COMMERCE CITY — The Rapids and most other MLS teams are off this week as the men’s national team takes priority in the attention of America’s soccer fans, giving coach Pablo Mastroeni time to mull difficult decisions forced by a demanding stretch soon to come.

Winners of their last three home games, the Rapids will play four games in 12 days starting with a U.S. Open Cup match here next Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Energy of the second-tier United Soccer League. The following Saturday they will play the first of three MLS games in eight days. The team practiced Tuesday and Wednesday but has Thursday and Friday off to rest up for what’s coming.

“There’s a week off as far as no game,” Mastroeni said Wednesday, “but the preparation and the planning and anticipation of the games that are coming — you’ve got to take it one game at a time, but you also have to plan for the four games in succession.”

A stretch like that usually means working reserve players into starting lineups to avoid wearing out front-line players, but Mastroeni’s options are being narrowed by new injuries. Winger Shkëlzen Gashi injured a hamstring last Saturday in a 2-1 win over Columbus and center back Kortne Ford has a foot injury.

Gashi is one of the team’s most dynamic players when healthy, but the winger from Switzerland missed much of the season nursing an Achilles injury. Now Gashi is “a few weeks away,” Mastroeni said, from being able to play.

“It’s (like) spinning plates, there’s so many moving parts,” Mastroeni said. “It’s not going to be easy.”

With a history going back to 1913, the Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the U.S., and a win Tuesday would advance the Rapids to the round of 16, but MLS teams typically mix a smattering of back-up players into Open Cup matches — especially with a league game coming only four days later. Related Articles September 24, 2020 Rapids set date for first match with fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

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“The expectation is that whoever steps on the field, we’re going to win this game, we’re going to progress in the tournament and really make a go of it,” Mastroeni said. “Obviously our schedule is really congested, so we’re going to need all hands on deck.”

Except for the walking wounded, that is.

Team spirits have been buoyed by recent results at home, especially Saturday’s come-from-behind win that turned on two Colorado goals in the last 10 minutes. Three center backs were unavailable due to injury and goalkeeper Tim Howard was away with the national team.

“The game I think was about the commitment to one another,” Mastroeni said. “I think we came out with a good game plan, which was to press and not defend deep in our half the whole game (because of the undermanned defense). The plan was executed well. We created some good chances in the first half that could have put us ahead. More important was to see the game through the right way and create your own luck.”