No Fan Alone Colorado Rapids Supporters

Class VI’s Nick Thomas has a nice piece about Pablo

Excerpt:
And that interest is one of the inspirations behind his Pepsi Refresh challenge, where he and the Rapids hope to win the $50,000 awarded to the winning charity idea. Mastroeni wants to raise awareness of how roughly 185,000 children in Colorado can go hungry every day, and has combined with the Totes of Hope program to help solve the problem.

Totes of Hope offers backpacks of food for 250 struggling children and their families in the Denver area, children who often go hungry over the weekend as they rely largely on school meals for their sustenance. The program, in conjunction with the Food Bank of the Rockies and the Boys and Girls Club of America, gives the backpacks on Friday evenings to participating kids who then have enough food to sustain them through the weekends before school on Mondays.

Here’s a direct link you click to help Pablo – click often!

And here’s Nick Thomas’ full story

You can get more information about Totes of Hope here

“Jamie!  You’re my favorite Scot!”

one of Bishop’s Rowdy Fan Posse members, August 28, approximately 8:30 p.m.

And so began the Jamie Smith Fan Buzz, which lasted into the week, in blogs, conversations and podcasts.  Gary Smith, who was reluctant to single out any one player for special props in the Houston game, admitted that he thought Jamie’s performance was his best for the club yet, and “we are starting to see what he’s capable of”.  Clearly, from the fans-in-the-stands perspective, Jamie Smith looked awesome.  In The Zone and On his game for all 90 minutes.  It’s easy to imagine opponents now thinking “oh no, now we have to worry about this guy, too.”  He may not be as tall as Casey or as nimble as Cummings, but he has his own technique for running the ball through opponents, and sending free kicks exactly where he wants them.

Bottom ranked Chivas is coming to Denver, but Gary Smith doesn’t want his team to assume anything.  Complacency is out.  The key is reproducing the same attitude they had last week.  During practice this week, he’s seen a lot of energy and creative drive.  He felt the Houston win was a great team performance.  Key words: Sharp (Cummings and Casey), Bright (Ballouchy), Came Up Big (Joyce).  He thought Pablo was getting more creative with scoring attacks thanks to his relationship with Jeff Larentowicz.  Knowing Jeff is covering his back, he can take on a more attacking role.

Houston was playing down a man for most of the game, but when Marvell Wynne left the field with a hamstring injury, the Rapids were figuratively playing down a man.  No, maybe it’s more a case of when he’s on the field they’re playing up a man.  The defense easily picked up any slack from his absence and held Houston off.  Wynne is doubtful for the Chivas game, so this might be our first chance to see Anthony Wallace play.  Pickens is back at practice, and says he’s good to go.  Certainly Ian Joyce showed he can fill in just fine, but he could be distracted by a new baby any day now, leaving pool goalkeeper Chris Sharpe as the default backup.

I gave Pablo the Class VI/supporters Rapids Pump It Up CD, and he seemed really pleased to get it, as were some random coaches and staff.  I got the impression that pre-game music selection isn’t always up to par, and there have been complaints.  Thanks to everyone who made suggestions.  I’m not going to release the playlist just yet.  We don’t want other teams stealing our inspirational creation.   Songs were chosen based on at least one of the following criteria:

1. High energy
2. Positive attitude
3. Use of the word “win”

It also helped if I could find them on the internet.  In case we need to create Rapids Pump It Up Playlist 2.0, forward additional song suggestiong to GPB Mark or me.

Personally, I was disappointed that the Rapids didn’t score 5 goals against Houston.  It sure looked possible.  Before the game, I had a discussion with a longtime devoted Class VI fan about the lack of scoring and winning.  He firmly believed it was just bad luck.  The talent was there, but they were always dogged by bad luck, and once they latched onto some luck, more success would follow.  We agreed we were waiting for that lucky break.  And then Jamie Smith took off down the side in the second minute and we knew this was going to be That Game.  And they hadn’t even listened to our CD yet.

Craig this week talks with the Rapids midfielder that started the goal scoring outbreak – Jamie Smith.

Tailgate starts at 5PM tomorrow – and if you plan on going on the road trip – bring money to the tailgate to pay.

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No, we’re not talking American Football … we’re talking College Soccer!

The Rocky Mountain College Cup is coming to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park! The University of Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams men’s and women’s soccer teams will be competing head to head for the title of “Best college soccer program of the Rockies” on Saturday, September 11th, starting at 5:00pm! The women’s teams play at 5:00, and the men’s kick-off is at 7:30. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to be a part of the first annual Rocky Mountain College Cup!

Tickets are $20, and include admission to the RMCC, a $5 donation to the University Club Soccer program, and a South Stand ticket to the Rapids home game on the 18th against the New England Revolution (a $25 value)!

So come out and join the college soccer fans for what is sure to be an exciting day of college soccer! Please email Dylan Hogan for more info and to order tickets.

The Rapids relieved a whole lot of pressure by scoring a trifecta this weekend and Rapids fans are finding themselves with growing optimism! Join Class VI and the Pid Army in the West VIP lot this weekend for beers and dogs as we watch the Rapids dismantle Chivas USA.

The game kicks off 7:00 PM so our tailgate will begin at 5:00. It looks like it’s going to be a warm sunny day and there’s no better way to spend it than having a beer, talking Rapids with your fellow fanatics, and watching the Rapids take away three points.

Everyone is welcome and we’d love for you to find out more about Class VI which sits in section 108 and the Pid Army which controls the West Terrace.

Time is running out to get on board and watch the Rapids in the Rocky Mountain Cup in Sandy, Utah. Join the fun in cheering the Rapids on to victory!!!

Transportation to Salt Lake City
You have options.

* many in the P.A. and CVI are carpooling. Talk to your fellow supporters at the game this weekend or on facebook or whatever and start coordinating car sharing. I know there are still spots in some cars.
* You can fly – tickets to Salt Lake tend to be around $125 round trip, not too bad.
* You can still ride the Bulldog Supporters group bus if you SIGN UP BY SEPT 4th, which is only 5 days away. Click here for more information. There is still room on the bus. The price for bus travel, hotel accommodation (based on two people sharing), pre-game tailgate and a match ticket will be $125.

Hotel Options & local transportation

Radisson Downtown, $75 room rate has been negotiated, located at 215 West South Temple, Salt Lake City in downtown Salt Lake City. For more details see www.radisson.com/hotels/utsaltlk. These rooms should have 2 double beds in them, so you can share to save money. To reserve please send email to the British Bulldog by September 4. If you don’t by then, we can still work something out with them. Tell Jon you are with Pid Army or Class VI and want a room. This is where the party is going to be going on.

If you prefer to stay near the stadium and don’t care about being downtown for the partying, Summerfield Suites in Sandy is about a 15 minute walk to Rio Tinto and rates are as follows: $89 (studio King) $99 (1 bedroom) $179 (2 bedroom) plus tax (breakfast and parking included); $18 each way for airport transportation. There are a few people staying there already.

Match Tickets

Match tickets are only $15. You can get these from the British Bulldog up until the deadline of September 1st (again, let him know you are from Pid Army or Class VI). After that, please purchase them direct from Real Salt Lake in section 234 which is reserved for visiting supporters. Our RSL Front Office contact is at Brent Stevens should you have any problems.

Free Tailgate!

Some details still to be finalized, but the plan is that we will be having a tailgate in the parking lot at the stadium PAID FOR BY THE RAPIDS. The Rapids are being very generous and giving us $1,000 to pay for the beer and food at the tailgate, so it is going to be awesome. We will march in together full voice, flags waving and drum banging. Tailgate should be starting at about 4 PM at parking lot TBD by the stadium.

Match Info

Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids, 8pm Saturday September 25th 2010. Rio Tinto Stadium, 9256 S State St, Sandy, Utah 84070-2604

Stadium Information

The Rio Tinto Stadium is in Sandy, Utah located about 10 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The stadium is right next to the Sandy Expo 9400S stop on the TRAX Light Rail system. Trains on line 701 (Blue) run at approximately 20min intervals and will get you to / from downtown Salt Lake City in about 35mins. Route & schedule information can be found at http://www.rideuta.com.

Here are Rules and regulations for Rio Tinto

Prohibited Items
* No Bottles, Cans, Coolers, Containers or Food or Beverage of any Kind
* Noisemakers – No plastic horns, No air horns, No whistles (drums, musical instruments, marracas for example are permitted)
* No Fireworks, Flares, or Smoke bombs
* No Pets (with the exception of service animals)
* No Umbrellas
* No Strollers (in seating bowl)
* No Weapons

Anyone with an item that does not pass security measures will be asked to either take the item back to their vehicle or dispose of it. Purses, backpacks, fanny packs, diaper bags or any other bags may be brought into the stadium, but will be thoroughly searched at the bag inspection area. Banners are encouraged provided they are not commercial, offensive, or in poor taste. All banners and signs are subject to approval of content and message. Banners may not obstruct the view of any guests, stadium signage, or present any safety hazards.

Field: Persons entering the field of play without proper access or credentials will be removed from the stadium and may be subject to a permanent ban from Rio Tinto Stadium. Persons throwing objects onto the field of play or at individuals will be removed from the stadium and may be subject to permanent ban from Rio Tinto Stadium.

Streamers/confetti thrown in the air in celebration is permitted.

Rapids fans everywhere are rejoicing in this weekend’s victory over they Dynamo. Enjoy the highlights, and then vote for the Man of the Match, as well as the Defensive Player of the Game.

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While we’re at it – I just realized I never conducted polls for the two previous matches!

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This week, Marcelo Balboa invited NoFanAlone’s very own Pid Army to come and co-host the show with him.

Will the Pid Army bring their brand of support to the show the way the bring it to the Terraces? Have an listen and enjoy!

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By: Derek Rhoades

After a string of disappointing performances over the past few weeks, the Rapids were able to bounce back after a convincing defeat of the Houston Dynamo, who saw three Rapids goals and a red-card grace their visit to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.  Not only did Colorado gain three needed points from the match but they are now back on top emotionally, with both regular starters finding their form, and a new player making a spectacular debut.

The first goal came in only the second minute when Jamie Smith was able to beat the off-sides trap to go flying down the left side of the field and execute a pin-point shot to the far post.  The proceedings would only improve for the Rapids when in the 10th minute Lovel Palmer of Houston would receive a red card ejection for a foul on Pablo Mastroeni, the decision being made after the official consulted with his fellow linesman. It was obviously Colorado’s night when six minutes later the Rapids would take advantage of the missing midfielder, the away team barely hiding their terror as Conor Casey sprinted down the right side to play Omar Cummings in the box, the Jamaican international coolly tapping the ball into the net.

Rapids players and fans were in dreamland, and yet it was still not over. Conor Casey who had both assists from the first two goals would then get his due, when he headed a poorly punched ball from keeper Pat Onstad back into the net after only 23 minute of play.

Scoring goals had been an issue, a problem constantly addressed from coach Gary Smith. However, after last night’s performance the Rapids may be able to put that problem behind them, with both starting forwards each notching a goal.  After the match, Captain Pablo Mastroeni was very pleased with the team’s performance, citing Casey and Cummings terrific link-up play as one reason for the success: “The image we showed in the first 10-15 minutes really allowed those two to click and find each other,” said Mastronei, ” so it became a little bit more dynamic…”

Although it was good to see the veteran players finding their form again, it was the presence of a young goalkeeper named Ian Joyce that caught the media’s attention. Not only was he making his professional debut for the Rapids, and receiving a clean sheet after some amazing saves, but his wife was also expecting their first child at any moment. Matt Pickens, who usually starts in goal, had complained of back spasms earlier in the week, and after the pain had not gone away by Friday Coach Smith decided to hand Joyce the start.  ”The boys played great tonight, that’s the number one thing you can ask for, [so we] can go into the next one with more confidence,” Joyce stated. In regards to his start, the young keeper had this to say: “I would like to think that I can control my nerves and use them in a positive fashion, yeah it was the best possible start for me, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“It’s a hell of a day for the lad,” said Coach Smith.

Although Coach mentioned that the season was still an up-hill battle (in terms of the team not letting their guard down), he was still very optimistic about what he saw, “[the team] should feel very good about themselves when they wake up in the morning, they’ve beaten a good side, this was going to be a tough game tonight.”

The next game will be September 4th at DSGP when the Colorado Rapids take on Chivas USA who currently sit bottom of the Western Conference table.

Introducing the newest podcast to NoFanAlone.com … the PA podcast. Give a listen – it’s fun. This is the third and most recent episode – you can find the earlier ones through iTunes or clicking the links below to listen via this website.

To Listen to the PA Podcast #2 Click Here

To Listen to the PA Podcast #1 Click Here

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