COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The good news is that Yoann Arquin scored a goal on his Colorado Rapids debut. The bad news is that he only lasted about half the game before limping off with a hamstring injury.
The French triallist took part in Wednesday’s 6-0 drubbing of Regis University, joining a combination of first team and squad players including Claudio Lopez, Quincy Amarikwa, Scott Palguta and Danny Earls.
The 22-year-old former Paris St. Germain center forward only joined the team earlier this week and had his first workout with the team at training Tuesday. Rapids head coach Gary Smith said he was a player the Rapids had been tracking for about a year.
“He’s a young guy who is certainly physically and athletically what we need,” Smith told MLSsoccer.com. “[We have to see] whether or not we can afford him, he wants to come here, or whether he has another offer. He’s here for the week and we will have a chat at the end of the week.”
Smith said he liked what he saw of Arquin, even if it was only half a game.
“The French lad looked physically well equipped with good pace and strength,” he said. “It’s disappointing that he strained his hamstring, but there was some encouraging football from him before that happened.”
The Rapids certainly have their goal scoring woes, currently being 10 goals below where they were this time last season. Andre Akpan still has to make his MLS league debut and Amarikwa’s raw pace has maybe not translated into consistent performances, while Ross Schunk remains on the long-term injury list with cruciate ligament troubles.
The Rapids host Houston at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.
