The 2018 Colorado Rapids season was the Colorado Rapids' 23rd season of existence, their 23rd season in Major League Soccer and their 23rd season in the top-tier of American soccer.
Due to a reconfiguration in the CONCACAF Champions League format, the Rapids behan play in the Champions League after they qualified in the 2016 season. Colorado opened their slate of competitive fixtures on February 20 in the Champions League Round of 16 with a two-legged series against Canadian champions, Toronto FC in the round of 16. On March 3, the club played their regular season opener against the Chicago Fire. The Rapids also played in the U.S. Open Cup.
Background
The 2017 season saw a sharp downturn in the Rapids fortunes. Colorado finished the 2017 season second-bottom of the Western Conference table, with the third-worst overall record in Major League Soccer. Colorado finished 10th in the Western Conference and 20th in the overall table. The team scored a league-low 31 goals in 34 matches and conceded 51 goals. Dominique Badji lead the team with 7 goals across all competitions.
Outside of MLS play, the Rapids played in the 2017 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, where they lost in the fifth round to FC Dallas. The Rapids failed to qualify for the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs. At the end of the campaign, four-year head coach, Pablo Mastroeni was relieved of his duties.
Club Roster
Name Nat Position Since Date of birth (age) Signed from Goalkeepers 1 Tim Howard GK 2016 Everton 75 0 18 Zac MacMath GK 2016 Philadelphia Union 31 0 50 Andrew Dykstra GK 2018 Sporting Kansas City 0 0 Defenders 2 Edgar Castillo LB 2018 Monterrey (loan) 28 3 4 Danny Wilson CB 2018 Rangers F.C. 23 0 5 Tommy Smith CB 2018 Ipswich Town 33 4 13 Sam Vines CB 2018 Charlotte Independence 1 0 23 Kip Colvey CB 2018 San Jose Earthquakes 3 0 24 Kortne Ford CB 2017 Denver Pioneers 35 1 27 Deklan Wynne CB 2018 Whitecaps FC 2 25 0 44 Axel Sjöberg CB 2015 Marquette Golden Eagles 82 3 Midfielders 8 Johan Blomberg MF 2018 AIK 25 0 10 Kellyn Acosta MF 2018 FC Dallas 13 2 15 Sam Hamilton MF 2017 Denver Pioneers 3 0 17 Dillon Serna MF 2013 Akron Zips 91 9 19 Jack Price MF 2018 Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 1 20 Ricardo Perez MF 2017 Creighton Bluejays 0 0 21 Bismark Adjei-Boateng MF 2017 Strømsgodset 38 1 26 Cole Bassett MF 2018 Colorado Rapids U–23 6 1 28 Sam Nicholson MF 2018 Minnesota United FC 19 2 90 Enzo Martinez MF 2018 Charlotte Independence 23 0 94 Marlon Hairston MF 2014 Louisville Cardinals 95 7 Forwards 7 Giles Barnes FW 2018 León 12 0 9 Yannick Boli FW 2018 Dalian Yifang 17 2 11 Shkëlzen Gashi FW 2016 Basel 64 13 12 Niki Jackson FW 2018 Grand Canyon Antelopes 15 3 29 Caleb Calvert FW 2014 Chivas USA 21 1 32 Jack McBean FW 2018 LA Galaxy 22 2
Team management
Transfers In
No.Pos.PlayerTransferred fromFeeDateSource 7 FW Giles Barnes Club León Undisclosed July 13, 2018
Draft picks Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster.
Round Selection Player Position College Status 2 25 Alan Winn FW North Carolina Declined contract, signed with Nashville SC 27 Frantzdy Pierrot MF Coastal Carolina Invited to training camp 3 50 Thomas Olsen GK San Diego Signed to roster 4 72 Brian Iloski MF UCLA Invited to training camp, signed with Legia Warsaw 73 Niki Jackson FW Grand Canyon Signed to roster
Out
No.Pos.PlayerTransferred toFeeDateSource 12 GK John Berner Phoenix Rising FC Option declined November 27, 2017 23 DF Bobby Burling Free November 27, 2017 26 DF Dennis Castillo Pérez Zeledón Option declined November 27, 2017 45 MF Joshua Gatt Detroit City Option declined November 27, 2017 27 MF Luis Gil Querétaro Loan expired, purchase declined November 27, 2017 16 FW Alan Gordon Chicago Fire Option declined November 27, 2017 90 MF Mohammed Saeid Lyngby Option declined November 27, 2017 5 DF Mekeil Williams Richmond Kickers Option declined November 27, 2017
Loan in
No.Pos.PlayerLoaned fromStartEndSource 2 DF Edgar Castillo Monterrey January 1, 2018 December 31, 2018 10 F Joe Mason Wolverhampton Wanderers February 20, 2018 July 12, 2018
Loan out
Pos.PlayerLoaned toStartEndSource DF Mike da Fonte Phoenix Rising FC February 10, 2018 GK Andrew Dykstra Charlotte Independence March 8, 2018 DF Sam Vines Charlotte Independence March 8, 2018 MF Ricardo Perez Charlotte Independence March 8, 2018 FW Caleb Calvert Charlotte Independence March 8, 2018 DF Kip Colvey Colorado Springs Switchbacks July 13, 2018
Competitions Friendlies
Major League Soccer
U.S. Open Cup
CONCACAF Champions League
Round of 16
Statistics Top scorers PlacePositionNumberNameTotal1FW14 Dominique Badji7072DF5 Tommy Smith4043DF2 Edgar Castillo303FW12 Niki Jackson303FW10 Joe Mason3036MF11 Shkëlzen Gashi202MF10 Kellyn Acosta202MF28 Sam Nicholson202FW32 Jack McBean202FW9 Yannick Boli20211MF19 Jack Price101MF21 Nana Boateng101MF17 Dillon Serna101MF26 Cole Bassett101Total 34 0 34 As of 28 October 2018.
References