Football Season Guide

The Rapids failed to make the playoffs last season, as they finished 10th in the Western Conference. Their disappointing campaign was marked by dull performances mainly due to injuries to starters and lack of depth in key positions. Club legend Drew Moor has retired, while starters Gyasi Zardes, Lucas Esteves and Felipe Gutiérrez departed Colorado, with the latter two failing to impress. The club replaced Zardes by betting on an inconsistent Kevin Cabral, who joined from LA Galaxy. Yet, they beefed up their defence by bringing in right-back Alex Gersbach from Grenoble and centre-back Andreas Maxsö from Brondby. Heading into the 2023 campaign, Colorado have signed up to four potential starters. Gersbach and Maxsö will start at the back, while talented midfielder Connor Ronan is expected to pair up with former Wolves teammate Jack Price in central midfield and Cabral will take Zardes’ space in attack. Boasting one of the best home records in the MLS in 2022, Colorado demonstrated that playing on home soil provides them with a distinct advantage. Meanwhile, they have strength in depth, as all their starters have solid replacements which could prove important as the season progresses. Yet, one issue that needs to get solved is their lack of a consistent finisher. In fact, centre-back Lalas Abubakar was their fourth top scorer last season with four goals.