SDFC vs Colorado: Match Preview

Matchday 8 is right around the corner and SDFC finds themselves in 2nd place, 2 pts back from Vancouver Whitecaps who hold the top spot. This may be the weekend that changes it all and San Diego has the chance to be number 1. It is fair to say that no one expected this kind of performance out of the gate from an expansion side who have only been together for a few short months. The team surely isn’t paying attention to the national media and what the pundits think of them. If there are still those who doubt this team’s talents after what they’ve been able to accomplish so far, then they will not be convinced otherwise until a trophy is hoisted. For the ones who are starting to show San Diego respect with using such terms to describe them as, “Scary” and “For real” – thank you, it’s nice to know you are finally seeing what we, the SDFC faithful, the SDFC Nation, have seen all throughout the season. Our next test comes in Denver, Colorado – as always, let’s get right into it!

After coming off of a very impressive win at home vs Seattle, the SDFC boys are traveling to play in altitude against a scrappy Colorado Rapids. San Diego plays an aggressive, fast-paced offensive pressing style game which will surely be tested this weekend. We can use the game vs RSL as an example because that was also played in altitude. During that game, Mikey Varas used a total of five substitutions, most of them around the 60’ minute mark with a  couple of later 70’s minute ones. The boys seemed to handle the workload nicely and instead tried to hold onto more possession than they would otherwise in order to give each other a longer time to recover their lungs. I believe this will be the gameplan going into Denver this weekend.

SDFC Predicted Lineup

SDFC is currently number one in possession percentage while Rapids sit near the bottom. In the past few games Colorado had a tough time keeping possession and advancing the attack. That is to say, they are not as successful as SDFC is at playing out of the back, holding possession and moving the ball up the field into the attacking third to create goal-scoring opportunities. This is a big advantage that SDFC will have on the Rapids this weekend.

Colorado got exposed last game vs Vancouver when the Whitecaps implemented a well-executed plan to break down their defensive lines after realizing that the Rapids play tight in the middle and have a hard time defending more players when defenders join the attack. Vancouver played a beautiful game by playing out wide and attacking the wings, which forced the Rapids to get out of their normal, tight shape, which exposed space through the middle. Once that was the case, Whitecaps brought their defenders into the attack and made runs at the Colorado defense that had them in total panic mode. Guys were running right through the back line unmarked. The game was very one sided in the attack as the Rapids failed to register a single shot on goal. When the game is that one-sided, not even GK Zach Steffen will be able to save them (who is one of the best, btw).

“We take great pride in getting shutouts”, said defender Jasper Loffelsend during a media availability on Thursday. It is fair to say that  San Diego is one of the best defensive teams as we are a top 5 team in preventing shots. We currently have 28 shots against as compared to Colorado who have almost double that with 43 and are the in second place with most shots against. There is no doubt that the odds are in our favor when we look at many different stats that are readily available at any time. That is all good and well but if you know the game, you know that stats only give you a part of the story.

Colorado's Predicted Lineup

Colorado creates most of their chances through their star player – Djodje Mihailovic. The 26 year old midfielder is quick on the ball and reminds me a lot of Chucky. He is able to get into space, go around defenders and create dangerous opportunities with his accurate passes and hard shots. There are no doubts that Mikey Varas spoke to the team about a plan to keep him at bay. Another player who we will need to watch out for is the Rapids’ top goal scorer, Rafael Navarro. The Brazilian has already netted 3 goals and is dangerous in front of the net. He tends to be in the right place at the right time but that kind of luck doesn’t come by chance, he is a true number nine. A pesky type of player who is tough to mark and can get in and behind the defense while having an uncanny ability to anticipate where the ball is going to end up. I believe our defense will have their hands full trying to keep the two aforementioned players at bay but I know we are more than capable of it.

SDFC will need Chucky to be match fit, which we believe he is at this point. It will be interesting to see how he does playing in altitude. The Chucky-Dreyer duo is quickly becoming something special. The two seem to really understand each other and it looks almost natural when they make runs off of one another. The chemistry-growth of the team has been so fun to watch as it seems with every game this team is playing better. Mikey Varas alluded to the idea that his team have not put a perfect 90 minute performance in but he has seen it for around 50. He told the media that once they are able to produce the kind of play they intend for 90 minutes, teams will need to watch out because we will make it very difficult for anyone who we face.

San Diego’s keys to winning this match will be similar to what Vancouver did. We will look to play the ball wide and switch the field often to break the tightness of the Rapids’ style of play. The outside backs will need to join the attack like they did in the match against Seattle to overcrowd the Colorado’s defensive lines and create runs in behind. Most importantly, SDFC will need to anticipate Colorado playing aggressive in the front and pushing pace. They will need to be brave on the bal playing out of the back under pressure while also playing smart and not giving anything away. Colorado is a scrappy team that can turn a simple mistake by the SDFC defense into a goal. If we can do those things well, I believe we cruise to another victory and with a little help from Vancouver, we can sit pretty atop the Western Division. The stadium Colorado plays in is fairly quiet so watch out for our fans creating a lot of noise. Sky is the limit with this team, let’s go get this win! LFGSDFC!

I was featured on the Penalty Kick Podcast when Mike Geo invited me to break down the Colorado matchup. If you’ve got the time, please check it out by clicking this link: (172) San Diego FC Matchday 8 Preview | SDFC vs Colorado Rapids - YouTube