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Fired Colorado Rapids Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s Mystical Dimension

By Chuck Wharton

COMMERCE CITY, CO - JULY 23: Pablo Mastroeni, head coach of the Colorado Rapids, claps after a play during a game between the Colorado Rapids and the FC Dallas at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 23, 2016 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
COMMERCE CITY, CO - JULY 23: Pablo Mastroeni, head coach of the Colorado Rapids, claps after a play during a game between the Colorado Rapids and the FC Dallas at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on July 23, 2016 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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Recently fired Colorado Rapids Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni embodies the essence of soccer. He talks soccer in mystical terms. A team needs  him back in the saddle soon.

Colorado Rapids fans expressed relief at Pablo Mastroeni’s exit. Yet players support the former head coach. G Tim Howard stopped just short of the mystical in describing Mastroeni’s impact.

"Howard to Sports Illustrated: Pablo is the Colorado Rapids. We’ve got a great locker room that—I can attest to this—was behind Pablo and enjoyed playing for him.Pablo hasn’t kicked one ball this year. That comes down to all us players not carrying our own weight. But that’s the business of sports."

The Rapids went to the Western Conference Championship last season. But Mastroeni had an over 39-54-35 record; 6-12-4 this season.

Mastroeni Sees Soccer Others Don’t

While things went well for the Rapids, Mastroeni skillfully turned interviews into explorations of soccer’s essence:

Mastroeni Ties The Coach He Replaced

The Colorado Rapids fired Mastroeni after he took the team to FC Dallas for a 0-0 draw on August 12. The tie came against Oscar Pareja’s Dallas team. Mastroeni had replaced him at Colorado. Mystical events always fit together nicely like that.

The Mystical Doesn’t Get Through Anymore

Rapids Sporting Director and Interim General Manager Pádraig Smith tries valiantly to keep up the mystical context. But it doesn’t work as well. Check the  August 16 statement he published with Wayne Brant in the Denver Post:

"Who are we? What do we stand for? What do we want to achieve? Internally, we call our vision The Rapids Way. But as we sit here today, we realize that to be successful, The Rapids Way must evolve. And to do that, we must first embrace the things that our club has always done well. The things that make us who we are."

Pablo Mastroeni Uniquely in Soccer’s Essence

No one can make it there like Pablo Mastroeni. To the mystical dimension of soccer. To its essence.

Next: LA Galaxy's Second Consecutive Loss

Mastroeni can do it again and take a team to the championship. To keep going back, he needs a team that understands soccer’s essence. That represents the hard part where the Colorado Rapids fell short.

To get there, Mastroeni needs a Tai Chi-quality front office and roster. He must start with the roster. It sounds like he can start with G Tim Howard.

I’ll let Mastroeni take it from there.

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