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In one of Saturday’s early games, the Colorado Rapids traveled west to face the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

Looking to end a two-game skid, the Sounders scored first with Raul Ruidiaz’s strike in the 22nd minute. Seattle took the 1-0 lead into halftime, but doubled it in the 52nd minute as Nicolas Lodeiro slotted home a penalty opportunity.

Diaz found a second goal in the 73rd minute, assisted by Lodeiro, who found the final pass while lying on the ground. And Victor Rodriguez scored again in the 80th minute to cap a 4-0 win by the Sounders. Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ 4-0 loss to Seattle:

Poor form, poor results

Like clockwork, the Colorado Rapids continue to be bad, and historically bad.

For those unfamiliar with this story, Colorado is currently on a six-game losing streak and is in danger of either matching or surpassing the club record losing streak it set earlier in the year (eight consecutive in MLS and nine straight across all competitions). Making matters worse, the Rapids have been outscored 19-1 during their current run.

Rapids are about to become just the 2nd team in the post-shootout @MLS era to have 2 separate 6-game losing streaks in the same season. Only other one with the honor are the legendarily terrible 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny. #SEAvCHI

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) September 29, 2018

“In the end, overall, we got beat by them,” Rapids coach Anthony Hudson told reporters following the loss to Seattle. “They’re a better team. It’s a bad day. I think myself, the players, we’re all very disappointed. Today really highlights the gap in terms of where we’re at as a team. A team like Seattle… we were completely outclassed in most departments. A disappointing day.”

It’s not the only record Colorado secured Saturday. Issued a yellow card in the 40th minute for unsporting behavior, Rapids midfielder Jack Price moved into a tie for the league lead in yellow cards accumulated (10).

But the verdict is still out as to whether these yellow cards are a tactical necessity or a detriment to a team that’s already struggling.

Colorado’s average of 14 fouls committed per game trails only New England (14.8). But aside from a few teaching moments following two red cards in a 6-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, Hudson doesn’t see a correlation between the team’s style of play and their disciplinary record.

“It’s been quite bizarre really, how many bookings we’ve had,” Hudson told Pro Soccer USA prior to the Seattle match. “But it’s not for me to judge.”

Hot seat

For any other MLS franchise aside from Colorado, six wins in 30 matches isn’t good enough. San Jose fired first year head coach Mikael Stahre for the ‘Quakes abysmal 2018. Orlando City fired Jason Kreis when the team was still above the playoff line. The LA Galaxy and Sigi Schmid parted ways when that team was, likewise, in the playoff hunt. Most recently, the Vancouver Whitecaps fired Carl Robinson with the team just four points out of a playoff position.

With other teams around the league deciding to pull the plug on failed projects that have been arguably more successful than what the Colorado Rapids have achieved this season, most sane fans and media are starting to ask justifiable questions about whether the team should move on from Anthony Hudson.

Whether you agree or not, the writing is on the wall that Hudson’s position should be the hottest seat in MLS right now.

From my timeline on Sept 17th

du Nord Futbol MLS Coaches Hot Seat Power Rankings

5 Anthony Hudson – Colorado
4 Carl Robinson – Vancouver (FIRED TODAY)
3 Adrian Heath – Minnesota
2 Veljko Paunovic – Chicago
1 Mikael Stahre – San Jose (FIRED SEP 17)

— Brucio McGuire (@dunord) September 25, 2018

Unfortunately, the Rapids front office in is a self-created conundrum, with fired head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s contract being paid out through 2019. Hudson is currently on a three-year contract, so it’s hard to see Colorado’s willingness to pay three different coaches in 2019.

Trust the process

For all the poor results and performances, the narrative remains consistent from inside the Rapids’ camp. In public comments, the coaches and players believe in what Hudson is trying to build, but know that it will take time.

“As I said, we believe heavily in what we are doing and what we are trying to achieve and the culture we are trying to have at this club,” Rapids midfielder Giles Barnes said following the Rapids’ latest loss. “At times, there is a building period. I feel we have had a grace period from the fans and the staff to get it right, because we want to do things the correct way as we see going forward for next year. So, it is important that we keep working harder, that we keep focused, and we give all we have got for these last few games.”

Whether or not paying fans can (or should) have the patience for these growing pains, is another matter.  

The post Should Colorado Rapids fans ‘Trust the process?’ appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.