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Zac MacMath: Ready and ‘fresh as possible’ to start for Colorado Rapids on Sunday

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids play host to Orlando City SC this Sunday at 2:00 PM MST. The match will be nationally broadcasted on ESPN, a first for the 2018 Rapids. The club will be without captain and goalkeeper Tim Howard, who received a red card in their last match. Enter Zac MacMath.

Zac MacMath: Ready and ‘fresh as possible’ to start for Colorado Rapids on Sunday

Fortunately for the Burgundy and Blue, they have one of the most battle-tested back-ups in Zac MacMath, an eight-year veteran. MacMath is feeling prepared for his first MLS start of the year and will be ready for Sunday, as he told Last Word on Soccer this week.

“I will train a little bit lighter than I usually do. I usually go pretty hard in the first couple days of the week. This week I’ll go a bit lighter and try and keep my body as fresh as possible.”

MacMath played in the second leg of Colorado’s CONCACAF Champions League series against Toronto FC, earning a clean sheet at BMO Field. He won’t be totally rusty going into Sunday, having played 68 minutes against RSL after Howard’s dismissal. He should be ready physically to step in and play well.

Not much else changes for MacMath this week. The tactical planning and film study will be the business as usual for MacMath and the back line.

“We’ll do all that as a team, and talk amongst ourselves as we always do every week with everyone involved,” MacMath said, referring to the film review and team meetings.

The defense will want to work on tightening up a few things as well. No one can fault MacMath for the first RSL goal on Saturday, a penalty kick, or the second, and attack on the counter with the Rapids down a man and exhausted.

The third goal, however, came on a short free kick just outside the box. Albert Rusnák scored the goal, bending the ball around the wall and inside the near post with MacMath on the other side of the six-yard box.

“[Rusnák] did a good job of disguising that he was going to cross it. I probably shouldn’t have had three guys on the wall. I just didn’t get a good look at it from when he kicked it.”

Hudson is feeling optimistic about his team and MacMath despite the bitter end to a hard-fought game.

“It was difficult circumstances to come on. I thought he stood up to the challenge. In the end, we were unfortunate,” Hudson said this week.

Orlando City are dangerous on free kicks and weak at defending them. Look for set pieces to play a big role in this match. The Rapids will have to be better on both ends to come away with a result.

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