The Colorado Rapids are looking to bounce back in 2024 after a season to forget in 2023 where it was historically bad. After coming in 14th in the MLS Western Conference, getting knocked out of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by Rocky Mountain rivals Real Salt Lake, crashing out of Leagues Cup before the knockouts, and sacking Head Coach Robin Fraser - the Colorado Rapids have made some significant changes to turn things around and build off a winning and positive culture at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park.
Let’s take a look at what’s ahead for the Colorado Rapids.
End of 2023
Towards the end of the 2023 regular season, the Colorado Rapids lost all motivation and hope to possibly shoot for what seemed impossible, a playoff spot, their last chance to salvage something out of 2023. On September 5th, 2023 the Colorado Rapids and Head Coach Robin Fraser decided to part ways after a 2-0 defeat on the road to Real Salt Lake being the final straw.
https://twitter.com/ColoradoRapids/status/1699079055503675610
Interim coach Chris Little stepped in while the club took its time looking for all available options to replace Robin Fraser. In the eight games that Little was interim Head Coach, the Rapids managed two wins, two draws, and four losses. The Colorado Rapids ended their 2023 campaign with five wins, 12 draws, and 17 losses attaining 26 goals for and 54 goals against. The new year couldn’t come soon enough.
The Offseason
The Colorado Rapids got going in the off season fast and made some significant changes in their front office, bringing in a new head coach in Chris Armas and cleared house of certain players to make room for the style of play and players that Armas will utilize this 2024 season to bounce back.
On November 17th, 2023 the Colorado Rapids announced that Chris Armas will be the 10th permanent head coach in club history. Colorado Rapids President, Padraig Smith, had this to say about the welcoming of Chris Armas, “Chris brings a wealth of experience across the highest levels of the game, both as a player and as a coach. He is a natural leader who demands the highest standards from his players and understands what it takes to build a positive, and winning culture. We believe he has the personal qualities, experience, and shared vision to help us achieve the success we speak.”
Head Coach Chris Armas does bring experience from Major League Soccer having spent time with the New York Red Bulls as an assistant coach from June 2017 to July 2018 then becoming their head coach from July 2018 to September 2020. He also managed Toronto FC from January 2021 to July 2021 as well as spending time as an assistant head coach at Manchester United from December 2021 to May 2022.
With a new head coach coming to Colorado, his style of play and players to fit that style had to come with. The off season saw 14 players leaving the club, either for good or on loan, with a mixture of club veterans and some younger players. The players who left the club:
Andrew Gutman to Chicago Fire
Luis Diaz on a free transfer, signed with Deportivo Saprissa
Gustavo Vallecilla on a free transfer, still a free agent
Max Alves, if I speak… - now plays with Cuiaba
Sam Nicholson on a free transfer, now with Motherwell
Remi Cabral on loan to Phoenix Rising FC
Miguel Navarro on loan to Talleres
Danny Wilson on a free, now with Queens Park
Braian Galvan for an undisclosed fee, now with Banfield
Aboubacar Keita on loan with Bohemian FC
Alex Gersbach off season buyout
Sidnei Tavares waives in off season
Jack Price released
Diego Rubio released, now with Austin FC
Although the list of players who have left the club seems kind of long, Chris Armas and Padraig Smith worked really well with their scouting department and brought in some quality players for Major League Soccer. A range of guys who have U.S. Men’s National Team experience, experience playing abroad, and some high potential players from the MLS SuperDraft. Those players are:
Miguel Navarro, now on loan with Chicago Fire
Kimani Stewart-Bayne, MLS SuperDraft
Zack Steffen, from Manchester City
Djordje Mihailovic from AZ Alkmaar
Jasper Loffelsend from Real Salt Lake
Samuel Vines BACK from Royal Antwerp
Lamine Diack on loan from Nantes
Adam Beaudry from Rapids 2
Nate Jones, MLS SuperDraft
Jackson Travis, MLS SuperDraft
Omir Fernandez from New York Red Bulls
Wayne Frederick from MLS SuperDraft
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The new group of players alongside Head Coach Chris Armas just got back from their pre-season campaign, where they traveled to Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico for half of their games and then to Orlando, Florida for the second half of their fixtures. In preseason they faced off against Atletico Morelia and were defeated 1-3. They then faced off against Queretaro FC and won 5-1. Their last match in Mexico was against Atlante FC and they also won 5-1. Following their spell in Mexico having scored 11 goals and conceded 5 they traveled to Orlando, Florida to face off against two MLS teams and one USL Championship team. They first faced off against CF Montreal and won 6-2 and then tied Hartford Athletic 2-2 before their last match of preseason against Orlando City SC. They unfortunately came short against Orlando and lost 2-3.
Now the Colorado Rapids are back and getting ready to face off against the Portland Timbers on MLS 2024 Match Day 1. The game will be played on the road at Providence Park.
2024 Outlook and Predictions
It’s not realistic for me or for any Rapids fans to say that the off season acquisitions and the appointment of Chris Armas would instantly put them at the top of the MLS Western Conference and now a competitive side, given we haven’t really seen how the team plays under Chris Armas. We know his high intensity pressing, defensive priority, and football fluidity will be a change of scene for Rapids fans who after seeing Robin Fraser in 2023 continuously change the line ups and play different styles of football, the Rapids never had a solid image going forward for that campaign. In my Area Sports Network predictions, I do have the Colorado Rapids making it into a playoff spot finishing 7th in the MLS Western Conference. Why is that you ask?
Well last year the Colorado Rapids were defensively better at home, managing to squeeze draws out when they could’ve easily lost those games. Building off of a home field advantage, the acquisition of Sam Vines and Zack Steffen will only bring the defense up and give it the ability to play out of the back. Young talent, Moise Bombito will enter his second year with the Rapids and it looks like he will already be an important player for Chris pairing up with Andreas Maxso and Lalas Abubakar at times in the center back position.
The team also added guys with excellent ball movement and vision to assist Connor Ronan and Cole Bassett in feeding the forwards. Both Djordje Mihailovic and Omir Fernandez on the wings will give the ability to put in crosses for Rafael Navarro, as well as intricate through balls to split the defense, and the ability to take on players 1 on 1.
The big question will be if the big man up top, Rafael Navarro will be able to hit the ground running and score some goals this season. Cole Bassett in an interview with DNVR Rapids said he predicts Navarro to score at least 10 goals this season. This would make Navarro the first player since Diego Rubio to score double digit goals in one season for the Colorado Rapids. We saw the likes of Kevin Cabral and Darren Yapi play up top at times last season, unable to find the back of the net consistently throughout the season. Those are still two guys with lots of pace and potential to come in late during the game and make a difference for the Rapids against tired and winded opposition.
The Rapids start the season with a pretty tough schedule, first on the road against Portland Timbers, then hosting Nashville SC at home ( who defeated the Rapids in Leagues Cup over the summer), and then back on the road against Rocky Mountain Rivals Real Salt Lake. That’s not even the worst part of this early campaign. The Colorado Rapids then will face off against the Seattle Sounders, heavily favored to finish first in the MLS Western Conference. After the road game in Seattle, the Rapids head home and host the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Champions Houston Dynamo and then go up against MLS Runners-Up LAFC a week later at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park.
The month of March will be a real test to see how the Colorado Rapids can play against tough opposition in their conference and how the Chris Armas system works. Realistically it will be hard to tell how many points the team can achieve given we haven’t seen any of these teams play, however being a little optimistic in the changes they have made and how Chris Armas has shifted the culture and mentality of the locker room, if the Rapids have that dog in them, I can see them come out with 13 out of a possible 18 points with the only loss against Seattle Sounders on the road. Victories against Portland Timbers, Nashville SC, Real Salt Lake, and an injury plagued Houston Dynamo are not as unrealistic as some might think. However, we could also see the Rapids come out with only 7 points out of the 18 if they draw almost all their games like they did in 2023.
Colorado Rapids, you CANNOT tie your way into the playoffs. You tried last year.
Personal Piece
I am excited to be bringing coverage of the Colorado Rapids this season once again, going into my third year covering this team for Area Sports Network I have learned a lot about the team and how they operate on and off the field. There is a real sense of positivity and a shift now that Chris Armas is here, and although he has won the locker room and some fans off the field, it will be what happens during those 90 minutes on the field that determine his success. Robin Fraser said it best last season in a post game press conference, “This is a result based industry.” That’s exactly what the fans and media across the country want to see, can the Colorado Rapids bring results? I guess we’ll wait and see.
Game: MLS Match Day 1
Portland Timbers vs Colorado Rapids - 8.30 pm MT kickoff
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