Nashville SC defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in League’s Cup action. Nashville’s 4-1-2-1-2 frustrated Colorado for much of the game by jamming up passing lanes and hitting the Rapids on the counter. Colorado struggled to create dangerous chances despite controlling most of the possession, until a late flurry of chances. But by then the game was already gone.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Darren Yapi
- Age: 18
- Nationality: American
- Date of birth: 19/11/2004
- Current club: Colorado Rapids
- Career: Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Colorado Rapids 2
- Position: Winger
- Secondary Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Darren Yapi played on the wing for Colorado in this match, though he also sometimes occupied more central positions. Yapi has a lot of traits that make him an exciting prospect but things have not quite clicked for him yet. Yapi’s physical profile is quite exciting. He’s 6’0 and his physical strength stands out, even as an 18-year-old playing in a very strong senior league. He’s also quite quick, though I wouldn’t say he has elite speed. But technically and tactically Yapi is a little bit behind the pace of MLS, though he isn’t too far off. There were many times in this game when Yapi was very close to doing something brilliant but was a millisecond too slow. He would receive a ball while successfully holding off a defender but his first touch would let him down or he would be a little bit too slow to turn with the ball. Or there were times when he was just a little bit too slow to make a run or too slow to recognize that he had put himself in a position where he couldn’t receive the ball. He’s only 18 so there is still a ton of time for him to improve, and it’s not unexpected for a young player to take some time to adapt to the speed of a higher level. But Yapi definitely has a lot of growing to do if he’s going to move to a higher level. Yapi likes to run at players and he isn’t necessarily the most consistent dribbler but he can beat players and his speed makes him capable of accelerating away from players. Yapi did show some decent off-the-ball movement but he could improve the timing of his runs.
Rating: A2
There’s lots to like about Yapi but he’s definitely a long-term prospect. I don’t know that he’s quite got the potential to be a top-5 league talent but he could certainly move to a higher level than MLS eventually. But that will have to be after another year or two of development in MLS at least.
Ralph Priso-Mbongue
- Nationality: Canadian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 02/08/2002
- Current club: Colorado Rapids
- Career: Toronto F.C
- Position: Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Left
Ralph Priso played as part of a double pivot in Colorado’s 4-2-3-1. Priso did not turn in the most exhilarating performance of all time but he was solid enough. Priso is mainly a link-up player. He did not play any Hollywood passes or do anything crazy but he got a lot of touches, came deep to receive the ball, and changed the point of attack with short to mid-range passes. Priso did get himself into trouble a couple of times when he was pressed. Ideally, a player with his passing profile would be a lot more secure in possession. But Priso is only a moderately progressive passer and a little loose with the ball. Priso was not super active defensively in this game. Looking at his stats, it seems like he normally makes a lot of tackles so this game may have been an aberration on that front. But he did a good job of holding his position and fulfilling his role in the team’s defensive shape. He made quite a few interceptions, a testament to his solid defensive positioning. Priso did not do very much dribbling or ball-carrying in this game. Again, based on his stats, this seems to be something he usually does more of. But in this particular match, he was mostly looking to pass the ball rather than run with it. Priso doesn’t really stand physically. He’s 5’8 which is about average. His strength, speed, and athleticism all seemed to be about average.
Rating: B2
This was honestly a pretty disappointing performance from Priso, a player I have mostly heard positive things about. It wasn’t a total disaster of a performance by any means but he didn’t do much to distinguish himself. Based on the stats this may well have just been an off night for Priso. I would have to watch him more to say for sure.