Clavijo decided to go on offensive with 'D'

Veteran back line is in place after series of imports

Alan Pearce, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 7, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Colorado Rapids & Soccer

COMMERCE CITY - There's a new stadium, new colors and a new outlook. But that's not all that has changed for the Colorado Rapids.

The roster also will have a different look as the Rapids begin their season today against D.C. United (1:30 p.m., KMGH-Channel 7) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo embarked on a new direction with his defense, dropping four of the five regulars in the back and importing some Major League Soccer veterans.

Gone are Joe Cannon, probably the league's best goalkeeper the past few seasons; Spanish defender Aitor Karanka, third- year outside back Hunter Freeman and Eric Denton, who played on the other side.

In exchange for Cannon, the Rapids received Ugo Ihemelu, one of the league's most promising young players, and Herculez Gomez from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Greg Vanney was obtained from FC Dallas and Brandon Prideaux from D.C.

Vanney and Prideaux have combined for 16 seasons in MLS, a factor that pleases Vanney, who also has played in France.

"I like a veteran back line," he said. "We'd like to think we make the right decisions over 90 minutes. Sometimes, that's what defending is all about, knowing when to drop, when to step (forward), things like that."

The newcomers will team with returning starter Mike Petke and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, a vibrant youngster from Senegal who debuted with the team last season.

The defensive revamping came after the Rapids allowed 49 goals last season, tying Real Salt Lake for worst total in MLS. This year, the focus will be on Coundoul, 25, who last year compiled a 2-2-1 record, with a 1.43 goals-against average. He is unpolished, but no one debates his ability to stop shots.

"Bouna is an unbelievable shot stopper," Vanney said. "He's obviously extremely athletic. But he needs to make good decisions on when to come for balls and when to clear them and when to cover us. And if he makes good decisions, then I think he can become a great, great goalkeeper."

Getting Ihemelu and Gomez for Cannon was a strange trade, in that fans from both teams seemed to think they gave up too much for too little. Rapids forward Jovan Kirovski left no doubt as to where he stands.

"Bringing Ugo in, I think that will be the biggest steal trade this year, to bring in a player of that quality," he said. "(He's) so fast and athletic. That's exactly what we needed, to bring in some speed in the back."

Ihemelu welcomes the opportunity to make his mark with Prideaux and Vanney.

"They both came from great clubs, in D.C. and Dallas, and have so much experience," Ihe- melu said. "That's going to help us come together, understand each other a lot easier, since we haven't played together very much in the offseason."

The biggest disappointment is that the Rapids failed to sign a designated player, a salary-cap- exempt standout such as the Galaxy's David Beckham or Chicago's Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Colorado tried bringing in Mexican striker Jared Borgetti, but he signed with Cruz Azul.

The Rapids did add Panamanian forward Roberto Brown. At 6-feet-2 and 181 pounds, Brown is a plus-sized target forward the team has lacked the past two seasons.

The team's most obvious hole, right wing, went unfilled. It appears Gomez, a natural forward, will play that spot. The other midfielders are the Rapids' elite.

Left midfielder Terry Cooke led the league in assists last season, with 12. Kyle Beckerman scored seven goals last year, vastly outdoing his total of three in six previous MLS seasons. And captain Pablo Mastroeni is a two-time World Cup veteran.

Roster

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt.

1 Bouna Coundoul G 6-2 197

2 Jordan Harvey D 5-11 170

3 Greg Vanney D 5-11 169

4 Dan Gargan D 5-11 175

5 Kyle Beckerman M 5-10 155

6 Brandon Prideaux D 6-0 170

7 Jovan Kirovski F/M 6-1 175

8 Yherland McDonald M 5-7 150

9 Jose Cancela M 5-9 161

10 Herculez Gomez M/F 5-10 145