Editorial (June 17, 2018) – Major League Soccer is in the middle of their summer break for the 2018 World Cup group stage in Russia. Tim Howard and the Colorado Rapids are in the middle of a 13-day break without a match, a break the club very much need.

Tim Howard: Colorado Rapids “need a little bit of a break” during World Cup

Prior to Colorado’s last match before the World Cup break, they had been on a nine-game losing streak across all competition. They got a 2-2 last Wednesday against Chicago Fire, a result that Manager Anthony Hudson wasn’t happy with but described as “we’ve stopped the bleeding.”

When asked about the plan for the 13-day break, Hudson said jokingly “double sessions every day.” In reality, the Rapids were off the rest of this week and will return next week as they prepare for their June 23 match at home against Minnesota United FC.

Prior to this break, the Rapids had four matches in 13 days to start the month of June. With that schedule, they had just one day in which the entire team was off (no training, matches, travel, or team scrimmages).

“We need a little bit of a break. It’s a rough season, a long season,” Captain and goalkeeper Tim Howard told Last Word on Soccer. “It will certainly give us an opportunity to away and work on somethings and rest a little bit,” he added.

This break seems like a perfect block of time for players and staff to use as they wish. The Rapids still have a few players coming back to full health. The likes of Kortne Ford and Joe Mason (and possibly Marlon Hairston and Johan Blomberg) could spend it rehabbing at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and take a day off as well.

This time off will be the first opportunity for the international players to go home as well. Several players are having family members and friends come to visit them for the first time since the season started as well.

“The lads will have a bit of a break and they need it,” Hudson said. “Every time we get into meetings, every time we get onto the training pitch, the players are concentrating.”

Hudson sees this as a chance for Tim Howard and company to unplug for a bit and take care of a few other things in their lives (getting fit, decompressing, spending time with people they haven’t seen in a while). They got a result against Chicago. This break could be their chance to recharge, come back focused, and get their first win since April.