A quick glance at the opening lineups for Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in match could easily have led to the conclusion that the Colorado Rapids were overmatched against Real Salt Lake.
While RSL sent six starters to the field who had started at least three games during the league season, Colorado sent only two with as many starts -- defenders Dan Gargan, whose has earned playing time with three of the four Opening Day defenders falling to injuries, and Ugo Ihemelu, one of those injured defenders, who worked his way back to playing 85 minutes Wednesday.
The 2-1 victory sealed the Rapids entry into the nation's oldest soccer tournament, but perhaps more importantly, it gave players who have spent the majority of the first eight games on the bench a chance to show their value to the club.
Colorado's bench has been active through much of the season, filling holes for a team that has seen its share of early injuries. With Pablo Mastroeni announced Thursday as a U.S. national team call-up with CONCACAF Gold Cup practices beginning June 3, head coach Fernando Clavijo is confident his full roster of players will step up as opportunities continue to present themselves for more players to make an impact.
"I don't have a reserve or first team, I have a 28-player roster," Clavijo said after Wednesday's win. "We really trust these guys. If you know me, I want to win everything. I don't come here to lose any game. We put up a team that we felt was going to help us win. RSL put up the first team from the beginning, and I thought we played well throughout the game to win it. I was very pleased. They responded well to all the trust that we put on them."
Strikers Jacob Peterson and Conor Casey stood out for the Rapids, with Peterson scoring both goals and Casey taking four shots, two on goal, while earning an assist and taking the shot that set up Peterson to score the other goal.
"I haven't gotten too many minutes since I've been here, so it's good to get on the field and get 90 minutes under my belt," said Casey, who came to the Rapids from Toronto on April 20 and had played a total of 38 minutes in two of Colorado's six games since the trade. "It's good for the legs and it's good to start getting a rhythm as well."
Jose Cancela was another key to the Rapids' offensive fluidity Wednesday, playing 76 minutes after entering only one match for the Rapids in league play. Cancela got three shots off from a playmaking role, and along with defender Daniel Wasson, who enabled him to run free, he was able to stabilize the transitions in the midfield.
"Conor Casey and Jose Cancela were guys that we brought in to be part of it, not to be sitting on the bench," Clavijo emphasized. "With some of the younger guys, of course the process is to bring them into the lineup little by little. But some of the older guys - like Conor - have been playing in Europe. He hasn't had a chance to really show [much yet], and the time [he spent] in Toronto didn't look very good. So you try to create a situation.
"Jose Cancela gives us another dimension offensively, going forward when we don't have the ball. We need to work for him."
Nick LaBrocca, Stephen Keel, Wasson and goalkeeper Zach Thornton were four starters Wednesday who had not seen a minute of play this season, and they quickly showed that they can keep the Rapids from missing a step when they take to the field.
"Nick LaBrocca was a steal in the draft, to be honest with you," Clavijo said of the midfielder who registered two shots on goal Wednesday. "He's an outstanding young player."
With 25-year-old Bouna Coundoul playing his first full season starting in goal, the Rapids have welcomed the opportunity to have 10-year veteran Zach Thornton as his backup, but the winning 'keeper on an MLS Cup team and four Open Cup teams had not had an opportunity to get in a game for the Rapids until Wednesday's qualifier. He made three saves, though the defense was so effective at keeping RSL from the goal, that Thornton was never fully challenged.
Keel was part of that strong back four, and he made a key play late in the game, clearing a loose ball from the area and maintaining the tie score until the Rapids offense could pull ahead in the final seconds of the match. Clavijo called it a "perfect game" for the aggressive Keel, who matched up against RSL's Atiba Harris for much of the match.
"To finally get in on the big field and get that first game out of the way and do well and get a win, it definitely can't help but build confidence," Keel said, clearly exhilarated after his 90 minutes. "To have guys around you like Ugo and Wingert and Gargan and Pepe [Cancela] and Wasson, guys that play a little bit, the supporting cast, and Zach back there talking to me, you can't ask for a better thing.
"I feel good," Keel said. "My legs are a little sorer than they're used to being, so I'll get some ice on those. Come back and we got a game Saturday. Rock 'n' roll!"
That ready-to-rock attitude is just what the Rapids can use at this stage of the season, with a roster full of hungry players eager to challenge the established starters.
"We have great depth," Peterson said after his two-goal turn. "Everybody that played today has something to prove. Everybody wants to play, with the exception of a couple guys who have already done it. We came out and knocked the ball around just as good as the first team does. It's nice to have that healthy competition."
Clavijo couldn't agree more, and he relished the new challenges in front of him as he seeks the perfect lineup week-to-week from a roster full of players chomping at the bit to contribute.
"That's exactly what we're looking for," Clavijo said. "They're giving me trouble making a selection every Saturday. Today they made it even harder for me. It was an outstanding effort by everybody."
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
