Colorado Rapids, Photos

Gallery: Rapids 5-0 Earthquakes

With their mid-season turnaround in full form, the Colorado Rapids strung together consecutive victories for the first time since the start of the 2020 season. Mark Shaiken was on site for Rapids Republic at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to capture Colorado’s five goal pummeling of the San Jose Earthquakes.

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Colorado Rapids, Photos

Gallery: Rapids 1-1 Sporting K.C.

Caption this photo of Jack Price from the Colorado Rapids’ 1-1 draw with Sporting K.C. on Saturday, August 29, 2020. Mark Shaiken was on site at the quarantined Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to capture some of the match’s defining moments for Rapids Republic.

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Season Review

Reflections on 2019 Through the Lens of MLS’s Teams of the Week

With the CONCACAF Champions League officially underway and the Rapids on the cusp of Major League Soccer’s 25th Season, it seems like a perfect opportunity to wave one last goodbye to the 2019 Rapids season which left all of us supporters wanting more.

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Preseason

20 Predictions For 2020

Rejoice! The new season is upon us. With just two weeks left, the Rapids will begin play in the twenty-fifth season of Major League Soccer when they go to the nation’s capital to face D.C United. With much of the roster upgraded and with the team under the direction of Robin Fraser, the Rapids look to make the playoffs after a three-year absence.

Fan favorites like assist king Jack Price, the goalscoring duo of Diego Rubio and Kei Kamara, and the brick wall of Lalas Abubakar will join new faces like the quick-footed Nicolas Benezet, the up-and-coming Auston Trusty, and the club’s newest designated player Younes Namli. On paper, the Rapids look to be a dark horse contender amidst other teams with their Chicharitos, their Velas, and their Pulidos.

Here at Rapids Republic, I want to give you some hot but measurable takes about the Rapids with a hint of a “wait, what?” aftertaste. That’s why I, Juanners, the Resident Rapids Soccer Seer, am going to make some 2020 season predictions. LET’S BEGIN.

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Rapids Journal

Four Questions Facing the Rapids in Preseason [Updated]

After a busy week that saw the Colorado Rapids finalize terms with three major attacking talents, the first team reported to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for physicals Saturday morning. The offseason is finally over and we’ll soon have our first glimpse of the 2020 Colorado Rapids. Several years of roster building and three coaches have brought the Rapids to this moment, leaving supporters in anxious anticipation for Opening Day.

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Rapids Journal

Despite Serna Departure, Colorado Poised to Reverse Homegrown Fortunes

The Colorado Rapids are signing homegrown players en masse – it’s become a clear trend to bring in both local academy players and graduates from elsewhere in MLS under the management of Pádraig Smith. This approach is pragmatic, as it affords the club advantages in cap management and transfer profit alike. However, the release of Dillon Serna and Sam Raben has once again shed light upon the failures of the Rapids organization to turn promising local talent into significant transfer profit, much less long-term contributors for the first team.

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Rapids Journal

Defense Defines Colorado’s Initial Winter Transfers

Colorado’s defense has seemingly taken shape for 2020, thanks to a flurry of moves over the last two weeks. Sam Vines and Keegan Rosenberry are all but guaranteed to return as starting fullbacks, with fan favorite Lalas Abubakar and newly acquired U.S. Youth International Auston Trusty anchoring the center.

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In-Depth, Preseason

2019 Season Preview: Rapids Positional Power Rankings

The long preseason grind for the Colorado Rapids has reached its inevitable conclusion: the start of the regular season. The objective for the organization? To return to the promised land of MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016.

After a flurry of offseason activity, a noticeable level of hype is slowly starting to build around the Rocky Mountain side. Some of the league’s own media outlets are actually acknowledging Colorado’s existence for once and preseason results have led to a measured sense of optimism emanating from the coaching staff.

The Rapids’ roster has gone through its fair share of reconstruction over the past two years, leaving Colorado with only four players who were part of the team’s mythical Supporter’s Shield run in 2016 and quite a few unknowns to boot. Suffice to say, there are a lot of new faces in Burgundy for 2019 – here is how they stack up against one another in every position of Anthony Hudson’s 4-4-2-Diamond.

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Preseason

Three things to watch for in Colorado’s preseason

The Colorado Rapids first team reported for preseason training Monday morning, forty days ahead of their regular season opener against the Portland Timbers. The second year of the Anthony Hudson project in Colorado has officially begun, and Rapids supporters find themselves relatively optimistic.

A busy Primary Transfer Window has brought MLS veterans, rising stars, and academy standouts to the Rocky Mountains. However, with two nasty years in the rear view mirror, Colorado still has quite a bit of work to accomplish in order to reach their goal of qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2019.

Colorado’s preseason schedule will first take the squad to Bradenton, Florida for a week of training and a match against MLS expansion side F.C. Cincinnati. The team will then travel to Chula Vista, California for matches against Ventura County Fusion, the University of San Diego, and Toronto F.C., before closing out the month of February with a pair of away friendlies against Las Vegas Lights F.C. and the L.A. Galaxy.

With quite a few fresh faces in the squad, preseason serves as a chance for the Rapids’ coaching staff to evaluate and observe the new talent directly. Practically speaking, viewers should expect significant rotation, a large amount of minutes given to new players, and experimental lineup choices. Without further ado, here are three things to keep your eye on ahead of the 2019 season.

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