Following his signing with Major League Soccer, Guarda waited to be assigned to his new club via the league’s lottery system. With 12 MLS sides jockeying for his services, the Rapids stood at an 8% chance of landing the two-time Conference USA Player of the Year.

“Bruno is a skillful, creative midfielder who comes to us with a very impressive resume,” said Head Coach Fernando Clavijo. “As a team, we were fortunate to win this lottery for such a talented, technical player.”

Guarda established himself as one of the nation’s best collegiate players during his time at SMU finishing his three-year career (2005-2007) with the Mustangs scoring 15 goals and recording 17 assists in 63 games. The Brazilian was also a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy in both 2006 and 2007.

Guarda will take the roster spot of goalkeeper Justin Hughes, who was placed on the Rapids’ season ending injury list after undergoing successful surgery to his right shoulder.

At a glance

Bruno Guarda – Midfielder
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 156
DOB: Feb. 6, 1986
Hometown: Piraciaba, Brazil
Status: Developmental Roster

This new feature by ASN will track each game’s individual Man of the Match as voted by you, our loyal readers. Below is the current poll. Each game’s poll will expire the day of the team’s next game. A table on the ASN home page will keep track of each teams’ winners. These polls will form the basis for our year-end team MVP and league MVP awards. More on that later in the season.

Current Standings

Below the Man of the Match standings through Week 15.

*the total MoM votes received this season. Will serve as final tie-breaker.

Poll Archive

Below all polls held this season, including the current week’s.

“We kind of felt pressure today,” noted Colorado captain Pablo Mastroeni. “We haven’t had a win in a while. We wanted to come out strong and be aggressive and pressure them quickly.”

Playing three in the back with Mastroeni, Ugo Ihemelu, and Facundo Erpen, head coach Fernando Clavijo put Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy with Nick LaBrocca behind Christian Gomez in the center of the formation. Ballouchy had his most complete match in a Colorado uniform, scoring the second goal, developing the fourth goal, retaining the ball, and creating relentless attacks all night.

“Christian [Gomez] is still nursing an injury,” Clavijo said. “So it was good to have Mehdi, who can also penetrate, connect, and score.”

“We have guys on this team who are very talented,” Mastroeni observed. “We see it all week in practice. When you’ve got guys like Mehdi in the midfield you can pop it into, it relieves a lot of pressure from the back. And it drops the other team on their heels because they don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of the ball.”

The first scoring opportunity of the night came from Ballouchy’s foot in the seventh minute when he held the ball amid a couple defenders before launching a cross from the right wing to the far post. Gomez got his head on the ball, but it went over the crossbar.

Ballouchy kept the pressure on, and Colin Clark earned corner kicks and challenged Hunter Freeman on the flank.

Behind Clark, Erpen battled with Dane Richards. In fact, when Richards shifted to the opposite wing for a few plays, Erpen stayed with him. In the 24th minute Erpen lost possession to Richards, but the Argentinian defender tackled the ball into the air before Richards could race down the right wing. Clark collected it, touched it back to Erpen, and raced up the left wing to receive a return pass.

Clark worked free from Freeman and dribbled into the left side of the penalty box. Conor Casey made a near-post run to Clark, who chipped the ball over to a wide-open Tom McManus to touch into the net from a few feet away. McManus raced to the corner and did a brief tight-rope walk with the flag on the endline to celebrate the goal.

Red Bull defender Jeff Parke responded immediately after the goal with a solo run up the spine of the field, firing a shot from outside the penalty box. But Bouna Coundoul came up with his first save of the game.

In the 36th minute, Gomez worked through a crowd and slipped the ball to McManus on the left side of the box. McManus played it to Casey, who laid it out wide to a rushing Terry Cooke. Cooke looked to be lined up for a goal like his blast in the season opener. But he played it hard on the ground to a rushing Ballouchy to first-time into the net from close range.

Before the halftime break, Ballouchy raced into the box and cut back artfully before sending a cross to Clark.

In the 41st minute, Richards finally got by Erpen and sent a ball into the middle that eventually reached New York’s Dave van den Bergh, who blasted a low shot on goal. But Coundoul made his second and final save of the night. However, Coundoul had plenty of crosses and through-balls to tend to before the night was over.

Seeking more offense, New York head coach Juan Carlos Osorio put Juan Pablo Angel in for midfield captain Seth Stammler, and Mike Magee came on for Freeman. Angel managed one shot in the 60th minute, a free kick over the bar. But that was all that the Colombian could manage on Friday night. Recovering from injury, Angel couldn’t create much from the cobwebs and air his teammates provided for scoring chances.

Clavijo replaced Conor Casey with Omar Cummings at halftime, and Cummings eventually scored against the fraying Red Bull defense. But it was Clark who tugged on the first loose thread on the left wing in the 49th minute to accelerate the unraveling.

Much like the dismantling of Abel Xavier on the flank for the fourth goal in the home-opening 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, Clark had a similar play on the left wing. He collected a long ball off his chest from a difficult angle, brought it down with his foot, and headed to the green pastures of the left wing. Clark cut inside to get around a retreating Richards, and then he pushed the ball fast into the box and outran Carlos Mendes. With Mendes closing down, Clark ripped a left-footed shot past Jon Conway into the far side of the net.

Three minutes after the goal, Clavijo replaced Gomez with John DiRaimondo.

“When I came on, we had just scored our third goal,” DiRaimondo recounted. “So, at that point, we’re trying to preserve the lead and not give up any goals. That’s basically what I was told: To make sure to keep everything in front of us, cut off spaces, cut off passes, and go forward when possible.”

DiRaimondo immediately hooked up with LaBrocca to control the offense and defense in the center of the field. On the left flank for one play, DiRaimondo won two tackles and calmly started an attack.

Meanwhile, Cummings scared Rapids fans and Red Bull defenders equally with his imitation of a snake-bit serpent prepared to continually strike himself and others. In the 58th minute, Mastroeni cleared the ball out of the penalty box on the ground, and it turned into a footrace breakaway. Cummings flew by the Red Bull defenders, but his shot flew by the left post.

Four minutes later, Cummings spun through three defenders in the box and sent a cross into Clark, who headed wide left of the goal.

Then Cummings beat Conway in the box, but he couldn’t finish the play.

Two minutes later in the 64th minute, Ballouchy set the ball to Cooke, who served the ball into Cummings right in front of the net. But the Jamaican forward’s shot went high.

Cummings didn’t quit. In the 68th minute, he scored the fourth goal of the game, his fourth of the season. He played the ball to Ballouchy in the attacking third, and Ballouchy served a pass to McManus at the top right corner of the penalty box. The Scotsman settled the ball and laid it square to Cummings heading toward the box. Cummings touched it by Andrew Boyens, continued to the penalty spot, and slipped the goal by Conway.

Herculez Gomez came on for McManus with about 20 minutes to play. Ballouchy and Clark combined passes and Clark sent the ball toward Gomez, but Conway smothered the cross.

Up next!
The Rapids will face Tigres from the Mexican first division for an exhibition match on Wednesday at 8:00 at DSGP, followed by a road trip to San Jose for a Sunday afternoon chance to avenge the 2-0 home loss in April.

In other news
Denver Nuggets Mascot Rocky scored two goals to lead his band of mascots to a 2-1 victory in the annual halftime spectacle. Then the mascots swiped all the towels from the Red Bulls bench and threw them to the crowd.

Former Rapids and U.S. National Team attacker Chris Henderson was scouting the Red Bulls for his Seattle Sounders on Friday night.

Match Facts

New York Red Bulls at Colorado Rapids
July 4, 2008 - Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo.

Scoring Summary:
COL- McManus (Clark, Erpen) 24
COL- Ballouchy (Cooke, Casey) 36
COL- Clark (unassisted) 49
COL- Cummings (McManus, Ballouchy) 68

Lineups:

Colorado Rapids – Bouna Coundoul, Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Mastroeni, Facundo Erpen, Christian Gomez (John DiRaimondo52), Mehdi Ballouchy, Terry Cooke, Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark, Conor Casey (Omar Cummings 45), Tom McManus (Herculez Gomez 72)

Substitutes not used: Preston Burpo, Jordan Harvey, Kosuke Kimura, Jacob Peterson

New York Red Bulls – Jon Conway, Hunter Freeman (Mike Magee 45), Andy Boyens, Jeff Parke, Dane Richards (Luke Sassano 66), Carlos Mendes, Seth Stammler (Juan Pablo Angel 45), Dave van den Bergh, Kevin Goldthwaite, Oscar Echeverry, Sinisa Ubiparipovic

Substitutes Not Used: Zach Thornton, Danleigh Borman, Chris Leitch, John Wolyniec

Misconduct Summary:
NY – Stammler (Caution) 21
COL – Mastroeni (Caution) 82
NY – Boyens (Caution) 88

Referee: Tim Weyland
Referees Assts.: Bill Dittmar; Cyril Madukanya
Fourth Official: Shane Moody
Attendance: 18,776

The Rapids remain tied for fifth place in the MLS Western Conference with 16 points [5-7-1]. Houston [4-4-6] remains in third place, 2 points above the Rapids and 3 points behind conference leaders, LA Galaxy.

Colorado began the match by pushing the Dynamo and attempted to break out of their recent poor run of form over the past 3 weeks continues to affect their play. However, neither team was able to generate many chances for the first 30 minutes and it seemed the Dynamo were content to play defense as they played lone striker Brian Ching and Dewaye DeRosario was left on the substitution bench until late in the match.

Colorado’s field general, Christian Gomez was victimized early in the match when he was tackled from behind in the 25th minute by Stuart Holden. Gomez continued to play until the 49th minute when he was substituted by Medhi Ballouchy. Gomez sprained his ankle and could be questionable for the Rapids next match.

In post match comments, Colorado coach Fernando Clavijo referred to the from-behind tackle on Gomez when he said that, “The league is not protecting skilled players.”

35 minutes into the game, Rapids Midfielder Jacob Pederson was tackled by Dynamo defender Craig Waibel. Waibel waved off the yellow card and was unrepentant for his action. The home side fans booed Waibel every time he touched the ball for the remaineder of the match. Despite this negative energy, the yellow card seemed to energize the Rapids who immediately pressed forward. Two minutes later, in the 36th minute, they were taking a free kick from a dangerous position, just outside the Houston penalty area.

The free kick was blocked by Dynamo goal keeper, Pat Onstad and the rebound directed straight to Rapids striker Tom McManus. He headed the ball into an open night and it appeared the Rapids in business at 1-0. Celebration turned to disbelief as the flag was up. McManus looked stunned as he looked to the referee’s assistant for an answer. He was unavailable for comment after the match.

In the second half, the Rapids were able to create more scoring chances. Striker Omar Cummings was the receipient of three excellent opportunities. In two of them, he was loosely marked, inside the Houston 6 yard box and essentially needed to head the ball on goal to score as Onstad was out of position both times. Unfortunately for Cummings, his header attempts sailed wide of the net. He finished the game with 5 shots and none on goal.

Clavijo was unhappy with his team’s lack of offensive production. “We had 5 or 6 very good chances,” he said. “But, you will never win if you do not score.”

The Colorado players took the tie in-stride. Captain Pablo Mastroeni, “We played organized in the back and we collectively defended very well. We limited their play and although we missed chances, I think we can build on this game.”

Colorado travels to Columbus on June 28th. Houston plays FC Dallas on MLS Primetime Thursday.

Dynamo fans vote here

Line Ups

Houston Dynamo — Pat Onstad, Craig Waibel, Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson (Patrick Ianni 43), Wade Barrett, Corey Ashe (Geoff Cameron 68), Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Brad Davis, Brian Ching, Brian Mullan (Dwayne De Rosario 76),

Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Brown, Chris Wondolowski, Tony Caig, Franco Caraccio

Colorado Rapids — Preston Burpo, Ugo Ihemelu, Pablo Mastroeni, Facundo Erpen, Jacob Peterson (Terry Cooke 45), Christian Gomez (Mehdi Ballouchy 50), John DiRaimondo (Conor Casey 68), Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark, Omar Cummings, Tom McManus,

Substitutes Not Used: Rafael Gomes, Herculez Gomez, Jordan Harvey, Chris Sharpe

                      Colorado Rapids    		Houston Dynamo
 Total Shots:	15  (Omar Cummings 5)   		9  (Brad Davis 3)
Shots on Goal:	1   (Colin Clark 1)     		2  (Brad Davis 1, Stuart Holden 1)
Fouls:		10  (3 tied with 2)     		12 (3 tied with 2)
Offsides:    	2   (Omar Cummings 1,Tom McManus 1)     1  (Corey Ashe 1)
Corner Kicks:   10  (Christian Gomez 5)     		3  (Brad Davis 3)
Saves:    	2   (Preston Burpo 2)     		1    (Pat Onstad 1)

Misconduct Summary:
HOU — Stuart Holden (caution; Tackle from Behind) 25
HOU — Craig Waibel (caution; Reckless Foul) 34

Referee: Jeff Gontarek
Referee’s Assistants: Greg Barkey; David Bragg
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo
Time of game: 2:14
Attendance: 13,220
Weather: Sunny -and- 85 degrees

Petke said he was feeling better, hoping to get time in the Reserve Game on Sunday. Although he didn’t take part in the full-field scrimmage, he hopped in a three-on-three drill with Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. (also on the mend) and former Rapids midfielder Seth Trembly as teammates.

Meanwhile, the big scrimmage sounded like a Soccer Camp session. Assistant coach Gary Smith stopped play regularly to bark orders for fine-tuning transitions. Omar Cummings and Christian Gomez received instructions for initiating defense immediately after a turnover. Head coach Fernando Clavijo sat on the hill above the field for the start of the scrimmage, but was compelled to jump in with instructions too.

This is merely a snapshot of the midweek training, an earnest, professional session.

Preston Burpo will still fill in for Bouna Coundoul, who might play when his Senegalese side takes on Liberia on Saturday. Burpo has had critical saves in his short stint with Colorado, but the defensive line in front of him hasn’t been stable (in terms of personnel and performance). The projected defenders for Saturday include Jordan Harvey, Ugo Ihemelu, and Facundo Erpen.

The Dynamo will have to do without two key players. Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstadt will represent Canada against St. Vincent & Grenadines on Friday.

The Dynamo beat the Rapids in Texas on May 10, a 2-1 victory with a penalty kick game-winner late in the game. Depending on the outcomes of other games, a win means Houston can share the top spot in the West with the Galaxy, and the Colorado win-loss potential can put the team second from the top or second from the bottom. San Jose holds the cellar with 11 points, but a Colorado loss would leave them at 15 points, one point behind Chivas USA.

Kids under 16 get in free if they join an adult ticket-holder. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. MT.

Toronto has yet to lose at home this year and it appears that the raucous fans at BMO field contribute significantly to the team’s home-field advantage. In their second year, Toronto does not look like your father’s MLS expansion team, winning 5 of their first 11 games this year — all at BMO. Like the Rapids, Toronto cannot win on the road and their last match was a loss against the surging Houston Dynamo

The big factor in this game is the Toronto offense. Their recipe at home has been to play attacking soccer. Forwards Danny Dichio and Jeff Cunningham lead all Toronto FC scorers with 7 goals combined. In addition, Toronto has been bolstered in their midfield by the presence of veteran Amado Guevara. His lively style of play has brought life to BMO.

Every week the question for the Rapids remains the same: which team will show up? The team that gives up an early goal and hangs its head or the team that comes out and takes charge of the game. The Rapids have yet to win two games in a row and they have lost only twice in a row one time this season.

Their on/off form, coupled with poor early-season performances from Chivas USA and Houston Dynamo have kept the Rapids near the top of the MLS Western Conference. The Rapids will not make the playoffs if they keep this inconsistent form for the remainder of the year. They must get road points to prove to themselves and the league that they are a legitimate contender for the MLS Cup.

Colorado is also hampered by the loss of three starters for this match. First-choice keeper Bouna Condoul is in his third week of World Cup qualification play for Senegal. Also away for qualification is captain Pablo Mastroeni, who showed excellent form in the recent friendly between the United States and Argentina. Finally, Fecundo Erpen is serving a suspension through June 15th. These three are key players in the solid Colorado defense so look for Toronto to attempt to make aggressive runs early in the match to establish control.

Prediction - Toronto 2-1

International Duty

TORONTO FC

• Maurice Edu (United States)
• Greg Sutton (Canada)
• Jim Brennan (Canada)
• Tyrone Marshall (Jamaica)

COLORADO RAPIDS

• Bouna Coundoul (Senegal)
• Pablo Mastroeni (United States)
• Ugo Ihemelu (Canada)

Injury Report

TORONTO FC

• NONE REPORTED

COLORADO RAPIDS

• OUT: DF Mike Petke (R foot); GK Justin Hughes (L groin); MF Nico Colaluca (L groin);
• DOUBTFUL: DF Jose Burciaga Jr. (L groin);
• PROBABLE: DF MF John DiRaimondo (L ankle); Kosuke Kimura (R foot); FW Herculez Gomez (R ankle)

It’s now back to the drawing board for Clavijo & Co. Next week, Colorado travels for their second straight road match when they head to BMO Field to face Toronto FC on Saturday, June 14 at 5:00 pm MT.

Scoring Summary:
LA- Pires (unassisted) 4
LA- Buddle (Xavier) 32
LA- Allen (Vagenas, Buddle) 50
COL- Clark (Cummings) 72
COL- H. Gomez (unassisted) 82

Lineups:
Colorado Rapids – Preston Burpo, Ugo Ihemelu, Rafael Gomes (Herculez Gomez 77), Facundo Erpen, Jordan Harvey, Nick LaBrocca, Jacob Peterson (Medhi Ballouchy 45), Christian Gomez, Colin Clark, Tom McManus, Conor Casey (Omar Cummings 60)

Substitutes not used: Terry Cooke, Chris Sharpe, Stephen Keel, Kosuke Kimura

Los Angeles Galaxy – Steve Cronin, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Mike Randolph, David Beckham, Alvaro Pires, Peter Vagenas (Ante Jazic 68), Ely Allen (Joe Franchino 65), Edson Buddle (Carlos Ruiz 59), Alan Gordon

Substitutes Not Used: Josh Wicks, Brandon McDonald, Troy Roberts, Greg Vanney

Misconduct Summary:
COL- C. Gomez (Dissent) 33
LA- Gordon (Violent Conduct) 44
COL- Erpen (Violent Conduct) 45
COL- Burpo (Reckless Foul) 56

Referee: Kevin Scott
Referees Assts.: Chris Strickland, Michael Salyers
Fourth Official: Shane St. Moody
Attendance: 25,129

The U.S. Open Cup is closed to both teams now (the Rapids lost to Kansas City in penalty kicks this week), but a shot at holding first place in the MLS West is at stake.

Five of the seven teams in the West are within three points of each other (good enough for fifth in the MLS East, but that’s another topic). Colorado sits on top with 15 points, and the Galaxy, Chivas USA, and Houston all have 14 points. FC Dallas follows with 13.

Conor Casey scored the lone goal in the U.S. Open Cup victory for Colorado at the HDC last week, and the Denver striker scored the first goal in Colorado’s 2-1 victory over FC Dallas last Sunday. Casey didn’t play against Kansas City this week, and he’s slated to join Tom McManus in the attack against the Galaxy. Both players have been on minor scoring streaks.

Over the years, the Rapids have managed only four victories against the Galaxy in California. Two ties and 17 losses reflect the norm, but the aggregate score between the clubs in 10 weeks this season is 5-0 for Colorado. Neither Landon Donovan nor David Beckham played in the U.S. Open Cup game, and U.S. National Team member Donovan will be absent along with Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni this Saturday. But Beckham is scheduled to play.

For Colorado, Mike Petke, Justin Hughes, and Nico Colaluca are still out with injuries, and John DiRaimondo and Jose Burciaga are unlikely to play. Kosuke Kimura is still nursing an injured right foot, but he is expected to play in the back on Saturday.

For Los Angeles, Abel Xavier, Ely Allen, and reserve goalkeeper Charles Alamo are too injured to play, but Peter Vagenas is likely to play.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (Pacific).

On Saturday evening at 8:30 PM MT, Colorado faces Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. This is the second of three games in the MLS season series between the two teams. At stake is a share of the top position in the MLS Western Conference. If LA wins, they will leap over Colorado with 17 points and could be tied with Dallas or Houston if they win this weekend. Colorado will retain sole possession with 18 points if they win.

The Rapids are coming off a disappointing loss at Kansas City Wednesday night for the US Open Cup play-off. Kansas City tied the game at 2-2 in the 86th minute and then promptly went one man down for the 30 minute overtime period. It went down to penalty kicks and KC won 5-3.

The Galaxy played at BMO field in Toronto last weekend. In a driving rain, they played without their top two players, David Beckham and Landon Donovan. Donovan was sidelined by an injury and Beckham was called up for an international friendly for England. The Galaxy lost 2-0.

At first blush, it would appear that the Galaxy has the upper hand against the Rapids at the Home Depot Center. Colorado is a woeful 4-17-2 in Los Angeles. Added to this lackluster history is the revenge factor for the humiliating 4-0 defeat in Colorado.

Unfortunately, it may come down to two things: Donovan and Beckham. Donovan continues to nurse a strained groin and is questionable for the match. Beckham returns from a 10-day callup to England. He’s fit but will the international travel wear him out?

Toronto took apart the Galaxy without Beckham and Donovan and a feisty Rapids side could duplicate this effort. Unfortunately for the Rapids, they have yet to win more than one game in a row in the 2008 MLS season. They beat Dallas 2-1 last week in Commerce City, so if their on-again/off-again pattern continues, LA will win.

When asked about how the Rapids could win more consistently, striker Connor Casey replied, “That’s a good question. I don’t know the answer.”

Prediction: 1-0 Los Angeles

Injury Report

Colorado Rapids

OUT: DF Mike Petke (R foot); GK Justin Hughes (L groin); MF Nico Colaluca (L groin); MF John DiRaimondo (L ankle);
PROBABLE: DF Kosuke Kimura (R foot)

Los Angeles Galaxy

OUT: GK Charles Alamo (R knee surgery);
QUESTIONABLE: MF Ely Allen (concussion); Landon Donovan (R groin)