Okay I'll admit it. I'm totally scared of the Colorado Rapids.
They're a team built to punish unorganized defenses, especially those that have already played an emotionally draining match previously in the week. Its almost as if Conor Casey has spent the last 10 months in his lair plotting his return, and picked this very game. And if that weren't enough, young Argentine playmaker Martin Rivero will roam the space that a healthy Perry Kitchen normally would have been defending.
I'll tell you that I'm scared of the Rapids. I'll also leave it up to you whether or not that implies reverse psychology.
Game time: 7:30 PM
Television: Comcast SportsNet
Projected starting lineup: We should finally see Ethan White get his first start of the year tonight next to Brandon McDonald in central defense. Although Ben Olsen might choose to rest Robbie Russell, I think he'll probably still start on the right, with Daniel Woolard moving from the middle back to the left. The attacking portion of the midfield is likely to remain unchanged, with Andy Najar on the left, Dwayne De Rosario in the middle, and Danny Cruz on the right. In place of Kitchen, I see Olsen sticking with Stephen King over Kurt Morsink, but that decision could easily go either way. Against the mediocre Colorado back line, while managing minutes, I could see Olsen giving his assistant Josh Wolff a start next to Maicon Santos, to still give Hamdi Salihi the chance to come off the bench. Bill Hamid will be in goal.
Prediction: I'm scared of the Rapids. And I think United might be due for a rare resounding defeat. 3-1 Colorado is my prediction. Reverse psychology? You be the judge.
What are you drinking? I'm actually at an unfortunately-timed office teambuilding event tonight, so I doubt I'll be drinking anything much heavier than Miller Lite. I'll join you guys a bit later on.
This is your place for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion.