Resurgence of the Rapids
November 2024
Over the past few years, the Colorado Rapids have been something of a joke to almost every other MLS team. Last season they finished dead last in the Western Conference, with a record of 5-12-17. Something had to change. Former head coach Robin Fraser, who’d been in charge for about four years, was sacked, and Chris Armas was brought in. The roster was completely rehauled, with new, talented faces being brought in. Four major players rose to the occasion to help the Rapids make a resurgence back to the playoffs, and back to relevance.
Cole Basset
Basset is a 23-year old homegrown player from the Rapids youth club, signing for the professional team in 2018. He’s been relatively mediocre, up until the most recent season when he exploded onto the scene. He scored a career high 9 goals, and provided 7 assists, becoming the example of the team's revival. When he was snubbed from the US men's national team for the Olympics, he promptly turned around and showcased his incredible attacking skill. In a 3-2 thriller over Real Salt Lake, he assisted the first two goals and neatly finished an 88th minute penalty, bringing the Rocky Mountain Cup back to Colorado for the first time since 2020. An extraordinarily talented player who will still be around for many years to come, Basset has become the new symbol of Colorado soccer.
Zac Steffen
Arguably the biggest achievement of Chris Armas this season was to bring the Rapids to third place in the Leagues Cup, earning them the nickname “The darlings from Denver”. However without a certain goalkeeper, none of that would have come to fruition. Steffen is a former Manchester City goalkeeper, who has trained among some of the best in the world. Upset with his lack of game time, he moved to the Rapids, and quickly made his impact known. The Rapids were ranked as one of the lowest seeded teams in the tournament - instead they came out on top in a series of high-profile penalty shootouts, with two saves against Leon to take them to the knockout round, and one save against Mexican champions Club America before Steffen took the final penalty kick to seal the win and take his team to the semifinals. After years of devastatingly incompetent defensive work, Steffen is a breath of fresh air.
Đorđe Mihailović
While Basset was snubbed from the Olympics, Mihailović was the one invited. He scored one goal at the Olympics, leading a young US men's national team as one of the older players allowed on their roster. Over the 2024 season, he was involved in 25 goal attempts out of 55 goals, providing a massive amount of their attacking firepower. He was even considered as an MVP candidate at one point. A skilled midfielder who formerly made his home in Europe, Mihailović was one of the biggest acquisitions of the new era of the Rapids. Arguably one of the biggest factors to bring them back to their place in the MLS and able to take a game by the scruff of the neck and drag the Rapids back into it, Mihailović has brought the joy back into watching the team. Rapid’s fans won’t be keen to see him leaving anytime soon.
Rafael Navarro
Navarro joined the Rapids on a year-long loan with the option to make the move permanent. After just a month, the Rapids had seen enough. He was signed on a four year contract. He buried a penalty to help win the first Rocky Mountain Cup game against Real Salt Lake, and another to draw against Inter Miami and the great Lionel Messi. Navarro has become the leading man for the Rapids front line, with a fiery and passionate personality. He was the top scorer for the Rapids, scoring 15 goals while also providing assists for his teammates. He ended up as the 15th highest goal scorer in the league, providing the finishing expertise sorely lacking by his predecessors. Navarro is the spark the Rapids never knew they needed.
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