Pablo is Staying!

Ok, I'll admit that I was counting the money the Rapids would have free if Pablo Mastroeni stuck to his promise of heading to Europe after this year, and was kind of looking forward to it. That's because I thought Pablo deserves to be at the top level of soccer, and we need some salary-cap room for a proven striker. Now that I know that he is staying in Colorado, I am even more excited for 2009. It shows how much confidence Gary Smith has instilled in the team. If a player of Pablo's caliber recognizes the potential for success in a club he has spent most of his career with, I have to believe there is something special happening.

I'll also admit that I was hoping John Spencer would be coach in 09, but GS will be just fine with me. I just hope he makes a few better line-up choices (bring back CG and Erpen, keep Bouna in the net!). The offseason will be fun. I'm glad that Conor got a call-up for the MNT game this week; he deserves it. Hopefully we'll find that second strike partner to help him pummel defenses next year. The Rapids need to make some moves, and GS needs to prove he is trade-savvy. We have a good core, but there are definitely some leaks. As of now, here are is my starting XI, including the spot that needs filling:

---------------------------------Bouna----------------------------------

-------------------Gibbs?--------Ugo------------Erpen-----------------

-------Cooke---------Mehdi------Pablo------C.Gomez--------Colin--------

----------------------Casey------?????-----------------------

At first I had this as a 4-4-2, but I remembered how brilliant Mehdi was when he finally got his shot. I think a Gomez/Ballouchi midfield would be among the classiest in the league. Our defense is solid enough with Pablo staying, that I think a 3-5-2 would work great. I definitely want 2 strikers, but hey I'm no coach.