The Colorado Rapids are winless in 12 consecutive matches. They are 14 points out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, stuck in seventh place, just ahead of a club (Chivas USA) that will go on hiatus at the end of this season. Clearly, they are not having a good year.
Bad franchises can often compound things by simply rejecting any negative press coverage. It makes a brand look thin-skinned, impervious to what may of the fan base sees as obvious deficiencies. A club can look very out of touch with reality.
So it’s disappointing to see that the Rapids have apparently done just that, forcing out MLSsoccer.com beat writer Chris Bianchi over what was apparently a “difference in opinion” on coverage.
https://twitter.com/Rapids_News/status/522490627502927874
https://twitter.com/Rapids_News/status/522490660302389248
https://twitter.com/Rapids_News/status/522490681823330304
The news received retweets from the likes of Grant Wahl, Taylor Twellman, and others from MLS and Denver media circles.
No statement has come from the Rapids, but a quick look through Bianchi’s body of work would suggest that his work was overly critical of first-year manager (and former MLS/USMNT player) Pablo Mastroeni. Considering the writer in question works for the league, they likely weren’t too pleased that their beat reporter was giving them the (seemingly justified) business, even if none of this seems all that controversial.
Regardless, it speaks to the awkward balance that a league largely trying to drum up its own coverage and news cycle has to tip toe when covering its own product. It’s not a great look from the Rapids, but it certainly can’t be the easiest of situations to be in when a club is struggling and some of the only press coverage is coming from your own league. Not that we’re agreeing with this move, but it’s just a bad situation overall.
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About Steve Lepore
Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.