COMMERCE CITY — Now that the last-place Rapids (1-2-7) have two new strikers, the question is how coach Pablo Mastroeni will deploy them.
Kevin Doyle and Luis Solignac might make their Major League Soccer debuts at home Saturday against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6-4-2).
Both players were touted as No. 9 target men when they signed, and up to this point the Rapids have almost exclusively played a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a lone target striker, the No. 9 target, up top.
“There’s a multitude of options and Kevin’s played any of those front four positions, so there’s flexibility with that,” Mastroeni said. “I don’t want to project too far into the future with how that’s all going to shake out.”
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Rapids assist leader Dillon Powers has played primarily in the central attacking midfield role behind the target striker, with Juan Ramirez on the left wing and leading scorer Gabriel Torres the main option on the right wing.
“What I don’t do is have an idealistic view of how it should look,” Mastroeni said. “Because when you shove a square peg in a round hole, you spend a lot of life energy trying to figure out why it’s not working.”
Solignac, 24, was set to make his Rapids debut last Saturday as the lone striker up top. He was listed in the starting 11, but the game at Sporting Kansas City was postponed because of lightning.
With the experienced, designated player Doyle, 31, now in the mix, Mastroeni wants to be flexible with his lineup.
“To give you the perfect 11, you’d have to give me the day, you have to give me where everyone’s at physically, where they’re at mentally,” he said.
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How much the newcomers help probably depends on how quickly they acclimate to the Rapids’ system.
“You’re not only adapting to a new team, you’re adapting to a whole new environment. Every player’s different,” Mastroeni said. “It took Gaby (Torres) a whole year to really understand the way we want to do things, and to this point he’s been one of the most electric players we’ve had (this season).”
Doyle was still adjusting to the altitude and the time change this week, and was held out of some high-intensity training activities, but he is expected to be available Saturday against the Whitecaps.
“The most important thing is when you have the desire to be somewhere and craving to be a part of something. That kind of expedites the process,” Mastroeni said.
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or twitter.com/danielboniface
Rapids Game Day
VANCOUVER AT COLORADO 7 p.m. Saturday, ALT; 94.1 FM, 1600 AM, 1650 AM
Spotlight on Kevin Doyle: The third designated player in Rapids history could make his debut after arriving in Colorado this week. The Republic of Ireland international striker scored 14 goals in 61 national team appearances and 92 goals in 357 club games in English soccer before joining the Rapids. Doyle, 31, participated in training this week but was still acclimating to the altitude and overcoming jet lag after his move from Europe. He is expected to be available for Saturday’s match.
NOTEBOOK
Colorado: The Rapids (1-2-7) will be trying to snap a Major League Soccer-record 11-match home winless streak, dating to July 25 last season. Coach Pablo Mastroeni said Dick’s Sporting Goods Park “needs an exorcism” after the Rapids’ draw against San Jose Earthquakes two weeks ago. Argentine striker Luis Solignac could make his Rapids debut. He was scheduled to start against Sporting Kansas City on the road last weekend, but the match was rescheduled for Oct. 21 because of lightning. Saturday’s match begins a stretch of three games in eight days for the Rapids, against all three Cascadia Cup teams.
Vancouver: The Whitecaps (6-4-2) have had success on the road this season, producing three wins and a draw in five matches. Historically, however, they have not fared well in Colorado, going 0-4-1. Vancouver enters the match having just defeated FC Edmonton on the road Wednesday in the Canada Championship semi-final.
Footnote: Marcelo Sarvas returned to Colorado on Wednesday to take the next step toward full fitness after arthroscopic knee surgery April 27. He won’t play in Saturday’s match.
Daniel Boniface, The Denver Post
