You don’t have to be an aficionado of video games to be familiar with the “take the L” dance, a side to side leg-kick jig that is done while the letter “L” is formed on the participants head with the thumb and index finger.

A big part of the mental game of sport is how you take “the L”. Every player fails, sometimes. How athletes bounce back from a loss is highly predictive of whether they can succeed in the long term; how a team recovers from a terrible run can determine whether they will be relevant at season’s end.

This is a preface to the Rapids match Friday night against the juggernaut that is LAFC. Los Angeles’ newest soccer team has an 11-1-4 record. They average 2.31 points per game – a pace so torrid that, if they can sustain it, would eclipse the best season in MLS history, set by the 2018 New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United, of 2.09 points per game. They have created an insanely lopsided goal-differential of plus-26. Attacker Carlos Vela leads the league in goals scored; centerback Walker Zimmerman is probably the best CB in MLS, and has recently become the anchor along the back of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

The Rapids are going to lose this game. Yes, they’re riding a six-game unbeaten streak in league play. But there’s just no way that the 12th-place team in the Western Conference finds a way to beat a well-rested and motivated LAFC team that is currently on pace to become the best team in MLS history.

But how the Rapids play will tell you a lot about what is in store for the rest of the season.

Conor Casey’s team has consistently played counter-attacking football, in which the Rapids let their opponent have the ball as much as they want, and position themselves in midfield passing lanes to steal the ball and run down as fast as possible to the other end for a transition goal. They also defend deeper and in greater numbers, and hope to produce goals on set pieces.

And that’s all well and good but a team with only one approach is a lot more beatable than a team with a variety of looks. Including the U.S. Open Cup match, we are nine games into the Casey era, and opponents know what to expect. That might make it hard for the Rapids to win — especially against the best team in the league.

Of their 16 matches, LAFC obliterated their opponents by two goals or more in eight of those games, and on average, they beat their opponents by 1.63 goals.

Of course, I’d be ecstatic if the Rapids could pull off a tie against LAFC. I just ain’t holding my breath.

On the Move, Part 1

There are reports that former Rapids coach Anthony Hudson is in the mix for the newly-open job at Newcastle United in the English Premier League.

Definitely truth in #NUFC approaching Anthony #Hudson. Clearly talking to others, too. Talented coach who worked wonders with Bahrain, laid strong foundations at New Zealand and was unlucky at Colorado. Young British manager who deserves a chance. Trained under #Bielsa, too. — Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 24, 2019

Newcastle finished in a respectable 13th place this past season. It boggles my mind that Hudson, who earned just 8 wins in 46 games with Colorado and only 9 wins in 27 games with the New Zealand National team, might be given the reigns at a storied club like Newcastle, a six-time FA Cup winning team.

It would be the ultimate example of “failing up” for Hudson to struggle at the bottom of MLS with the Colorado Rapids, only to be given the reins of a much larger club in England. Hudson might still prove to be a decent football manager, but he needs to prove himself someplace where the stakes are lower, like with a second or third-division soccer team, before moving up.

On the Move, Part 2

Another rumor floating around is that Rapids centerback Danny Wilson has interest from Football League One, England’s third-tier league.

Multiple outlets abroad are reporting Football League One side Oxford United F.C. having interest in the transfer of #Rapids96 CB Danny Wilson. — Marco Cummings (@Marco_Cummings) June 26, 2019

Wilson was brought to the Rapids in early 2018 on a three-year deal that MLS Players Association data has revealed to be worth $540,000 a year. For that kind of money, you’d hope for Wilson to be an every-game starter and a difference maker, but instead, his defending has been below–average.

A sale to another team, even if it included a provision for the Rapids to pay some of Danny’s contract, would be a good one for Colorado. Tommy Smith and Lalas Abubakar have quickly emerged as the Rapids best centerback pairing. And the Rapids can use the cap space saved by unloading Wilson to spend somewhere else in the runup to the 2020 season, which truly begins at the upcoming summer transfer window. Related Articles Rapids set date for first match with fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

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As the window opens, there are a few other players in Commerce City that might be moved. Axel Sjoberg and Dillon Serna are both sitting idle on the bench, although neither has distinguished themselves this year, so don’t expect much of a return for either. Deklan Wynne has been good in spurts at left back, but the team almost certainly wants Sam Vines to take over that spot long term, and a lot of teams around the globe could use a good left back. And Johan Blomberg is a hardworking and technically proficient midfielder who also happens to be 32 and on a team unlikely to make the playoffs. He’s the kind of “steadying veteran presence” that could be useful for a lot of teams — more useful than he would be waiting out the rest of the 2019 season.

Expect the Rapids to also try and add a player or two during the transfer window. They’ll be going for helpful pieces and potential starters, but not blockbuster names.