me in the long run.”
A learning curve and adjustment period was perhaps an inevitability for Solignac and Doyle given the circumstances of joining a new club and a new league in a new city, but both remain focused on the tasks and expectations they were dealt. They'll likely get another chance to gel on the road Sunday against Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake (5 pm ET; ESPNNEWS, ESPN Deportes).
“We came here to help the team, and we have the responsibility to score goals,” Solignac said. “We have to find a way to achieve three points in every game.”
Added Doyle: “We’re working on it. We should be on the same page pretty soon.”
