Rapids announce year-end roster decisions
MLS roster building for is officially underway The Colorado Rapids disclosed decisions on Wednesday s MLS roster-decision deadline as the season is coming to a close Options exercised GK Nicolas Hansen The -year old was an absolute gem of a find and played a important role in the injury absence of Zack Steffen this summer Acquired before the season from Houston Dynamo Hansen played in games having never played in an MLS match before allowed goals and kept three clean sheets D Jackson Travis The young left back last played for Rapids on Aug before being loaned to the USL Championship s Birmingham Legion for the remainder of He started all nine games he played for the first association in He s steadily improved since his debut F Darren Yapi The Denver native had a breakout season in logging eight goals and two assists both career highs in minutes of action Under the tutelage of star forward Rafael Navarro Yapi has begun to thrive for the Rapids With similar frames the two increasingly looked like similar players and eventually former coach Chris Armas couldn t keep him off the pitch pivoting to a two-forward system for stretches of games this year Options declined not in discussions D Andreas Maxs Rapids president P draig Smith announced last month the Great Dane s time in Colorado was over but now it s official The center back finishes his Rapids career with regular-season games played all starts three goals and a bevy of appearances with the captain s armband M Sam Bassett University of Denver Pioneers legendary center midfielder Sam Bassett will not return to the club The younger brother of Rapids star Cole Bassett debuted with the first unit in the Concacaf Champions Cup in February and his first touch of the ball was a pass to his brother He played a massive role in Rapids s ascension to the MLS NEXT Pro Cup final where they lost to the New York Red Bulls in penalties He notched two goals and six assists with Rapids D Michael Edwards An ultimate locker-room guy Edwards was often one of the last options at center back on the roster since He s been on loan multiple times with his last stop being to USL Championship side Charleston Battery late this season D Nate Jones The Rapids were high enough on the -foot- center back to make him the fifth-overall pick out of Washington in the MLS SuperDraft two years ago but he never broke into the first squad He was loaned to the USL Championship s Las Vegas Lights for the entirety of this season where he made appearances Options declined in discussions D Rafael Santos Santos made an instant impact at left back providing a goal and three assists in just seven games after joining the club from Orlando City late in the year With his contract due to be up outright after it s likely the Rapids are trying to sign him on a longer-term deal They ll likely pay a price for it though as he outplayed his salary of M Daouda Amadou The -year old Cameroonian has been a staple of Rapids since earning him a first-team contract ahead of this season His only first-team regular-season minutes came as a substitute against L A Galaxy in August Free agents M Oliver Larraz Smith noted in the same October press conference that Larraz will test free agency this winter as his contract expires The Homegrown has been a staple in the midfield since the early goings of but desires a move to Europe according to Smith The club remains in discussions with Larraz W Calvin Harris Another free agent the Rapids are staying in discussions with Harris has been up and down in his three years in Colorado The English winger had his best year in adding five goals and three assists in the regular season as part of an ever-changing rotation of wingers under Armas On loan pending purchase options D Noah Cobb Brought in on a six-month loan from Atlanta United earlier this season the Rapids have until Dec to decide if they want to exercise a purchase option on the -year old center back It seems plausible with a trio of center backs leaving the club and his contributions for the U S at the U- World Cup last month W Alexis Manyoma The Colombian winger s loan from Club Estudiantes is up next June Another late arrival this year due to Visa delays he exhibited a flavor of flair the Rapids don t have anywhere else in just minutes across three appearances He s a name to watch as an exciting spark-plug type of performer who can burn just about anybody one on one Related Articles MLS schedule release Rapids to host Lionel Messi Inter Miami in April Sydney Wathuta s calm precision tempering Rapids s run to MLS NEXT Pro Cup final Kevin Demoff shares grand vision for Rapids while backing president P draig Smith This club should be competing for titles Andreas Maxs won t return to Rapids club president P draig Smith says Colorado Rapids end-of-season salary overview published by MLSPA Rapids close to naming head coach Nearly a month after mutually parting methods with Chris Armas at the end of his contract sources narrated The Denver Post the club is in the final stages of the search for his successor Particular intriguing names are available including former Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin former Rapids forward and Cruz Azul coach Vicente Sanchez and others Smith and Kroenke Sports Entertainment President of Organization and Media Operations Kevin Demoff revealed last month that like other KSE properties the Rapids are looking closely at home-grown talent to fill the role That makes Sanchez Rapids assistant and former interim head coach Chris Little and Rapids head coach Erik Bushey prime candidates but the club isn t limited to those options
