TUCSON – Nearly two-thirds of the way through last season, the Colorado Rapids were not just firmly entrenched in the top half of the Western Conference, they were within touching distance of the No. 2 seed.
Under first-year boss Pablo Mastroeni – who had taken over when Oscar Pareja jumped ship to FC Dallas just before the season – the Rapids were on a 4-2-3 run that culminated in a 3-0 win over Chivas USA on July 25 that put the club in third place in the West.
Just two points behind rival Real Salt Lake for the second spot in the Western Conference, the Rapids had a veteran backline anchored by Drew Moor and Marvell Wynne, and a few new attacking imports were performing well, particularly Vicente Sanchez. But it was the motherlode of young talent that impressed most, namely 2013 Rookie of the Year Dillon Powers, speedy goalscorer Deshorn Brown, US youth international Shane O'Neill, and creative playmaker Dillon Serna. This group looked more than capable of earning a second consecutive appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Then things fell off a cliff.
The Rapids did not register a single win in their final 14 games (0-12-2). The injury bug bit, and hard – both Moor and O'Neill were snagged – exposing a lack of on-field leadership and MLS experience that doomed the club down the stretch.
Mastroeni tried it all: new lineups, different formations, tinkering with training methods, even a late season signing. But nothing took, and the Rapids continued to peter out. Starting with the July 30 loss to New England, they earned just two points of the 42 available to them down the stretch.
“It was probably the toughest experience of my professional career, and even my career in soccer,” Powers said. “I think a lot of guys have never lost that many games in a row, or never went that long without a win. It’s a terrible thing to be in.”
A streak like that, of course, leaves scars. The skid shaped Colorado’s offseason, with the club adding talent and experience on the field and in the front office in an effort to ensure they will not ever again endure anything like it. They started by making two major additions to their technical staff, signing ex-UEFA exec Padraig Smith as Sporting Director and bringing back former player Claudio López as Director of Soccer.
The pair were integral to some of the Rapids’ biggest off-season transactions. A financial expert billed by the club as a “capologist,” Smith spearheaded the team’s trade with San Jose for experienced midfielder Sam Cronin, while Lopez, a former Argentine World Cup star, used his connections back home to help the club land his countrymen Lucas Pittinari, on loan from Belgrano, and Juan Ramirez, signed as a Young Designated Player.
Mastroeni, Smith, Lopez and technical director Paul Bravo – who has been with Colorado since 2009 – made plenty more moves, parting ways with 11 players from the 2014 team and seeing another retire, turning over more than 40 percent of the roster. Cronin, Ramirez and Pittinari were three of the club’s biggest additions, with two-time MLS Cup champ Marcelo Sarvas, outside back Michael Harrington and goalkeeper Zac MacMath (on loan from Philadelphia) also added.
The changes, Mastroeni hopes, leave Colorado with depth, leadership and competition at every spot, three things they were sorely lacking last season.
“I think last year I was reliant on too many young players with very little experience to come in and make a difference,” Mastroeni said. “This year we’ve brought in a wealth of players that have competed in the league for titles, guys that have led by example, that have great resumes and most importantly just have great character. They’re imparting their knowledge, their experiences on some of the younger guys that are still with us from last year. It’s a completely different dynamic as far as the group’s concerned, and one where these experienced players with a wealth of experience are taking ownership of the team.”
Of course, with so many new faces in the fold, it’s fair to wonder how, exactly, the Rapids will look this year. The club struggled to find an on-field identity last season, and players and coaches admit that they do not have one completely carved out yet for 2015. They do, however, have a clear vision, and they believe they have the squad to carry it out.
“I want to be a dynamic team going forward, I want to play north-to-south,” Mastroeni said. “I don’t just want to labor possession just for possession’s sake. I want to be dynamic and really put pressure on teams with the ball. Defensively, I want to be the team that everyone hates to play against because we’re so hard to break down. We’re on the front foot, we’re getting around the ball as much as we can. I want to be very strong and we’ve been working on the mentality, the mindset, the tactical application of what we’re trying to do when we have the ball and when we don’t have the ball.”
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The offseason additions are important, and Mastroeni’s settled status – he was not named head coach until March 8 last year, the same day the MLS season started – is certainly helpful. But the Rapids are not getting too far ahead of themselves.
Although confident – Powers said this is “by far” the best team he’s been on in his three years at Dick's Sporting Goods Park – there was not much talk about MLS Cup at their camp in Tucson, with most players and coaches giving a measured take on their hopes for the upcoming season.
“There’s no magic, there’s no sorcery, it’s just about getting better every day,” Mastroeni said. “Everybody wants to make the playoffs, everyone wants to win MLS Cup. That’s cliché. I mean, if you don’t say that, why are you here?
"But I focus more on the process. I’m a process guy. What can I do today to affect tomorrow? One day at a time. Don’t look into the future because, if you do, you’ll bypass a lot of important, necessary steps that you need to get there. That’s part of my being, it’s who I am. I want to better myself every day, and I ask the players take on that challenge and improve every day, too. I think if we do that, we’ll end up in a place where we belong.”
