The HTHL Interviews: Jack Price (Part 2)
Part two w/Jack Price. He reflects on the captains role in welcoming new players, in what the Rapids need to do better, on the addition of Gyasi Zardes to the club, a possible future after the Rapids.
Soccer Rabbi: So are you excited to play against LAFC now that they have added Gareth Bale and George Chiellini? (Listener note: This was a stupid question, because I failed to realize that the Rapids had played all their matches against LAFC for the year, but it elicited a good reply.)
Jack Price: I don’t think we play them again, do we?
SR: Well, maybe in the playoffs. Have you ever played against either of them?
JP: No, I’ve not come across ‘em. It's gonna give them a lift, LAFC, you know, as strong as they were before. And those two additions - they’re going to be a tough one to sort of knock off the top spot this year.
SR: Speaking of players in - players out, you are basically the most veteran player on the Colorado Rapids right now. And you've seen just the last couple of weeks guys coming in and coming out. You've added Sam Nicholson, you've added Max Alves at the beginning of the season, you added (Gustavo) Vallecilla a couple of weeks ago. And then, of course, Auston Trusty has just gone off to Arsenal and now Birmingham
How do you find your role as the captain in kind of welcoming guys in and also kind of seeing guys out as they move on to other teams?
JP: Yeah, I feel like when the new boys come in, it's trying to help them settle as quickly as possible and make them feel welcome with us. Just, you know, have a little conversation with them. “Where you living? How’re you doing?” Just make them feel part of the team. Because it's tough. You know, I remember when I first came here, and I didn’t know anyone.
And it’s fortunate, like, Sammy (Nicholson) is lucky. There’s still a lot of the boys and the staff that are still here from when he first came.1 I know talking to him, it's been an easy transition to come back. And you know that some people like, Ralph (Priso), Max, and Gus (Gustavo Vallecilla2), you know, they don’t speak the language. So it's tough for them. And obviously, for me to communicate to them is also tough, but just to help them settle in as quickly as possible.
And I help them with how the gaffer wants us to play. The coaching staff are brilliant. All the players they see, like Ralph, for example, they let them know how we need him to play in the midfield and, fair play to him3! In his first 45 minutes … give him a day in the altitude, it is tough to get used to that … he did a great job on his first start.4
And the people that have just gone off, like Trusty, and Cole Bassett? Brilliant players, young players. I'm excited for their futures. You wish them all the best. Trusty especially. He was a big part of us being as consistent and as solid as we were last year. But I wish for the best for him, to move on. It's brilliant for them to come to Europe and get a taste of it, because it's a fantastic experience.
I've been lucky enough - I was there in England for forever and I’m on my fifth team. And I'm pretty lucky that I've had two great clubs that have been loyal to me and I've been able to be loyal to them. It's not easy, you know? It's not an easy thing in football. There's always a lot of change. And I can see why it's tough. Players move on every year, don't they? So I've been lucky and fortunate enough to have had two great clubs that have stuck by me.
SR: How has Gyasi Zardes integrated into the team? And what's it like having you - a veteran of the Rapids and him - kind of a veteran of Major League Soccer, who's really been around the league - working together and talking together?
JP: He’s fantastic. I remember speaking to Lalas (Abubakar) before he came, and Lalas is like “Aw, he's one of the nicest folks you'll ever meet.” And he is exactly that. You know, he is exactly what you want in a teammate. He works his absolutely socks off every single day. Honestly, he, he's brilliant. Even though he's not young anymore, his work rate is phenomenal. You know, you see it in games where you might not get a bit of luck here and there on the goal, but he doesn't stop. It doesn't change. I hear the the gaffer (Robin Fraser) say after the game "it's a long time coming for him to get a run of goals because he's had some brilliant, really good chances." He's been very unfortunate and in some offsides calls, especially the weekend given. But one thing he won't do is ever give up on his teammates. And he's been a fantastic fantastic addition. He's so good to having in the changing room. Such a nice bloke. You know exactly what you're going to get from him. And he is a goal scorer.5
SR: What does the team need to do to make the playoffs? What changes has the coach been emphasizing or ideas that you guys need to keep working on for the last half of the season to get into the top seven?
JP: Consistency is the biggest thing. Consistency; we know exactly how we want to play. That hasn't changed from when we had different form. And obviously now we're … playing great football and getting results.6 But it doesn't change. We have to believe in what the manager wants from us. Coaching staff ... every day in drills for the players ... it doesn't change how we want to play. and we have our certain ways with and without the ball.
It's just more consistent weeks. I look at games during the season - Dallas away were absolutely blowing him away in the first half and they score a wonder goal right on half time7. And it actually changed, then, going into the second half and how we play. And I feel like we've done that too much this year. If we go a goal down or equalize or get one back on us, we sort of go away from what we know works. And so that's where the consistency comes in.
And just the belief, actually, we had so much belief that we were a good team. We need to believe that we are a good team. Because we beat Seattle, LAFC, LA Galaxy; these are like the top teams in this league, and we made them look very, very average. So to have that belief. But we have to have that consistency, too. We can't turn up one week, and then not another next.
SR: You know, a lot of guys at the, towards the back end of their professional careers. They're starting to make big plans, they they want to play for their home club, they want to go back to Europe, they want to retire with the same team that they've been with for a long time. What do you see as your future in soccer? Where do you think you'll be in a few years from now? Is this it? Are you going to make your home in MLS? Are you thinking about a triumphant return, to Wolves? Are going to try your hand and make a lot of money in China? Like, what's the plan?
JP: I don’t think China’s on the table. (Laughs)
Honestly, this is my fifth year now and it's blown by, and I've had a fantastic relationship with the GM Padraig (Smith), the gaffer (Robin Fraser). Obviously, when he first came in, and given me the captaincy. And I feel like, as much as they've given me, I've given back in these five years. And, you know, if it's another five years? Absolutely fantastic.8 Sometimes it's not up to what I want. The club may go in a different direction, or, you know, performance wise or whatever.
You never know with football. That's always the beauty. You never know where you're gonna be next day ... from one day to the next. Right now I'm not thinking about my future, I'm just thinking about getting 100 percent healthy and helping this club get towards the top of the table.
I have another year, next year, guaranteed. So, we'll see obviously. I'll be almost 30 then.
I've always had it in the back of my mind that - I've never played for my hometown team Shrewsbury. That's always something that means a lot to me. It's where I'm from, and, you know, eventually maybe I want to end my career there. But you never know. I can't say I want to be there two, three, four, five years, because they might not want me anyways. So it's weird. I see players, they say “I don’t want to be here. I want to be there.” But you never know. You know, a manager might not make it. You haven't really got that say.
But honestly, right now my mind on getting back fit and playing for this fantastic club and give it my all, like I do every every Saturday and especially for the fans. I just want to keep driving and keep this team on the upward scale. And whatever happens in the future happens. I'm just sort of focused on what's way ahead.
Nicholson was with the 2018 and 2019 Rapids. Keegan Rosenberry, Diego Rubio, Lalas Abubakar, and Danny Wilson were all with the team back then, as well as Jack Price.
I had no idea until this moment that the players called Vallecilla ‘Gus’.
This was something of a Shropshire-ism that clearly means ‘hey the kid did good in his first run out’.
Ralph Priso’s first start for Colorado was on July 16, just four days before this interview. Priso played 45 minutes, had 17 touches, and was 10/12 on passing as the Rapids beat LA Galaxy 2-0. In the Rapids last match against Philadelphia, he may have been the best player for Colorado in one of their worst outings all year.
Zardes struggled in his first outings for Colorado, scoring just 1 goal in his first 9 matches. Then, just before this interview, Zardes bagged goals in consecutive games. Then, just after the interview, against Minnesota on August 6, he had a hat trick, and he was the lone goal scorer for Colorado against Vancouver, giving him 7 goals and 2 assists on 9.2 Expected Goals. I set the over/under for Gyasi at 12 goals, and there are just 7 games to go in the season, so it seems like he might be a little under expectations.
At the time of the interview, July 20, the Rapids had a win and two draws in their last 3 matches. Since that time, they’ve been 2-3-4 (WTL). Jack Price played on August 6 in a 4-3 win over Minnesota and suffered an upper body injury, coming off at the half, and hasn’t played since. I have inquired with the Rapids for additional details on that injury, and the club will hopefully get back to me on that question.
Rapids away to FC Dallas on April 9. Brandon Servania in perhaps the best goal scored against Colorado this year.
Price signed a two-year extension with the club in January 2022 that runs through the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with club options for renewal in 2024 and 2025. Price turns 30 years old this December.