ReportWire

Tag: more rapids news

  • Rapids nearing deal to send star Homegrown Cole Bassett to Portland Timbers, source confirms

    [ad_1]

    The best homegrown player in Colorado Rapids history is close to being dealt to a conference rival.

    The club is nearing a deal to send 24-year-old midfielder Cole Bassett to the Portland Timbers for a $2.65 million fee with an additional $1.05 million in conditional add-ons, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Tuesday evening. The Rapids will retain a percentage of a transfer if Portland deals him in the future. The Athletic first reported the deal.

    The move is an intra-league cash trade, a new mechanism within MLS that no longer has a limit of two inbound and two outbound cash trades per season. The Rapids haven’t been too active in the winter transfer window so far, but have made two key signings and are now finalizing one imposing outbound move. If completed, the transfer will free up a U-22 slot on the roster.

    Bassett became the model for what the club’s academy could produce. After spending much of his youth days at Colorado Rush, he joined the Rapids Academy at the U-16/17 level and immediately made an impact, even playing games with the U-23 team (now known as Rapids 2 in MLS NEXT Pro). He signed a first-team contract in 2018, just two weeks after turning 17, making the Littleton native the youngest signing in club history at the time.

    Bassett spent seven seasons in Commerce City, made 155 regular-season appearances for the club (128 starts) and scored 31 goals to go with 22 assists.

    He got some MLS Best XI buzz in 2024 in former coach Chris Armas’ first year in Colorado, when he played as a box-to-box defensive midfielder. He finished that campaign with career single-season highs of nine goals and seven assists while being in the league’s upper echelon in distance covered.

    That same season, he was a late scratch from the 2024 U.S. Olympic squad in France. After being told he was on the roster, U.S. Olympic coach Marko Mitrović changed his mind days before the roster was announced. Bassett responded by recording three goals and three assists in his next four games.

    Last season, though, his fit deteriorated and his production slipped. As the talent and system of the roster shifted, Bassett was forced into an uncomfortable position on the wing and couldn’t replicate his efficacy of the year prior. He finished with just three goals and four assists and was vocal all season about his discontent — but also willingness and desire to win — with playing out wide.

    And with first-time head coach Matt Wells now at the helm, the change in philosophy may have suited Bassett even less this year than it did last year. One of the splashes the club made earlier this month was a $3 million transfer for pure ball-winning defensive midfielder Hamzat Ojediran.

    That price tag alone signals a large role for the Nigerian, but it also indicates the club wants defensive reinforcement at the position, which isn’t naturally the best part of Bassett’s game. The club also spent $2 million in general allocation money on a transfer for CF Montréal winger Dante Sealy, who should start in the season opener.

    To put the money from Bassett’s transfer to use, the Rapids still have a couple of holes in the roster to fill, just 25 days from the opener at the Seattle Sounders. Defensively, the roster is stacked with young center-back talent to pair with English veteran Rob Holding and experienced MLS center back Ian Murphy, but one more solid, proven piece could turn that group from good to great.

    The same goes for both outside back positions, especially after late-2025 spark plug Rafael Santos’ 2026 option was declined and he signed with St. Louis CITY. Attacking-wise, the club could target a striker to complement Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi and provide better depth and more tactical flexibility.

    Bassett won’t wait long for his return to Colorado — the Rapids’ home opener is against the Timbers on Feb. 28.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rapids’ season ends on last-minute equalizer by LAFC

    [ad_1]

    Holding a lead with less than five minutes to go, the Colorado Rapids had the playoffs in their hands late Saturday night.

    A few minutes later, their season was over — done in by an awkward bounce and rebound that allowed red-hot LAFC to equalize in the 90th minute and dash the Rapids’ hopes of qualifying for the wild card round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

    With Real Salt Lake choking away a lead of its own against St. Louis, Colorado would have sealed the No. 9 seed in the west had it held on at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

    Instead, the 2-all draw kept the Rapids (11-15-8) out of the postseason for the third time in four years and sent them into an offseason filled with uncertainty.

    “(It’s) pretty much just the highest highs and the lowest lows,” said forward Darren Yapi, whose 87th-minute header put the Rapids ahead, 2-1. “Scoring that goal, I felt like we were through (to the playoffs) and that we were good, and then, you know, they responded. I can’t even process it right now.”

    LAFC substitute Andrew Moran tied the game up in the 90th minute after a shot ricocheted off the post straight to his boot. Son Heung-Min opened the scoring with a rocket in the first half, then Paxten Aaronson opened his Rapids account to equalize in the 62nd minute.

    No team has found a solution to Son and Denis Bouanga’s reign of terror since the South Korean icon’s arrival for a league-record transfer fee 10 games ago. But to the Rapids’ credit, both were relatively neutralized aside from Son’s stunner. They’ve done that to plenty of striking powers, especially at DSGP, but it didn’t protect them from the final few minutes, when the mood of the team swung as much as it possibly could have.

    That’s been a theme of the 2025 Rapids. Coach Chris Armas and numerous players preached their rule of thumb that mentally, they don’t get too high or too low. According to Cole Bassett, that gets difficult when it seems like peaks and valleys are all that exist.

    “It hits a little bit more once the season is over and you know you’re probably not playing a game for three months. That’s tough for all of us to process, and we didn’t want to go out this way,” Bassett said. “I think throughout the season, you definitely need to stay even-keeled, but there’s definitely things we can work on from what (Armas) has said throughout the year, because maybe we did get too high or too low in moments and that cost us games.”

    Another core principle of this season has been uncertainty and turbulence, which is now carrying through to the offseason.

    Just this summer, Chidozie Awaziem requested a transfer to France for personal reasons, then the club’s talisman, Djordje Mihailovic, demanded a trade to Toronto near the end of the window. Replacements came in for both, but their efficacy in those roles is still to be determined with just a few games under their belt.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rapids to face rival Real Salt Lake with playoff hopes, trophy front and center

    [ad_1]

    Confidence isn’t exactly surging in Commerce City.

    Entering the final two-game stretch of the MLS regular season, the Colorado Rapids are looking over their shoulder as they hit the straightaway of a marathon that began back in February.

    Closing in behind them is Real Salt Lake, which hosts the Rapids at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the Rocky Mountain Cup finale in Sandy, Utah. Two weeks later, the Rapids close the season at home against the league’s current best attacking duo in Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min, who have scored LAFC’s last 18 goals in the eight games since Son joined the club.

    RSL, currently just three points back from the Rapids in 11th place in the Western Conference, has two things going for it: Momentum with a 3-1 win over sixth-place Austin last Saturday, and a knack for burying the Rapids at America First Field. Not to mention Colorado’s dismal road form as of late.

    A positive: The Rapids have beaten RSL this year already. That was back in May, when Djordje Mihailovic struck in the 70th minute for the game’s only tally. They had also been on a bad run of form away from home leading up to that match, going 0-3-1 in their previous four games.

    A little extra motivation: The Rapids could walk away with their second straight Rocky Mountain Cup with a win, draw or one-goal loss. The trophy, however inconsequential in the big picture, is taken seriously by the club.

    “It’s a two-for-one. I mean, it’s got all the reasons to win the game. The Rocky Mountain Cup is for our fans, so for us it’s one of the most important things,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “Every time there’s a trophy on the line, we want to be playing for that and put ourselves in that spot. You win that game, it puts you three points closer to the playoffs, gets us the Rocky Mountain Cup. It’s 100 out of 100 important to make the playoffs; same time, lifting that trophy would be huge for our fans.”

    The Rapids looked good post-Leagues Cup after Mihailovic forced his way out of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in August, nabbing three points on the road against a top-3 Western Conference team in Minnesota United. Since then, they’ve collected seven points in six games, a stretch that could have yielded at least 10 points, and arguably more.

    That said, the Rapids do still have an ounce of control left in regard to securing an MLS playoff spot, mostly thanks to the West’s middle of the pack cannibalizing itself week after week. Mathematically, Colorado gets in with two wins.

    But when asked if the Rapids are up for that sort of mental challenge, goalkeeper Zack Steffen didn’t offer much certainty.

    “I have no idea. We’ll see come Saturday,” Steffen said after training on Tuesday. “All we can do is push every day in training, and when the game comes, give it our best.”

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Santos opens Rapids account, but Colorado draws at home to Minnesota United

    [ad_1]

    The Colorado Rapids live to fight another matchday, but seemingly just barely.

    A 1-all home draw to Minnesota on Saturday night felt like a must-win, despite the Rapids starting the night in a playoff spot. A loss would have been detrimental to holding onto that position, but every point in the standings is crucial at this stage.

    Rafael Santos opened his Rapids account with a 45+1st minute free kick for his fourth goal contribution in as many starts for the club. From 20 yards out and two yards right of the center of the goal, Santos drilled a lefty shot around Minnesota’s wall and into the opposite side netting past Dayne St. Clair.

    Santos, acquired from Orlando City for a measly $125,000 in General Allocation Money in August, has been clinical at left back in a short span. Though there have been times his defending has been questionable in transition, his offensive output is already the best this team has seen in years at outside back.

    And the production doesn’t end at contribution to scoring. He’s taking most set pieces — free kicks and corner kicks — in the absence of the steadfast Djordje Mihailovic at the role. An assist and a goal have come directly from him taking free kicks.

    His acquisition was described as a competition piece for Sam Vines, who plays similarly to Santos, but it doesn’t seem like much of a race for position anymore. Still, Vines subbed on in the final 10 minutes to get at least some run. But his playing time has slowly diminished as Santos continues to break out.

    Minnesota equalized in the 65th minute via a rocket by midfielder Nectarios Triantis. A deflection bounced kindly to Triantis, enough to blast a shot from 25 yards out past a diving Zack Steffen. In many ways, the goal itself took the wind out of Colorado’s sails, but so did the way the game opened up to a coast-to-coast affair afterward.

    The Rapids came inches from a last-kick winner, a Cole Bassett header which St. Clair saved. Neither side could break through for a winner.

    Pending other west-coast results, the Rapids are still in eighth, but the gap between the next few teams is that much closer. To Colorado’s detriment, a couple of them still have a game in hand, which makes it feel like the draw means playoff hopes are no longer entirely in the Rapids’ control.

    Their final two games are away to rivals Real Salt Lake and a Decision-Day nightmare home matchup against Denis Bouanga’s and Son Heung-Min’s LAFC. That game, if LAFC still has a higher seed to play for, seems insurmountable against that duo of wingers, which alone has scored LAFC’s last 18 goals.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rafael Santos impresses as Rapids beat Houston at the death

    [ad_1]

    Rafael Santos is already worth the price of admission.

    Three games into his Colorado Rapids tenure, the club paying $125,000 in General Allocation Money — less than the going price of an international roster slot — is looking like highway robbery.

    The left back has three assists in that time span, including one on the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win against the Houston Dynamo at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

    The assist itself wasn’t spectacular, but it was smart and required careful execution. On a free kick from striking distance, Santos lined up and postured to take it, but instead dragged it behind him to set up Cole Bassett for a shot on the move. The delicate setup created a path around the wall for Bassett to hit, which he did from about 22 yards out.

    The strike was Bassett’s third goal of the season and first since mid-July. It was his 31st all-time for the Rapids, tying him with Chris Henderson for the sixth most in club history.

    The Rapids’ winner came in the 90+6th minute, when a corner kick glanced off Paxten Aaronson’s head, then went in off Houston defender Felipe Andrade. All of DSGP thought Aaronson had scored his first goal for his new club, but it was credited as an own goal.

    Santos continued his hot start with a pair of impressive crosses later in the first half. Either one could have netted an additional assist.

    His signing was done in part to give competition to Sam Vines for the role moving forward with a less-than-impressive campaign from the Homegrown. So far, it’s a landslide at the top of that totem pole.

    What impresses about Santos is what has been lacking from Vines. Vines made a name for himself in 2021 running in attacks and whipping in solid crosses, essentially making himself a winger who tracked back to defend. His service has not been the same since returning to the Rapids for the 2024 season.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rapids’ 13-game home unbeaten streak snapped emphatically by LA Galaxy

    Rapids’ 13-game home unbeaten streak snapped emphatically by LA Galaxy

    [ad_1]

    Since joining the Colorado Rapids, Connor Ronan never complained about playing a role he’s not accustomed to in the defensive midfield.

    Wednesday night against MLS Western Conference leader LA Galaxy, he was rewarded with his first goal of the season — his second with the Rapids — on the way to a 3-1 loss.

    Even on the 45th minute scoring move, Ronan made a play to stop a dangerous Galaxy counterattack after a Rapids corner kick was cleared toward a streaking Joseph Paintsil. Ronan broke it up and played a ball to defender Reggie Cannon. Two passes later, and midfielder Djordje Mihailovic got the assist on Ronan’s left-footed blast from distance to the far post.

    After Ronan opened his account, he ran to the Rapids’ bench, where he and defender Lalas Abubakar held up a jersey toward the family suite that read “Monsieur Cabral” on the back. Kevin Cabral, whose father recently passed, was watching his teammates clap in his honor from the suite.

    Despite a dominant first half from the Rapids, two quick second-half goals from the Galaxy ultimately buried the Rapids. As a result, the 13-game unbeaten streak at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was snapped and the Rapids slid to sixth in the Western Conference.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rapids hold off Liga MX giants Club América in penalties to move onto Leagues Cup semifinal

    Rapids hold off Liga MX giants Club América in penalties to move onto Leagues Cup semifinal

    [ad_1]

    Why not the Colorado Rapids?

    The Rapids have spent the Leagues Cup wondering how much magic was stored in their reserves. Saturday night against Club América in the quarterfinal, every last drop was required.

    Tense at every touch of the ball and turn of the feet, the Rapids somehow held on against Liga MX giants — and arguably the best team on the continent — Club América. Colorado held them scoreless, then beat them in penalties, 9-8, to move onto a semifinal date with LAFC.

    Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen once again came up huge for the Rapids in penalties. After forward Rafael Navarro missed his team’s third penalty and América not yet missing, Steffen had to come up with an enormous save on the last of five penalties to send the shootout to sudden death.

    All four of each team’s next shooters stepped up and scored, including one by América that bounced off the post, ricocheted off of a diving Steffen’s head, then right back in the net. Last up were the goalies: América’s Luis Malagon and big-game Steffen. Steffen sent Malagon the wrong way; Malagon painted the grass outside of the left post.

    Ball game.

    That late in the order, Rapids coach Chris Armas said the next penalty-taker would be decided by who wanted it more. Defender Lalas Abubakar was halfway done with the long walk from midfield to the spot for the Rapids’ 10th penalty of the night. Steffen, who admitted to having to overcome mental and confidence struggles this year, waved Abubakar off.

    He wanted it more.

    “At one point, there were a lot of critics out there about Zack Steffen, but what I’ve gotten to see on the inside of our locker room and on the pitch is a professional, top talent,” Armas said. “He’s a real man on the pitch and he’s a leader, leads by example. He’s everything we want the Colorado Rapids to be about: quality, aggressive, humble.

    “Another day in the office for Zack Steffen.”

    In regulation, the match felt much like last Tuesday’s jaw-clenching win over Deportivo Toluca, sans the ball hitting the back of the net.

    The best first-half chance for the Rapids was in the 44th minute, when midfielder Cole Bassett made a nice move at the top of the box to free up space for a finesse shot to the bottom right corner which went just wide.

    In the second half, the Rapids’ best chance came from winger Calvin Harris after midfielder Djordje Mihailovic glanced a header to a streaking Harris down the middle. Harris took a long distance shot which Malagon had to save. That went down as the Rapids’ lone shot on goal all night.

    América, like Toluca, shot 21 times (four on goal). The possession wasn’t as one-sided as it was four days ago, but América still led in that category, 58% to 42%.

    The Rapids were forced into uncomfortable possession for long stretches of the game as América sat in a compact defense, not allowing for any easy build-up play or transition moments.

    Defensively, the Rapids suffered. Bent, but didn’t break. Lots of talk around the club over the past week has been around being able to come out on top of games in which they suffer.

    For Armas, that mentality has been forged from day one. As the stakes get bigger and the suffering gets worse, the feeling of advancing gets stronger.

    “I think it’s rare that you get to be a part of groups that are really team first, all about the team, who run for each other, suffer together,” Armas said. “They win together, they lose together, they are together. I try to remind them that it’s rare and you’ve got to keep fighting for it and appreciate it (in real time). It’s pure joy that only football and sport can do for you.”

    With the win, the Rapids have now beaten four Liga MX teams in a row and have knocked out the last Mexican team left in the tournament. Before this tournament, the Rapids had never beaten one in sanctioned play.

    They’ll stay in Los Angeles to face LAFC next Wednesday after it beat the Seattle Sounders, 3-0, earlier on Saturday.

    Perhaps even bigger for the Rapids: advance to the Leagues Cup final or win the third-place game, and they’ll punch their ticket to the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time since 2022.

    Colorado Rapids teammates celebrate as Club America goalkeeper Luis Malagón, bottom right, reacts on the ground after Malagón missed a penalty shot during the penalty shootout of a Leagues Cup quarterfinal soccer match Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Carson, Calif. (AP Photo/Raul Romero Jr.)

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Pádraig Smith on Rafael Navarro signing with Rapids through 2027: “This kid’s the full package”

    Pádraig Smith on Rafael Navarro signing with Rapids through 2027: “This kid’s the full package”

    [ad_1]

    The way the Colorado Rapids celebrated last Saturday after Rafael Navarro scored his 11th goal of the season said it all.

    The one-touch laser to the far post in second-half stoppage time of a 4-1 win over CF Montréal garnered wide smiles — even wider than the one usually on Navarro’s face — and a group hug.

    In the back of their minds, his teammates and coach Chris Armas knew a permanent signing was on the horizon. Wednesday, pen was put to paper, and Navarro will remain in burgundy through 2027 with an option for 2028.

    “That (celebration) spoke volumes to how he’s liked in the locker room,” Rapids president Pádraig Smith told The Denver Post.

    Navarro has 11 goals in 20 games this season, good for sixth in the MLS this year. His loan period was set to conclude at the end of the month. Now, the 24-year old Brazilian will stay in Commerce City for years to come.

    “I’m very happy to be here,” Navarro told media members after Friday’s training through his translator and Rapids language specialist Andre Hilf. “All three of (Hilf, Armas and Smith) were fundamental for me and for my performance. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be in this situation and wouldn’t be performing the way I’m performing.”

    Like much of the team last season, Navarro got into dangerous spots but only had one goal to show for it through 10 games. But what the organization saw was a goal-dangerous forward who was willing and able to defend, no matter the lows the team saw in its results.

    With a revamped team around him and a coach in Armas who centers game plans around players like Navarro, goal-dangerous turned into goal-scoring in 2024. At one point, he scored in five straight games, one game shy of the franchise record.

    “With Armas’ arrival, the style of play changed a lot and helped me very much,” Navarro said. “The coaching staff has been very supportive of me and has a lot of trust in me. They’ve told me what to do, what’s expected of me, playing inside and outside the box, so that has helped me a lot. I’m very grateful for it.”

    At his position, Navarro is one of the best defenders in the league this year, too.

    According to FBref, he is among the top 20% in a number of defensive metrics. It’s always been a part of Navarro’s game, but it has flourished in the MLS.

    “Back in Brazil, (Palmeiras coach) Abel Ferreira also practiced this style of play, so it helped when I came here and played this style,” Navarro said. “If I’m not scoring goals, I can help the team in other ways, whether it’s defending or anything else, I have to help the team. That’s the way it has to be.”

    For Smith, the decision to pursue a permanent deal wasn’t made the night Navarro scored his 11th, though. It wasn’t when he scored in five games straight.

    Thoughts of keeping him came much earlier. As the deadline came closer, it was only a matter of when, not if, the signing would take place.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link

  • Rapids working on “taking care of both boxes,” see weaknesses in Austin defense

    Rapids working on “taking care of both boxes,” see weaknesses in Austin defense

    [ad_1]

    The Colorado Rapids attacked their off-week by not attacking anything.

    Winger Omir Fernández went home to New York to see his family. Coach Chris Armas, when he wasn’t watching soccer, spent time with his dog.

    Returning to training this week after a week away, both of their tanks are full. With the rejuvenated energy, the week of training leading up to Saturday’s home match against Austin FC will be dedicated to righting the wrongs that led to a four-game winless streak heading into the international break.

    The main focus: Shoring up play in the penalty box on both ends of the field. Those moments led to some disappointing results at the end of May and into June, but Armas says it’s just part of the process of improving as a team.

    “We are becoming the team we want to become. We make young mistakes, but we are a young team,” Armas said. “When I look at it, taking care of both boxes (is important). We think we’re pretty stingy in many ways defensively. Can we get a little more urgent around our own box, stepping into plays and putting out little fires? And then (offensively), can we get a little more ruthless, make an extra pass to score more goals?

    “We’re going to get there. We have a good group.”

    Those sorts of issues have become a killer for the Rapids, whether it’s a matter of execution or just misfortune. Take the most recent game against Vancouver, when the difference between a win and a loss was a curling shot from Fernández that hit the post and went out with the game tied in the 85th minute.

    Six minutes later, Vancouver won the game when Keegan Rosenberry and Sam Vines were a split second late to push the offside line up, keeping Damir Kreilach onside for the game-winner.

    For Fernández, some struggles can be traced to earlier moments in possession that can make or break an attack: the first touch, whether on a long ball or key pass. Either way, he said, it’s just another one of the little actions the Rapids have to perfect in order to swing momentum in their favor moving forward.

    “As much as it doesn’t seem like it in a game, it’s our first touch that can kill or create attacks and that’s one of the small things we’re harping on,” Fernández said. “Small details, at the end of the day, cost us or give us goals and if we get better each game, we’re going to concede less and score more.”

    There’s no better opportunity than a home match after a two-week break, which might mean a little bit more given Austin will likely feature two former Rapids in Gyasi Zardes and Diego Rubio.

    Austin sits two spots and one point ahead of the Rapids in the Western Conference at the halfway point of the season. A win at home against another team jockeying for a middle position in the playoff race would be huge, particularly for a struggling Rapids team.

    [ad_2]

    Braidon Nourse

    Source link