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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The opening two rounds of Major League Soccer’s 25th annual SuperDraft will be remembered as one of those quintessential “You Just Had To Be There” moments in league history.
Faced with the Draft’s dwindling relevance over the last decade, league officials shifted the activities surrounding the event entirely online for the first time. Now divorced of its usual relationship with the yearly United Soccer Coaches Convention, Thursday’s SuperDraft experienced more than its fair share of oddities – including one that directly impacted Colorado’s first round selection.
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| ROLE | Striker/Winger |
| SQUAD STATUS | Starter |
| KEY 2019 STATS | 7 G, 3 A, 2.7 dribbles/90, 1.4 key passes/90 |
| OVERALL GRADE | A- |
The Colorado Rapids find themselves with a lot to be proud of after their last-ditch effort to make it into the postseason on Decision Day. The team has not one but two clinical finishers in Kei Kamara and Diego Rubio, two dynamic wingers in Sam Nicholson and Jonathan Lewis, Rookie of the Year Andre Shinyashiki, a solid midfield partnership of Kellyn Acosta and Jack Price, and fullbacks who can get up and down the wing in Keegan Rosenberry and Sam Vines. The biggest glaring issue for the Rapids is the situation at center back and goalkeeper. There also isn’t much to write about the team’s depth options. As of today, Lalas Abubakar has not completed a move and the option year of Tommy Smith’s contract has not been picked up (though contract negotiations have begun). With Kortne Ford’s health still unclear, the uncertainty of Danny Wilson’s playing ability, and the lack of options at center back, the Rapids have a huge hole in the back line to fix.
The Colorado Rapids traded away a fan favorite, but made some valuable acquisitions to strengthen their squad squad depth during the MLS SuperDraft. The weekend’s moves were the latest in a whirlwind of activity orchestrated by the Rapids front office ahead of the 2019 season.
Colorado Friday by announcing the successful signing of veteran midfielder, Benny Feilhaber. Half an hour later, the Rapids traded up to the fifth overall pick of the SuperDraft to select standout University of Denver striker, Andre Shinyashiki. Colorado finished the afternoon by drafting Marcello Borges (University of Michigan) and Jacob Hauser-Ramsey (University of Connecticut), but not before winger-turned-fullback Marlon Hairston was sent to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $175,000 General Allocation Money.
Anthony Hudson expressed relief and pleasure after the completion of the second round of the draft, noting that the new additions “complement” the work done by General Manager Pádraig Smith, who has spearheaded Colorado’s activity in the MLS Primary Transfer Window.
“At the end of last season, we had so many scouting meetings, and we went through all the targets that we wanted,” Hudson explained, “Pádraig and our scouts have delivered.”
Colorado followed up Friday’s acquisitions by drafting Robbie Mertz with their seventy-sixth overall selection during the fourth round on Monday’s supplementary, conference-call draft.
In advance of Tuesday’s special announcement, it is necessary to critically evaluate the impact of these moves on Colorado’s ongoing roster rebuild and understand what role each player can serve in the first team.
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