COLORADO RAPIDS 2004 HISTORY:
Pre 1996
The Colorado Rapids were founded on June 6, 1995 when Major League Soccer Chairman Alan I. Rothenberg introduced Colorado as one of the 10 charter members of the new MLS.
The club appointed the veteran English manager Bob Houghton as the Rapids first head coach. U.S. national team forward Roy Wegerle was the first allocated player in club history. The Rapids continued building to include U.S. National Team captain Marcelo Balboa, South African forward Shaun Bartlett, and U.S. National Team midfielder Dominic Kinnear.
The team was also assembled from the three MLS drafts (initial, supplemental, and college). After the complete roster was formed, the Rapids boasted an undefeated preseason in preparation for the inaugural season.
1996
The Colorado Rapids played their inaugural game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Wizards on April 13, 1996. The Rapids lost to the Wizards 3-0, but quickly recovered with a 3-1 win over the Dallas Burn in their first-ever home game at Mile High Stadium. The match was played in front of a crowed of 21,711 fans. Marcelo Balboa would score the first goal in Rapids history.
The first half of the season was filled with both ups and downs. The Rapids would win one game and then lost the next. The Rapids were at a record of 8-9 by July. Injury proved to be the biggest problem and it effected the teams offense. The Rapids finished the season winning only three more games to finish 11-21. After a dispointing inagural year, coach Bob Houghton resigned with one game still remaining in the season.
1997
In the 1997 season, the Rapids were the Cinderella team of the MLS. The club aquired both a new coach, Glenn "Mooch" Myernick and a new general manager, Dan Counce. The Rapids began to rebuild from the disaster of the inaugural season.
Drastic changes were made in the squad, only nine players remained with the team from 96'. Trades brought key players such as Paul Bravo, Bolivian midfielder Adrian Paz, and former U.S. National Team striker Peter Vermes.
Other moves by the club added Jamaican forward Wolde Harris, Mexican midfielder David Patino, goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, defender Chris Martinez and midfielder Ross Paule.
Despite the radically different team success was not immediate. The Rapids were only 8-8 by midseason, nearly the same record as the 96' season. However, unlike the inaugural year, the Rapids did not completely fall apart at midseason. Colorado finished with a 14-18 record, clinching the fourth seed of the MLS Cup playoffs.
The first round of the cup put them against the division-leading Kansas City Wizards. The Wizards had swept the the Rapids during the regular season. The Colorado Rapids amazed the entire league with "the most shocking upset" in the history of MLS. The Rapids swept Kansas City and lator did the same to the Dallas Burn to win the West Conference Championship. The Rapids went on to thier MLS Cup debut against defending champion D.C. United.
Unfortunately the Rapids were outmatched in the Cup final. 57,431 spectators witnessed the final at RFK Stadium. Both teams were on constant attack. The two goalkeepers shared a total of 15 saves. Jaime Moreno separated DC from Colorado with the opening goal to lead 1-0 at the half. In second-half, Tony Sanneh scored what would become the winning goal. The Rapids continued to attack and finally drawing closer with a goal by Adrian Paz, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The match ended with a 2-1 loss to DC United.
1998
Despite losing popular defender Matt Kmosko to the Miami Fusion in the expansion draft, the Rapids looked poised to return to the MLS Cup and avenge the tough loss to D.C. United.
The season, however, began with a disappointing start, as the Rapids went to the shootout four times in the first six games (2-2 in the four shootouts) and only had one regulation win. By the end of May, the Rapids were at the very bottom (3-8, 5pts.) looking up. When Marcelo Balboa returned from U.S. National Team duty in the 1998 World Cup and the Rapids won eight out of the next ten games to vault up to third place in the standings.
This turned out to be perfect timing for the Raipids as they prepeared for their first-ever (non-exhibition) international competition, against Leon of Mexico in the 1998 CONCACAF Champion's Cup tournament, having qualified by virtue of their 1997 Western Conference Championship. The first leg was played at Mile High Stadium and while the Rapids controlled much of the game were unable to solve the Leon defense. But it was none other than Rapids standout -- and former Leon defender -- Marcelo Balboa who would make the difference in this match. Having returned from the World Cup in France just two days earlier, Balboa entered the game in the 71st minute and 12 minutes later struck home to bring victory to the home side.
The second leg in Leon was a wide-open affair which saw a first-half ejection of midfielder Chris Henderson. Leon quickly shot out to a 3-0 lead before defender Steve Trittschuh pulled the Rapids pulled one back for the Rapids just before the half. Colorado fought back valiantly after the interval, and through a Paul Bravo header pulled within one goal of the aggregate. The Rapids however, could not find the final goal that would have seen them through on away goals to the quarterfinals.
Coming back from the All-Star Break the team hoped to continue their winning ways, but a streak of five consecutive losses put the team in danger of missing the playoffs. In need of change, Coach Myernick, unveiled a new formation, opting for a 3-5-2 alignment. The move paid off and the Rapids won five of the last six games to clinch third place in the Western Conference and a playoff match-up against the expansion Chicago Fire.
The Rapids faced the difficult task of unseating the Fire who had an impressive 13-3 record at home during the regular season (2-0 against the Rapids). With eleven minutes to play in the first game the Rapids scored off a header by Waldir to tie up the game and send it to a shootout, but the magic of the 1997 playoff run was not in Chicago and the Rapids fell, 3-2, in the shootout. A return to Colorado for the second game saw a similar incident equal the same result. For the second time in as many games, a Steve Trittschuh tackle on Peter Nowak drew a penalty kick and resulted in the deciding goal that sent the expansion Fire past the defending Western Conference Champions; penalty kicks being the only goals allowed by the Rapids defense.
1999
The '99 season was really a tale of two teams as several records were broken during the season (most wins, most shutouts, and most game-winning goals in a season). Foreign allocation, Jorge Dely Valdes, made an immediate impact leading the team in scoring and claiming team MVP honors with his last-minute heroics. The team, however, faced a difficult second half of the season with the loss of several players due to injury and trades.
The Rapids began the year with a couple shoot-out losses on the road but then reeled off a seven-game winning streak to claim the division lead. The Rapids finished the first half of the season by marching into the hostile confines of RFK stadium and beating D.C. United to lay claim to the league throne with a record of 12-4 going into the All-Star Break.
The Rapids success, however, brought a greater challenge. Scouts had duly noted the work of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann and Fulham F.C., of England's First Division, purchased his contract from the league. Ian Feuer, the Rapids backup goalkeeper, brought a sense of security with his 6'6" frame, but his first appearance, as a Rapid, was a foreshadow of things to come. The Rapids were downed 3-0 against Columbus in front of a record home crowd of 51,025 on July 4th. It was deemed, at the time, a small setback.
Despite recording a team-record eight shutouts in 19 games, the effort of Ian Feuer and the Rapids defense was wasted as the team was crippled with injuries to several marquee players. The Rapids began to slowly lose hold of 1st place in the Western Conference and a scoreless drought, which hit the team, lasted for the final 7 games of the season. The team limped to a second-half 8-8 record, finishing the season at 20 wins and 12 losses.
The team's slump wasn't limited to only league play, either. After storming through the first four rounds of the U.S. Open Cup by allowing only one goal, the Rapids traveled to Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio for the final against the Rochester Rhinos of the A-League. The Rapids looked to nix their scoring jinx through a large number of first-half opportunities, but it was not to be. The game remained tight until the 66th minute, when a soft shot slipped between the legs of Feuer and into the net for the game-winner. Deep in the throes of a scoring drought, the Rapids were unable to answer at the other end of the field, finally succumbing to a 90th-minute counterattack and a 2-0 loss.
With the team re-focused on league play, the Rapids looked towards another run at the MLS Cup after qualiyfing for the playoffs as the fourth seed. Despite their form at the end of the season, 2000 did see the Rapids set a franchise record for wins (20).
With Anders Limpar and Jason Bent healthy again, the Rapids looked to rediscover the style and confidence that had brought them success early in the season, and against the Los Angeles Galaxy every bit of help would be necessary. Unfortunately, the return of the two internationals was not enough to spark the Rapids and the team made an early exit from the playoffs after two scoreless losses.
2000
The 2000 season picked up where 1999 left off - on injured reserve. The Rapids (13-15-4) encountered many challenges in fielding a consistent lineup (160 man games missed; 119 due to injury and 41 due to national team call ups) throughout much of the season. However, despite the difficulties, the Rapids had several highlight moments that will be forever etched in MLS history.
On April 22, in Columbus, Marcelo Balboa's spectacular bicycle kick would earn national and international recognition and eventually become the MLS Goal of the Year Award recipient. On July 4th at Mile High Stadium the largest soccer crowd in Colorado with 53, 126 people watched the Rapids come from behind in a thrilling 2-1 extra time win over rival Chicago Fire.
A Paul Bravo goal in the 97th minute over the Los Angeles Galaxy secured the final playoff berth - less than three minutes from what would have been elimination. The Rapids challenged eventual MLS champion Kansas City Wizards in the first round taking the series to three games, but the team fell short and made a first round exit from the playoffs for the third year in a row.
2001
The 2001 season ushers in a new hope for Rapids fans and players alike. After early exits in the playoffs the last three seasons, the Rapids dismissed Glenn Myernick and Rene Miramontes from its coaching staff. The Rapids newly hired head coach Tim Hankinson, along with new assistant coach Luc Sanders and local, club coach Lorne Donaldson look to get the Rapids over the hump and back to the MLS Cup Championship Game.
Playing in Denver's Mile High Stadium before its slated destruction in August is perhaps an allusion of a renaissance for the club as the team hopes to build their own stadium in the near future.
With a new head coach, potential new players, and the possibility of a new, soccer-specific stadium in the future this team is built on hope.