Anthony Hudson and Benny Feilhaber expose the lack of quality of Rapids in defense



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The Colorado Rapids remained undefeated the season after their 4-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in Week 8 and it's not difficult to understand why with a quick look at the scoresheet.

The Rapids conceded an average of 3.4 goals per game in their five-game losing streak, and conceded four goals in three of those outings. After the last case in Windy City, midfielder Benny Feilhaber did not hold on.

"It's not a secret," Feilhaber said after the match. "Everyone at MLS knows it: we were scammed. What is it now? 14 goals in 4 games, is that right? Anyway, I think 14 goals in 4 games. If you award three goals and a half, you will not literally win any game. So until we discover this, there is not much to say. "

The veteran midfielder, who won the MLS Cup with Sporting Kansas City in 2013, recognized the football team's defense character before asking team defenders to improve Although the Rapids scored only once against the Fire through Kei Kamara, they scored two and three in their last two games and failed to score.

"Football is a sport with 11 guys on the field and the best teams have 11 guys to defend," said Feilhaber. "That being said, the last four, the last five and the last six still have the responsibility to have that extra edge in defense and we do not have that right now.

"With the goals we scored, we should get more points. And for now, we are not because we are just fleeing goals there. It's up to the whole team, but there are guys who have to take on more responsibility for that aspect and for the moment we're not good enough there.

Although it is preparing early, and there is almost certainly a statistical regression, the first returns allow Colorado to experience one of the worst defensive seasons in the history of MLS. Orlando City set the mark in 2018, scoring 74 goals in 34 outings for an average of 2.18 goals per game. With 23 goals scored in its first eight games, the Rapids season average is 2.88.

The underlying figures are not very nice either. Although their expected number of goals of 17.88 (by Opta) indicates that they were a bit unlucky to concede as many goals, it is still the worst of the league by more than one. and puts them on the same path to defend themselves season similar to that of Orlando in 2018.

Given that the Rapids have invested in the bottom line during the offseason, getting right-half Keegan Rosenberry, who has reached 90 goals in all Colorado games, and central defender Kofi Opare, who started the last three, this is not an ideal proposal for Anthony Hudson and his team.

"What can I say? We are incredibly, incredibly disappointed, "said Hudson after the game in Chicago. "… we almost create chances for the opposing teams. I do not see a lot of teams that really have incredible goals or great chances. Today, I think we have almost created their chances. That's why I'm incredibly disappointed.

Hudson, for his part, experimented with various combinations of baselines. He gave a race to Tommy Smith on the left back after Deklan Wynne left. He has faced Sam Vines at the back left in the last two games instead of Dillon Serna. He then replaced Opare by the other center in the last three games against Axel Sjoberg. . However, personnel changes did not conceal the individual mistakes that affected the Rapids, and Hudson made it clear after the defeat against Chicago that he was still not satisfied with this. that he saw among the four backs.

"On the edge of the box, we either made the wrong decisions – and they are not complicated things to understand – we either made bad decisions or we were not tight enough on the shots, or we & # 39; I did not leave with a runner, he said. Players do not try to make mistakes on purpose. The players care.

"I can not point to a goal that we conceded and where I think" fair play for them – it's a very good goal. "It did not happen, I clearly have to make sure that I choose the last four points and that no one has convinced me yet Nobody shows me that they should start and I wait for him.

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