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Colorado
Rapids
Overview
For the Colorado Rapids,
it all began on June 6, 1995 when Major League
Soccer Chairman Alan I. Rothenberg introduced
Colorado as one of the 10 charter members of
MLS. The first task facing the Rapids was the
development of a team. Veteran English manager,
Bob Houghton, was selected to coach the team
and U.S. World Cup Star forward Roy Wegerle
was the first allocated player in club history.
The Rapids continued building their team around
Houghton's philosophy to "showcase exciting,
attack-oriented soccer" with the likes of U.S.
National Team captain sweeper Marcelo Balboa,
South African star forward Shaun Bartlett, and
U.S. National Team midfielder Dominic Kinnear.
The rest of the team was assembled from the
three MLS drafts (initial, supplemental, and
college) and, after an undefeated preseason,
the Rapids were poised to take the field for
their inaugural game at Arrowhead Stadium against
the Kansas City Wizards on April 13, 1996.
Just as with any beginning of a new league there
was a lot to accomplish in the first year of
the Colorado Rapids and MLS. The Rapids were
a team stocked with quality, veteran talent
and expectations were high for the team and
the league. The Rapids lost their first game
to the Kansas City Wizards 3-0, but quickly
bounced back to a 3-1 win over the Dallas Burn
in their first-ever home game. Played at Mile
High Stadium in front of 21,711 fans, it was
fitting that the fan-favorite "Iron Man," Marcelo
Balboa, would score two second half goals, including
the Rapids' first-ever goal. The first half
of the season was a seesaw as the Rapids won
one game and then lost the next. In early July
the Rapids were sitting at 8-9, but the injury
bug bit the team and wore down the offense.
The Rapids finished the season winning only
three more games to finish 11-21. Having been
eliminated from playoff contention well before
the season was over, coach Bob Houghton resigned
with one game remaining.
The 1997 season was one of fairy-tale endings
for the Colorado Rapids. After naming a new
coach, Glenn "Mooch" Myernick, and
a new general manager, Dan Counce, the Rapids
looked to rebuild from the ashes of a dismal
inaugural season.
A
major housecleaning saw only nine players remaining
with the team at the start of the 1997 season
and the team began to make some major moves.
Shrewd trades brought key players such as midfielder/forward
Paul Bravo, Bolivian midfielder Adrian Paz,
and veteran Peter Vermes, once a striker for
the U.S. National Team who had become one of
the premier defensive players in the league.
Allocations, discovery picks and the draft also
brought in Jamaican forward Wolde Harris, Mexican
midfielder David Patino, goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann,
defender Chris Martinez and midfielder Ross
Paule.
A
brand-new team though, did not bring instant
success as the Rapids compiled a mid-season
record of 8-8, roughly the same as the year
before when the Rapids were 7-9 at the halfway
mark. And just as the season before, the Rapids
began to fall apart at midseason; however unlike
the total collapse in 1996, the Rapids went
6-10 to finish the season, squeaking into the
playoffs with the fourth seed, pitting them
against the division-leading Kansas City Wizards.
The
Wizards had swept the regular season series
from the Rapids and now looked to coast through
the first round of the playoffs, but in a game
that USA Today would later call "the most
shocking upset" in the history of MLS,
the Colorado Rapids beat the Wizards 3-0. The
Cinderella story continued throughout the playoffs
as the Rapids swept the Wizards and the Dallas
Burn to earn the right to face defending MLS
champion, D.C. United.
The
clock struck twelve, however, and the fairy
tale ended. Throughout a near-constant downpour
at RFK Stadium, the Rapids battled D.C. United
in front of a record crowd of 57,431, putting
together what most crticis still consider the
"most exciting MLS cup in league history."
The two goalkeepers combined for 15 saves as
both teams relentlessly attacked the goal. Alas
it was not to be. While Chris Henderson's 30-yard
laser sailed only inches wide, Jaime Moreno's
point-blank tally connected to put D.C. ahead
by one at the half. A second-half bicycle attempt
by Balboa, reminiscent of his fantastic attempt
against Columbia in the 1994 World Cup, was
smothered by Garlick only minutes before Tony
Sanneh scored what would become the winning
goal. Refusing to back down, the Rapids struck
hard in the final 20 minutes, drawing one back
on a fierece strike by Paz, but the deficit
was too much to overcome.
Despite
losing popular defender Matt Kmosko to the Miami
Fusion in the expansion draft, the Rapids looked
poised to return to the MLS Cup and avenge the
tough loss to D.C. United.
The season, however, began with a disappointing
start, as the Rapids went to the shootout four
times in the first six games (2-2 in the four
shootouts) and only had one regulation win.
By the end of May, the Rapids were at the very
bottom (3-8, 5pts.) looking up. When Marcelo
Balboa returned from U.S. National Team duty
in the 1998 World Cup and the Rapids won eight
out of the next ten games to vault up to third
place in the standings.
This
turned out to be perfect timing for the Raipids
as they prepeared for their first-ever (non-exhibition)
international competition, against Leon of Mexico
in the 1998 CONCACAF Champion's Cup tournament,
having qualified by virtue of their 1997 Western
Conference Championship. The first leg was played
at Mile High Stadium and while the Rapids controlled
much of the game were unable to solve the Leon
defense. But it was none other than Rapids standout
-- and former Leon defender -- Marcelo Balboa
who would make the difference in this match.
Having returned from the World Cup in France
just two days earlier, Balboa entered the game
in the 71st minute and 12 minutes later struck
home to bring victory to the home side.
The
second leg in Leon was a wide-open affair which
saw a first-half ejection of midfielder Chris
Henderson. Leon quickly shot out to a 3-0 lead
before defender Steve Trittschuh pulled the
Rapids pulled one back for the Rapids just before
the half. Colorado fought back valiantly after
the interval, and through a Paul Bravo header
pulled within one goal of the aggregate. The
Rapids however, could not find the final goal
that would have seen them through on away goals
to the quarterfinals.
Coming
back from the All-Star Break the team hoped
to continue their winning ways, but a streak
of five consecutive losses put the team in danger
of missing the playoffs. In need of change,
Coach Myernick, unveiled a new formation, opting
for a 3-5-2 alignment. The move paid off and
the Rapids won five of the last six games to
clinch third place in the Western Conference
and a playoff match-up against the expansion
Chicago Fire.
The
Rapids faced the difficult task of unseating
the Fire who had an impressive 13-3 record at
home during the regular season (2-0 against
the Rapids). With eleven minutes to play in
the first game the Rapids scored off a header
by Waldir to tie up the game and send it to
a shootout, but the magic of the 1997 playoff
run was not in Chicago and the Rapids fell,
3-2, in the shootout. A return to Colorado for
the second game saw a similar incident equal
the same result. For the second time in as many
games, a Steve Trittschuh tackle on Peter Nowak
drew a penalty kick and resulted in the deciding
goal that sent the expansion Fire past the defending
Western Conference Champions; penalty kicks
being the only goals allowed by the Rapids defense.
The 99 season was really a tale of two teams
as several records were broken during the season
(most wins, most shutouts, and most game-winning
goals in a season). Foreign allocation, Jorge
Dely Valdes, made an immediate impact leading
the team in scoring and claiming team MVP honors
with his last-minute heroics. The team, however,
faced a difficult second half of the season
with the loss of several players due to injury
and trades.
The
Rapids began the year with a couple shoot-out
losses on the road but then reeled off a seven-game
winning streak to claim the division lead. The
Rapids finished the first half of the season
by marching into the hostile confines of RFK
stadium and beating D.C. United to lay claim
to the league throne with a record of 12-4 going
into the All-Star Break.
The
Rapids success, however, brought a greater challenge.
Scouts had duly noted the work of goalkeeper
Marcus Hahnemann and Fulham F.C., of England's
First Division, purchased his contract from
the league. Ian Feuer, the Rapids backup goalkeeper,
brought a sense of security with his 6'6"
frame, but his first appearance, as a Rapid,
was a foreshadow of things to come. The Rapids
were downed 3-0 against Columbus in front of
a record home crowd of 51,025 on July 4th. It
was deemed, at the time, a small setback.
Despite
recording a team-record eight shutouts in 19
games, the effort of Ian Feuer and the Rapids
defense was wasted as the team was crippled
with injuries to several marquee players. The
Rapids began to slowly lose hold of 1st place
in the Western Conference and a scoreless drought,
which hit the team, lasted for the final 7 games
of the season. The team limped to a second-half
8-8 record, finishing the season at 20 wins
and 12 losses.
The
team's slump wasn't limited to only league play,
either. After storming through the first four
rounds of the U.S. Open Cup by allowing only
one goal, the Rapids traveled to Crew Stadium
in Columbus, Ohio for the final against the
Rochester Rhinos of the A-League. The Rapids
looked to nix their scoring jinx through a large
number of first-half opportunities, but it was
not to be. The game remained tight until the
66th minute, when a soft shot slipped between
the legs of Feuer and into the net for the game-winner.
Deep in the throes of a scoring drought, the
Rapids were unable to answer at the other end
of the field, finally succumbing to a 90th-minute
counterattack and a 2-0 loss.
With
the team re-focused on league play, the Rapids
looked towards another run at the MLS Cup after
qualiyfing for the playoffs as the fourth seed.
Despite their form at the end of the season,
2000 did see the Rapids set a franchise record
for wins (20).
With
Anders Limpar and Jason Bent healthy again,
the Rapids looked to rediscover the style and
confidence that had brought them success early
in the season, and against the Los Angeles Galaxy
every bit of help would be necessary. Unfortunately,
the return of the two internationals was not
enough to spark the Rapids and the team made
an early exit from the playoffs after two scoreless
losses.
The 2000 season picked up where 1999 left off
- on injured reserve. The Rapids (13-15-4) encountered
many challenges in fielding a consistent lineup
(160 man games missed; 119 due to injury and
41 due to national team call ups) throughout
much of the season. However, despite the difficulties,
the Rapids had several highlight moments that
will be forever etched in MLS history.
On
April 22, in Columbus, Marcelo Balboa's spectacular
bicycle kick would earn national and international
recognition and eventually become the MLS Goal
of the Year Award recipient. On July 4th at
Mile High Stadium the largest soccer crowd in
Colorado with 53, 126 people watched the Rapids
come from behind in a thrilling 2-1 extra time
win over rival Chicago Fire.
A
Paul Bravo goal in the 97th minute over the
Los Angeles Galaxy secured the final playoff
berth - less than three minutes from what would
have been elimination. The Rapids challenged
eventual MLS champion Kansas City Wizards in
the first round taking the series to three games,
but the team fell short and made a first round
exit from the playoffs for the third year in
a row.
The
2001 season ushers in a new hope for Rapids
fans and players alike. After early exits in
the playoffs the last three seasons, the Rapids
dismissed Glenn Myernick and Rene Miramontes
from its coaching staff. The Rapids newly hired
head coach Tim Hankinson, along with new assistant
coach Luc Sanders and local, club coach Lorne
Donaldson look to get the Rapids over the hump
and back to the MLS Cup Championship Game.
Playing in Denver's Mile High Stadium before
its slated destruction in August is perhaps
an allusion of a renaissance for the club as
the team hopes to build their own stadium in
the near future.
With
a new head coach, potential new players, and
the possibility of a new, soccer-specific stadium
in the future this team is now being built on
hopeful foundations.
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Colorado
Rapids Info
Stadium:
Invesco Field Stadium
Honours:
Western
Conference Champions:
1997
QUICK FACT
The
new stadium cost $364,200,000.00 to build
and seats 76,125 supporters.
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