Ruiz Rumors Get Weird

The Crew are reportedly looking to acquire Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz. I have now seen Glenn Davis report a rumor that the Crew would be willing to trade Frankie Hejduk for the mercurial striker. Unlike Davis, I think this rumor makes very little sense. Yes, LA would be getting a good defender, but the Crew are thin in the defense and could ill afford to give up a defender having a very good season. On a personal note, I would hate to see Frankie leave. His energy and passion make him a fan favorite. I cannot imagine that Ruiz will fill that role.

Game 14 – Ratings v. Colorado

Hesmer – 8: He is looking much stronger in goal after a couple shaky games. Great save in stoppage time to secure the win. He also distributed better, he is looking for the short option every time.

O’Rourke - 6: Had some problems adjusting to left back position, but i certainly can see him finding a home there, especially if his passing improves.

Marshall - 6: Solid, but Casey had several opportunities in the air. Did not lock him down like I have seen him do before.

Iro - 6: Had a couple problems with his footwork and gave away several fouls, but he is improving. I still have concerns about his quickness, but those are subsiding.

Hejduk - 7: Colorado could not launch crosses into Casey from the right side thanks to his work.

Rogers - 7: Was a terror down the right side, but his play around the goal held him back. His passing and shooting around goal seem to be the only small problems with his game.

Evans – 5: He does not work well with Carroll and he was nearly invisible. He did track back more in the second half (except for the Colorado goal). I imagine that he will find the bench when Gaven comes back or sooner.

Carroll - 6: Carroll was not as dominant on the defensive end. Colorado could build through the middle more than other teams have in the past. His passing was notable on several occasions however. I think he is having a hard time working with Evans.

Ekpo - 8: Took a liitle bit to get into the game, but his second half was very good. He played a little pass that Moreno turned into a penalty, and his 55 yard run and goal was masterful.

Schelotto - 8: His passing was excellent. He really spread the field with his incisive passing. The penalty kick goal was the icing on the cake.

Moreno – 7: Worked to get in the seams of the Rapids defense and was trouble throughout the evening.

Lenhart – 6: His energy helped to alleviate the pressure several times late in the game. His touch will need to improve to make a consistent impact on the game, but it has since even earlier in the season.

Junge – NR: No chance to make an impact.

Crew Man of the Match – Ekpo – Hesmer would have been my man of the match, but Ekpo’s run was magical.

U.S . Falls to 30th in New FIFA Rankings

I have seen some jokes and/or questions about the US dropping all the way to 30th in the FIFA rankings. I believe what it comes down to is that we have not played any real games. European based teams played in the Euro, those count more. South America has pushed right into World Cup qualifiers, I think those count more as well. The US played a murderer row of friendlies, but they were just friendly matches. Oh, I guess we did play two qualifiers, but Barbados does not count that much either. Add it all together and you get a decent sized drop.

McCullers Clarifies Fan Interaction

Crewture interviewed GM Mark McCullers concerning the supporters section. The interview is mostly positive, but there are a couple of key points if you are heading to the northeast corner this weekend.

• No streamers thrown on the field
• I did not hear definitively about smoke bombs, but I would leave them at home.

Check out the whole interview; it is well worth the 15 minutes.

Week 14 - Power Rankings

1. New England – Taking care of business. They have a few holes in the lineup, but will be getting back Twellman. He can score goals… in MLS.

2. DC United – Keeper and the defense are shaky, but Gallardo and Emilio are on a role doing the things Designated Players should be doing.

3. Columbus – A solid performance all around, but the individual brilliance of Ekpo got the win. I am most interested how they handle a hungry (starving?) Chicago team.

4. Los Angeles – Another week from the all offense team. They could have lost by 6 or 7 against DC. Even I don’t think they can score that many.

5. Toronto FC – Hung around on the road. Much like Real Salt Lake, wake me when they win on the road.

6. Chivas – I feel really bad about putting them here. The gulf between 5 and 6 is pretty big right now. It was interesting to see the Red Bulls drop down to their hacktastic level, pretty much neutralized them.

7. Houston – Brian Ching is carrying a heavy load these days. They could use one solid forward to help him out, you know like an Alejandro Moreno.

8. Real Salt Lake – A weak loss, but you don’t get much better chances than at Kansas City to turn things around on the road.

9. Chicago – The goal drought was novel weeks ago, but now I wonder what is wrong. It all can’t be people knocking around Blanco. Is this a return to form after a hot start.

10. New York – This team is woefully thin and it doesn’t help that Angel and Reyna are both injured. Where will the goals come now that Altidore is gone and no I am not sold on Columbian reinforcements either.

11. Kansas City – A little luck gets the win and the addition of Josh Wolff (or as I call him, Dustin Diamond) certainly helps an anemic offense. I still think this team is going to struggle and Lopez is going to explode.

12. FC Dallas – They will be up and down with the youth movement. Painful for the fans though.

13. Colorado – Yes, they put up a good fight, but they are out gunned in the talent/experience department right now. Gomez cannot get back soon enough and Clavijo can leave fast enough either.

14. San Jose – Not a bad result on the road against a foundering team. They can pick their spots and surprised teams.

Strike(r) Out

With the news of So and Hernandez getting cut, I thought that the Crew might be in the market for a player in the summer transfer window, but then I thought it might be Carlos Ruiz after hearing that he was on the trading block. I guess I was right on both accounts. Shawn Mitchelll discovered on Monday that the Crew tried (still trying) to bring back Pat Noonan from Norway and Yesterday noted that the Crew does have an interest in Ruiz.

I guess I would be a little more excited about Noonan, but I never really noted his play in New England as he always was the second striker to Taylor Twellman. I also believe that Ruiz has already had his best days in MLS. Either way, it is nice to see the team looking to add to a weak striker pool and it would not surprise me to see the team looking beyond these two targets.

Game 14 – Rapids 1 – Crew 2

I am not right often, but I did get the score line right from my preview and Ekpo and Rogers terrorized the Rapids wings all night, sparking both the Crew offense and stifling the opposing wings. It was also positive to see the defense play a solid game, Hesmer return to form, and the Schelotto and Moreno pairing open up the Rapids defense. The Crew need to keep getting points against struggling teams because the rest of the East is strong and it will take a continued strong effort to ensure a spot in the playoffs.

The game played out like other Crew games as of late. The Crew started slowly and allowed the Rapids a couple of opportunities. This could be due to almost everybody expected Colorado to come out with a 3-5-2 formation. Once the Crew settled, the offense started getting in gear. Rogers and Ekpo made several attacks deep into the Rapids defense, involving Moreno and Evans. Unfortunately, the Crew had a hard time finishing as several chances failed to find the back of the net. This allowed the Rapids to stay in the game despite the Crew having several opportunities to take the lead. It makes a Crew fan long for a decisive striker.

Fortunately, the team came out stronger in the second half behind the improved performance of Emmanuel Ekpo. The Crew worked the ball around much like the first half, but the Crew put the ball into dangerous position and caught a bit of a break. Ekpo dropped a weighted ball towards the touchline and an slowly onrushing Moreno. Moreno turned and avoided the first Colorado defender, but was clipped by the second to earn the penalty. Schelotto converted the spot kick to put the Crew up 1-0. The Rapids pushed for an equalizer since the Crew went up by one and found one less than 10 minutes later as Colorado would take advantage of weak midfield defense and a timely strike to tie the game at one.

Despite a good performance overall, the Crew were tied with 20 minutes to go. Ekpo then cemented his spot in the lineup with an outstanding singular offensive display. His 60 yard run started with a chip over two defenders, driving past a half dozen defenders, and then smashing a shot past Bouna Condoul. It was one of the most exciting goals that a Crew player has had in years. While the Rapids would push for a tying goal, Hesmer and the defense would secure the win.

The Crew are not a complete team. There are holes in midfield, the defense can be shaky, and you never know where the goals will come from. However, this is a team that just seems to know how to win games. This team has given up leads and then gotten them back, has been down on the road but came back for the ties. The more the season progresses, the more that this determined Crew team has made me believe. I still remember the last three years, but it is great to see a team that is shaking off history and driving towards the playoffs and MLS Cup.

Hernandez Leaves, More Moves to Come?

Nicolas Hernandez has been released by the Crew, apparently by request. With So and Hernandez gone, are the Crew looking for a striker? Steve Goff is now saying Carlos Ruiz is available  from the Galaxy. Chivas USA is mentioned as a destination, but Schmid and Ruiz do have a history.

While I would love to see the Crew make a move for a striker, but I am not sure about making a move for a player with an injury history and poor form as of late.

Game 14 – Rapids @ Crew Pregame

The Crew return home after a two game road trip. Despite only winning once in the last 6 games, the Crew are only four points out of 1st place. They are also four points away from missing the playoffs, so that makes a win against an up and down Colorado team imperative to stay in playoff position. The task is might be slightly easier as Rapids offensive stalwart Christian Gomez has picked up an injury and may not be able to play. It certainly hurts a team that has already been awful on the road.

Crew on Offense: The Crew face a Colorado defense in transition. The Rapids have switched to a three man back line. The Crew midfield will have to work extra hard to find space in the packed midfield. Rogers and Ekpo will have to work hard to find space and keep the Colorado wings occupied. They can open the game and really spread the Rapids midfield. Carroll and Evans will be outnumbered in the center of the park and have the tall task of holding the possession for the offense. Evans must play better than last week. He was often uninvolved, despite the goal. Schelotto does track back deeper into the midfield and is good at finding seams, which should help out Carroll and Evans against the numerical advantage that the Rapids have in the midfield. Goal poacher Alejandro Moreno will have his work cut out as well as he goes up against Pablo Mastroneni, so I am not looking for the offense to go through Moreno. Ultimately, the Rapids defense has too many holes and the Crew should punch through. I see Rogers and Ekpo really stretching the Rapids and opening the game up.

Crew of Defense: Much of the Rapids offense runs through Gomez, it would be a break for the Crew if he is unavailable. Colorado does have some weapons. Looking towards the wings, Cooke and Clark can do some damage. I am concerned about Junge. He had problems against Beckham last week. On the positive side, neither Clark or Cooke are Beckham. My hope is that Rogers and Ekpo keep the Colorado wings out of the game offensively, with offensive pressure. It will also be interesting to see how Evans handles his defensive assignments. Neutralizing the Colorado advantage in the midfield will go a long way to stopping the Rapids offense and securing the three points.

Final Thoughts: Colorado is awful on the road, may be missing their key player, and just shuffled their lineup. I have visions of Robbie Rogers running past the Colorado defense, deft Schelotto passes and even a goal coming out of midfield. Any way I look at this I see this a Crew victory, but I also thought that about the San Jose game. The Crew will remain focused and take care of business.

‘Rapids 1 – Crew 2

Just a Game

Given the political aspect of yesterday’s Turkey-Germany match, the picture I found on Who Ate All the Pies brought a smile to my face.

Original Photo Credit to: PA