Colorado Rapids have been recently benefiting from the improved form of strikers Gabriel Torres and Edson Buddle. Even though they both are at the different ends of their career, manager Oscar Pareja believes that they can form a deadly partnership for the club in the rest of the campaign. Colorado have been defeated only once in the last five matches, which is a form that has seen them rise to the fifth position. Hence, they will be participating in the play-offs if the league finishes of now. They have a four-point advantage over the team below them – Vancouver Whitecaps, although Vancouver do have a game in hand.

Colorado will be hoping to get three points from a difficult away match against Portland Timbers during the weekend, which will then be followed by a home match against inform Seattle Sounders. Due to that of nature of both these matches, Pareja is hoping to use this attacking strength to good effect. He believes that Torres and Buddle can form a great partnership, which will help them overcome some of their negative aspects. The club has scored just over 1.5 goals per game, but Buddle himself has got three goals in his last two matches.

Torres has been brought in as the designated player for the club.

“I think they complement each other. Edson has the strength, and we need to hold the ball and spread it after, and Gaby has the mobility, the diagonal movement. So they complement each other. It comes into the equation. Turf is turf, and as good as he could be, it’s not natural and it pounds the guys a lot,” said the manager about the possible partnership between his two strikers. Buddle has suffered a lot of injury problems in the past, but it appears that he has put them behind this season.