The Rapids next home game is fast approaching and there are a handful of attacking players hoping they caught the coach’s eye during the week. While most of the focus has been on midfielder Wells Thompson after his two goals on Tuesday, young forwards Andre Akpan and Quincy Amarikwa have quietly caught the coach’s attention.

Both played well against Kansas in the Open Cup match and gave the coaching staff a better idea of how to use the two players.  Neither is ready to take the starting spot away from Omar Cummings or Conor Casey but they can play an important role should they get the call off the bench.

Coach Smith views the two newcomers as “two very different players.”

“Quincy is an explosive player with good pace and likes to play on the shoulder of defenders. Andre likes to come in and link up, his techniques are tighter. [Akpan's] movements are just a little bit more refined at the moment. If we need some pace, need someone to get in behind, then it’s Quincy. If we need somebody who is going to be a better pivot for us to play into and work off of, then Andre.

Coach Smith can’t reward everyone with playing time, but he’ll need those players he does call on to jump in and bring energy late in the match this Sunday.

“I think this weekend the bench will need to be as aggressive as possible. It’s an important game to be bright and purposeful, and to have as many players that can keep that energetic edge for the team.”

One attacking player that fans probably won’t get to see is new Argentinean signing Claudio Lopez.  Lopez played 10 minutes in the Rapid’s Open Cup match on Tuesday, but Coach Smith doesn’t think he is ready just yet.

“I’m not sure, at this point, if Claudio is ready to be part of that 18 man group.  We had a conversation during the week and we both felt that next weekend would probably be the first time he’s considered for the 18.”

Coach Smith is eager to get Lopez into the mix but wants to do things properly.  Giving Lopez more time to prepare physically and get comfortable with the group is the best course of action.

The Rapids host Toronto FC on Sunday April 18 at 3pm.  Make sure to get your tickets!

This entry was posted on Friday, April 16th, 2010 at 5:46 pm and is filed under Colorado Rapids, Interview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.