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Not sure what to say about this...From RealMadrid.com
TIME has this story: Why Real Madrid Can’t Beat Barca on the Field, But Leads Comfortably in the Market
Jamie Smith is ahead of schedule on his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered last fall. He told me that he's hoping to be cleared to train in 3-4 weeks. While he continues strengthening his leg, he's allowed to work on other stuff, such as free kicks. We caught a few of his attempts on Stew Ceus today on camera...
Most of the guys that played in yesterday's reserve league game had today off, so head coach Oscar Pareja and assistant Wilmer Cabrera became extra players in the first-team training session this morning. We caught this pass from Davy Armstrong to Pareja on camera:
It's the all-important TV numbers...at least one set.
NBC Sports PR today tweeted that Sunday's NBC Sports broadcast of the Rapids 2-1 win at Philadelphia saw 124,000 viewers for the 2.5 hour telecast and 145,000 for the two-hour game coverage. These numbers represent an increased of 82% and 113%, respectively, from Fox Soccer's previous average of 68,000 viewers.
The viewers, which peaked at 211k from 3:30-3:45 MT (isn't that about the time Jaime Castrillon scored?), were also 51% higher than NBC Sports first-ever MLS broadcast last week when the New York Red Bull lost to Dallas 2-1 in Texas.
MLS on NBCSN (Phila vs Col): 124k viewers for 2.5 hour telecast, 145k for 2 hour game coverage, up 82% and 113% resp. from FSC 2010 avg-68k
— NBCSportsPR (@NBCSportsPR) March 20, 2012
Game ball baby! Thanks everyone for the support twitter.com/Cascio14/statu…
— Anthony Cascio (@Cascio14) March 19, 2012
The Class VI supporters group has been hosting an online podcast for the past four years called, " Six Questions with Class VI." In the first installment of 2012, Craig de Aragon talks to defender Drew Moor about the first game, new teammates, and new season. Give yourself about 17-18 minutes to hear Drew talk to Craig by CLICKING HERE.
Rapids captain Pablo Mastroeni took a knock to the head on Saturday and had to come out of the game as a precaution. He passed the cognitive tests on Monday - which was another sign that he did not have a concussion - and was cleared to return to training today.
However, he head was growing by the hour...
If you're going to a theater show in downtown Denver, or are maybe just driving on 14th street, take a look up as you approach Larimer, Lawrence, Arapahoe, or Curtis Streets. You won't be able to miss the seven-story wallscape of Mastroeni on the side of The Curtis Hotel, right across from the Denver Center for the Performaning Arts. It took the crew nearly four hours to lower and affix this beast today. CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS.
There's a fun and lively spirit around the complex on the day before the season opener. Take for instance this morning, when Technical Director Paul Bravo walked into his office to see it filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of pairs of socks. When cleaning out the equipment room this winter, the staff had uncovered boxes upon boxes of never before used socks. They waited for a chance to spring them on someone before donating them, and Bravo was the target this morning.
Oscar Pareja did an interview with the Denver Post's Spanish publication, Viva Colorado, in Spanish. You can see he's more comfortable expressing his passion in his native language. Among the questions about style of play, philosophy, etc., he was asked about trying to grow the Hispanics fanbase. Here's what he told Viva Colorado, comparing his youth to what he's hoping can happen in the U.S.:
"We wore our team's jersey and we gave our children the team's flag. We argued with our uncles and our cousins about which team was the best. Give that heritage to your child. He does not have the opportunity to watch your country's team play. Give him or her the opportunity to feel that passion by watching the Rapids."
Read the interview in ENGLISH or SPANISH. Watch the interview in Spanish below: