Having scored a league-worst 32 goals through 31 games this season, there’s an obvious offseason need to fortify the Colorado Rapids attack.
That plan, according to first-year coach Anthony Hudson, is already in the works.
“We know it’s an area of the pitch we are addressing and everyone at the club at the moment is 24/7 looking, scouting all over the world – Europe, South America, within the league,” Hudson said in comments to the team website. “We’ve got scouts at games every week in the league looking at the targets we have.”
Particularly noteworthy, Hudson said the club has already targeted at least 12 players from within MLS on his wish list.
“We’ve identified probably within the league, a dozen players, top targets in terms of strikers,” Hudson said. “We’ve identified players overseas, our targets. It’s so frustrating for us and it’s tough for the fans, but it’s something that we are absolutely actively addressing. We just can’t do anything right now.”
Hudson said because of injuries and suspensions he hasn’t been able to field a consistent lineup and the product in the attacking third has suffered accordingly. He said the Rapids best string of results came with the pairing of Sam Nicholson and Jack McBean up front, but both are currently injured.
Colorado traded away the top striker on its roster — Dom Badji — in order to get midfielder Kellyn Acosta from FC Dallas and Designated Player Shkëlzen Gashi has largely been ineffective since arriving from FC Basel. The 30-year-old former Albanian international has scored just twice this year — matching his 2017 total — with six starts in 18 appearances after nine goals in his first season.
Gashi scored the lone goal in the Rapids’ current seven-match losing streak that has seen them outscored 22-1.
“Gashi throughout the season really has had periods where he’s played, he’s not played, he’s had some injuries,” Hudson said. “He played against Columbus, then he had an injury so he’s been unfortunate because he’s not been able to get a good run in the team.”
