COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – After struggling through the season’s first seven games and the first half of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Chivas USA, right back Kosuke Kimura, a Rapids regular since 2008, was sent to the bench at halftime in favor of veteran Hunter Freeman.
The switch came after a troublesome first half for Kimura on Saturday, in which the 27-year-old native of Japan allowed Chivas USA’s Miller Bolaños to get in behind him and nearly finish for the opening goal in the 38th minute.
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While Kimura was active in the attacking end, he looked shaky defensively, repeatedly gifting turnovers to the opposition, and Rapids head coach Oscar Pareja took notice, inserting Freeman for the second half. Kimura was also substituted early in a loss to Real Salt Lake on April 7, but with Freeman fully recovered after undergoing a right ankle scope in February, the switch could be more permanent this time around.
“We wanted to have a little bit more solidness in the back,” Pareja said of his decision to substitute Kimura. “Kosuke was bringing energy going forward, but I wanted to bring in Hunter to give it a little more stability in there.”
Freeman came to the Rapids in the 2011 Re-Entry Draft after accumulating 107 MLS appearances between stops with the Red Bulls, Toronto and Houston, along with his first stop with the Rapids back in 2005-06. He also spent time with IK Start in Norway between his stops in Toronto and Houston. After helping hold Chivas to a clean sheet while the offense scored four goals during the second half, it looks like the 27-year-old Texan may be in the lineup to stay.
“Hopefully I’ve given [the coaching staff] something to think about,” Freeman told MLSsoccer.com after Saturday's match. “I felt good.”
Chris Bianchi covers the Colorado Rapids for MLSsoccer.com.
