COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colin Clark got a rare but welcome start for the Colorado Rapids against Kansas City last weekend.
That sentence would not have been written last season. Clark, with his explosive pace, assists and goalscoring ability, was always one of the first names on the team sheet before his season-ending cruciate ligament injury.
This year, the Colorado native’s appearances have been sporadic and frequently limited to reserve roles. While his inclusion last weekend was also for tactical reasons – Scott Palguta replaced Danny Earls at left back, meaning there would be less defensive overlap down the left side – everyone at the Rapids organization is desperate for Clark to regain the form of last season before the injury.
Clark was the last player off the training pitch Tuesday, his forehead dripping with sweat after a one-on-one workout with assistant coach and mentor, Steve Guppy.
“The injury’s good,” Clark told MLSsoccer.com. “Mentally, I feel confident—better than before. I just need to get 90 minutes confident.”
And what a difference a goal would make. Last year, Clark was the team’s third-leading scorer – behind Conor Casey and Omar Cummings – with six goals. This season, however, he hasn’t seriously threatened to hit the back of the net or shown the explosive runs that put defenders on their heels in 2009.
“He would be the first to agree that not everything he is doing is coming off,” Rapids head coach Gary Smith told MLSsoccer.com. “It is about confidence and finding time. You have to grind through those minutes to feel good about yourself. He looked bright at the weekend and there were some good moments where he was really positive.”
“The last two to three weeks, I felt that I wasn’t 100 percent confident,” Clark said. “I feel like I am getting there – I just need to be more sharp.”
Smith is hopeful his young player will be back in form soon.
“He’s such an athletic boy and he has such talent,” Smith said. “I would be surprised if that injury is anything more than a blip in what he is capable of producing.”
