2018 Colorado Rapids season

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.

Colorado Rapids

2018 season
Owner	Stan Kroenke
Head coach	Anthony Hudson
Major League Soccer	Conference: 11th Overall: 21st
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Fourth Round
CONCACAF Champions League	Round of 16
Rocky Mountain Cup	Lost
Top goalscorer	League: Dominique Badji (7) All: Dominique Badji (7)
Highest home attendance	17,837
Lowest home attendance	10,790
Average home league attendance	15,333
Home colors Away colors
← 2017 2019 →

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

Main article: 2017 Colorado Rapids season

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.

Review

Club

Roster

As of October 28, 2018.^[1]

No.	Name	Nat	Position	Since	Date of birth (Age)	Signed from	Games	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Tim Howard		GK	2016	(1979-03-06) March 6, 1979 (age 46)	Everton	75	0
18	Zac MacMath		GK	2016	(1991-08-07) August 7, 1991 (age 33)	Philadelphia Union	31	0
50	Andrew Dykstra		GK	2018	(1986-02-01) February 1, 1986 (age 39)	Sporting Kansas City	0	0
Defenders
2	Edgar Castillo		LB	2018	(1986-10-08) October 8, 1986 (age 38)	Monterrey (loan)	28	3
4	Danny Wilson		CB	2018	(1991-12-27) December 27, 1991 (age 33)	Rangers F.C.	23	0
5	Tommy Smith		CB	2018	(1990-03-31) March 31, 1990 (age 35)	Ipswich Town	33	4
13	Sam Vines		CB	2018	(1999-05-31) May 31, 1999 (age 26)	Charlotte Independence	1	0
23	Kip Colvey		CB	2018	(1994-03-15) March 15, 1994 (age 31)	San Jose Earthquakes	3	0
24	Kortne Ford		CB	2017	(1996-01-26) January 26, 1996 (age 29)	Denver Pioneers	35	1
27	Deklan Wynne		CB	2018	(1995-03-20) March 20, 1995 (age 30)	Whitecaps FC 2	25	0
44	Axel Sjöberg		CB	2015	(1991-03-08) March 8, 1991 (age 34)	Marquette Golden Eagles	82	3
Midfielders
8	Johan Blomberg		MF	2018	(1987-06-14) June 14, 1987 (age 38)	AIK	25	0
10	Kellyn Acosta		MF	2018	(1995-07-24) July 24, 1995 (age 30)	FC Dallas	13	2
15	Sam Hamilton		MF	2017	(1995-07-27) July 27, 1995 (age 30)	Denver Pioneers	3	0
17	Dillon Serna		MF	2013	(1994-03-25) March 25, 1994 (age 31)	Akron Zips	91	9
19	Jack Price		MF	2018	(1992-12-19) December 19, 1992 (age 32)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	31	1
20	Ricardo Perez		MF	2017	(1995-05-30) May 30, 1995 (age 30)	Creighton Bluejays	0	0
21	Bismark Adjei-Boateng		MF	2017	(1994-05-10) May 10, 1994 (age 31)	Strømsgodset	38	1
26	Cole Bassett		MF	2018	(2001-07-28) July 28, 2001 (age 24)	Colorado Rapids U–23	6	1
28	Sam Nicholson		MF	2018	(1995-01-20) January 20, 1995 (age 30)	Minnesota United FC	19	2
90	Enzo Martinez		MF	2018	(1990-09-29) September 29, 1990 (age 34)	Charlotte Independence	23	0
94	Marlon Hairston		MF	2014	(1994-03-23) March 23, 1994 (age 31)	Louisville Cardinals	95	7
Forwards
7	Giles Barnes		FW	2018	(1988-08-05) August 5, 1988 (age 36)	León	12	0
9	Yannick Boli		FW	2018	(1988-01-13) January 13, 1988 (age 37)	Dalian Yifang	17	2
11	Shkëlzen Gashi		FW	2016	(1988-07-15) July 15, 1988 (age 37)	Basel	64	13
12	Niki Jackson		FW	2018	(1995-08-25) August 25, 1995 (age 29)	Grand Canyon Antelopes	15	3
29	Caleb Calvert		FW	2014	(1996-10-22) October 22, 1996 (age 28)	Chivas USA	21	1
32	Jack McBean		FW	2018	(1994-12-15) December 15, 1994 (age 30)	LA Galaxy	22	2

Team management

Position	Staff
General Manager	Pádraig Smith
Asst. General Manager	Fran Taylor
Personnel Director	Ena Patel
Scouting Director	Mitch Murray
Scouting Coordinator	Chris Zitterbart
Head Coach	Anthony Hudson
Asst. Coach	Conor Casey
Goalkeeper Coach	Chris Sharpe
Head of Sports Science	Chad Kolarcik
Head Athletic Trainer	Keith Garnett
Asst. Athletic Trainer	Sean O'Neill
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Miguel Motolongo
Physical Therapist	Andy Free
Team Chiropractor	Nicholas Studholme
Chief Medical Officer	Dr. Wayne Gersoff
Team Physician	Dr. Mary-Catherine Husney

Last updated: February 9, 2018
Source: Colorado Rapids

Transfers

In

No.	Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Source
7	FW	Giles Barnes	Club León	Undisclosed	July 13, 2018	[2]

Draft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster.

2018 Colorado Rapids SuperDraft Picks
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.	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
12	GK	John Berner	Phoenix Rising FC	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
23	DF	Bobby Burling		Free	November 27, 2017	[3]
26	DF	Dennis Castillo	Pérez Zeledón	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
45	MF	Joshua Gatt	Detroit City	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
27	MF	Luis Gil	Querétaro	Loan expired, purchase declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
16	FW	Alan Gordon	Chicago Fire	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
90	MF	Mohammed Saeid	Lyngby	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]
5	DF	Mekeil Williams	Richmond Kickers	Option declined	November 27, 2017	[3]

Loan in

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned from	Start	End	Source
2	DF	Edgar Castillo	Monterrey	January 1, 2018	December 31, 2018	[4]
10	F	Joe Mason	Wolverhampton Wanderers	February 20, 2018	July 12, 2018	[5]

Loan out

Pos.	Player	Loaned to	Start	End	Source
DF	Mike da Fonte	Phoenix Rising FC	February 10, 2018		[6]
GK	Andrew Dykstra	Charlotte Independence	March 8, 2018		[7]
DF	Sam Vines	Charlotte Independence	March 8, 2018		[7]
MF	Ricardo Perez	Charlotte Independence	March 8, 2018		[7]
FW	Caleb Calvert	Charlotte Independence	March 8, 2018		[7]
DF	Kip Colvey	Colorado Springs Switchbacks	July 13, 2018		[8]

Competitions

Friendlies

Colorado Rapids v Columbus Crew

January 31 Preseason	Colorado Rapids	1–2	Columbus Crew	Casa Grande, Arizona
11:00 a.m. MST	Ford 26'	Report	Zardes 2' Argudo 58'	Stadium: Grande Sports Academy Soccer Complex

Colorado Rapids v Sporting Kansas City

February 3 Preseason	Colorado Rapids	0–2	Sporting Kansas City	Scottsdale, Arizona
11:00 a.m. MST		Report	Shelton 12' Gerso 22'	Stadium: Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex

Sporting Arizona v Colorado Rapids

February 9 Preseason	Sporting Arizona	0–9	Colorado Rapids	Tucson, Arizona
11:00 a.m. MST		Report	Castillo 2' McBean 25' Calvert 63' Aigner 67' Jackson 78', 120' Blomberg 102' Perez 106'	Stadium: Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Note: 120 minute match of two 60-minute periods

Phoenix Rising v Colorado Rapids

February 14 Preseason	Phoenix Rising	0–2	Colorado Rapids	Scottsdale, Arizona
6:00 p.m. MST		Report	Badji 75' Smith 80'	Stadium: Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex

Colorado Rapids v Boca Juniors

July 24 Midseason	Colorado Rapids	2–2 (5–4 p)	Boca Juniors	Commerce City, Colorado
7:00 p.m. MST	Boli 30' Martínez 59'	Report	Barrios 11' Villa 14'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park
	Penalties
	McBean Serna Martínez Wynne MacMath		Cardona Goltz Reynoso Zárate Tevez

Tulsa Roughnecks FC v Colorado Rapids

September 1 Midseason	Tulsa Roughnecks FC	2-3	Colorado Rapids	Memphis, Tennessee
6:00 p.m. MST	Morton 14' Rivas 26'	Report	N. Jackson 15', 30', 47'	Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 8,957

Major League Soccer

Main article: 2018 Major League Soccer season

New England Revolution v Colorado Rapids

March 10, 2018 1	New England Revolution	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Foxborough, Massachusetts
11:30 MST	Fagúndez 48' Tierney 90+3'	Report	Jackson 66'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 13,305 Referee: Armando Vilarreal

Colorado Rapids v Sporting Kansas City

March 24, 2018 2	Colorado Rapids	2–2	Sporting Kansas City	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Badji 5' Mason 8'	Report	Gutierrez 57' Rubio 90+1'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 17,424 Referee: Sorin Stoica

Colorado Rapids v Philadelphia Union

March 31, 2018 3	Colorado Rapids	3–0	Philadelphia Union	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Badji 53', 61', 87'	Report		Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 10,790 Referee: Robert Sibiga

FC Dallas v Colorado Rapids

April 7, 2018 4	FC Dallas	1–1	Colorado Rapids	Frisco, Texas
18:00 MDT	Colmán 89'	Report	Mason 62'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 13,147 Referee: Rubiel Vasquez

Colorado Rapids v Toronto FC

April 14, 2018 5	Colorado Rapids	2–0	Toronto FC	Commerce City, Colorado
13:00 MDT	Price 2' Gashi 78' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 11,232 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids

April 21, 2018 6	Real Salt Lake	3–0	Colorado Rapids	Sandy, Utah
19:00 MDT	Plata 82' (pen.) Kreilach 89' Rusnák 90+2'	Report		Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 17,461 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

Colorado Rapids v Orlando City SC

April 29, 2018 7	Colorado Rapids	1–2	Orlando City SC	Commerce City, Colorado
14:00 MDT	Badji 26'	Report	Higuita 52' Yotún 77' (pen.)	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 15,702 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero

Sporting Kansas City v Colorado Rapids

May 5, 2018 8	Sporting Kansas City	1–0	Colorado Rapids	Kansas City, Kansas
18:30 MDT	Sallói 16'	Report		Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 20,553 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Colorado Rapids v New York Red Bulls

May 12, 2018 9	Colorado Rapids	1–2	New York Red Bulls	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	McBean 85'	Report	Royer 5' Etienne 76'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 15,691 Referee: Ismail Elfath

NYCFC v Colorado Rapids

May 19, 2018 10	NYCFC	4–0	Colorado Rapids	New York, New York
11:00 MDT	Villa 22', 74' Matarrita 49' Moralez 56'	Report		Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 21,494 Referee: David Gantar

Colorado Rapids v Portland Timbers

May 26, 2018 11	Colorado Rapids	2–3	Portland Timbers	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Cascante 31' (o.g.) Boli 90+9' (pen.)	Report	Armenteros 29', 37' Valeri 56'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 17,424 Referee: Sorin Stoica

Colorado Rapids v Vancouver Whitecaps FC

June 1, 2018 12	Colorado Rapids	1–2	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Castillo 41'	Report	Techera 17' Reyna 39'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,746

Houston Dynamo v Colorado Rapids

June 9, 2018 13	Houston Dynamo	2–0	Colorado Rapids	Houston, Texas
19:00 MDT	Martinez 30' Manotas 36' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 16,058 Referee: Drew Fischer

Colorado Rapids v Chicago Fire

June 13, 2018 14	Colorado Rapids	2–2	Chicago Fire	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Badji 7' Smith 15'	Report	Wilson 21' Katai 24'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,068 Referee: José Carlos Rivero

Colorado Rapids v Minnesota United FC

June 23, 2018 15	Colorado Rapids	3–2	Minnesota United FC	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Castillo 50' Mason 74' Smith 90+7'	Report	Ibarra 20' Ramirez 65'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Colorado Rapids

July 1, 2018 16	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	0–1	Colorado Rapids	Vancouver, British Columbia
17:00 MDT		Report	de Jong 43' (o.g.)	Stadium: BC Place

Colorado Rapids v Seattle Sounders FC

July 4, 2018 17	Colorado Rapids	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Nicholson 40'	Report	Bruin 19', 59'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,374 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

Montreal Impact v Colorado Rapids

July 7, 2018 18	Montreal Impact	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Montreal, Quebec
17:30 MDT	Taider 55', 56'	Report	Badji 78'	Stadium: Stade Saputo

Colorado Rapids v Houston Dynamo

July 14, 2018 19	Colorado Rapids	0–0	Houston Dynamo	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT		Report		Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 14,327 Referee: Ted Unkel

Real Salt Lake v Colorado Rapids

July 21, 2018 20	Real Salt Lake	2–2	Colorado Rapids	Sandy, Utah
20:00 MDT	Kreilach 11' Plata 17'	Report	McBean 33' (pen.) Serna 88'	Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 19,207

D.C. United v Colorado Rapids

July 28, 2018 21	D.C. United	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Washington, D.C.
17:00 MDT	Rooney 33' Jackson 90' (o.g.)	Report	Acosta 82'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 18,931

Colorado Rapids v LA Galaxy

August 4, 2018 22	Colorado Rapids	2–1	LA Galaxy	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Acosta 50' Nicholson 90'	Report	Alessandrini 33'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 17,837 Referee: Sorin Stoica

Colorado Rapids v San Jose Earthquakes

August 11, 2018 23	Colorado Rapids	2–1	San Jose Earthquakes	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT	Smith 24' Boateng 90+3'	Report	Eriksson 58' (pen.)	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 15,383 Referee: Alan Kelly

LA Galaxy v Colorado Rapids

August 15, 2018 26	LA Galaxy	2–2	Colorado Rapids	Carson, California
15:30 MDT	Cole 59' Lletget 78'	Report	Castillo 74' Jackson 82'	Stadium: StubHub Center Attendance: 16,231

Los Angeles FC v Colorado Rapids

August 19, 2018 24	Los Angeles FC	2–0	Colorado Rapids	Los Angeles, California
20:30 MDT	Nguyen 49' Rossi 80'	Report		Stadium: Banc of California Stadium Attendance: 22,000

Colorado Rapids v Real Salt Lake

August 25, 2018 25 (RMC)	Colorado Rapids	0–6	Real Salt Lake	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT		Report	Kreilach 6' Savarino 33', 58' Plata 69' Baird 74' Rusnák 86'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 16,669

Portland Timbers v Colorado Rapids

September 8, 2018 27	Portland Timbers	2–0	Colorado Rapids	Portland, Oregon
20:30 MDT	Ebobisse 45' Valeri 65'	Report		Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 21,144

Colorado Rapids v Atlanta United FC

September 15, 2018 28	Colorado Rapids	0–3	Atlanta United FC	Commerce City, Colorado
13:30 MDT		Report	Almirón 10', 18' Villalba 37'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 14,788

Columbus Crew SC v Colorado Rapids

September 22, 2018 29	Columbus Crew SC	2–1	Colorado Rapids	Columbus, Ohio
17:30 MDT	Zardes 17' Higuaín 57'	Report	Gashi 26'	Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 19,121

Seattle Sounders FC v Colorado Rapids

September 29, 2018 30	Seattle Sounders FC	4–0	Colorado Rapids	Seattle, Washington
14:00 MDT	Ruidíaz 22', 73' Lodeiro 52' (pen.) Rodríguez 80'	Report		Stadium: CenturyLink Stadium Attendance: 40,042 Referee: Nima Saghafi

Colorado Rapids v Los Angeles FC

October 6, 2018 31	Colorado Rapids	0–3	Los Angeles FC	Commerce City, Colorado
19:00 MDT		Report	Zimmerman 15' Diomande 42', 48'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 15,369 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Minnesota United FC v Colorado Rapids

October 13, 2018 32	Minnesota United FC	0–2	Colorado Rapids	Minneapolis, Minnesota
12:00 MDT		Report	Boli 61' Jackson 90+7'	Stadium: TCF Bank Stadium Attendance: 19,733 Referee: Guido Gonzales, Jr

San Jose Earthquakes v Colorado Rapids

October 21, 2018 33	San Jose Earthquakes	0–0	Colorado Rapids	San Jose, California
15:00 MDT		Report		Stadium: Avaya Stadium Attendance: 17,474 Referee: Tim Ford

Colorado Rapids v FC Dallas

October 28, 2018 34	Colorado Rapids	2–1	FC Dallas	Commerce City, Colorado
14:30 MDT	Bassett 80' Smith 84'	Report	Urruti 18'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2018 U.S. Open Cup

Nashville SC v Colorado Rapids

June 6, 2018 Fourth	Nashville SC	2–0	Colorado Rapids	Nashville, Tennessee
17:30	Azira 39' (o.g.) Mensah 78'	Report		Stadium: Vanderbilt Stadium Referee: Kevin Broadley

CONCACAF Champions League

Main article: 2018 CONCACAF Champions League

Round of 16

Colorado Rapids v Toronto FC

February 20 First leg	Colorado Rapids	0–2	Toronto FC	Commerce City, United States
20:00 MST	Price  28' Castillo  69'	Report Box Score	Osorio 55' Giovinco 73' Bradley  86'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 2,673 Referee: Kimbell Ward (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Toronto FC v Colorado Rapids

February 27 Second leg	Toronto FC	0–0 (2–0 agg.)	Colorado Rapids	Toronto, Canada
18:00 MST		Report		Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 23,383 Referee: Luis Enrique Santander (Mexico)

Statistics

Top scorers

Place	Position	Number	Name	MLS	U.S. Open Cup	Total
1	FW	14	Dominique Badji	7	0	7
2	DF	5	Tommy Smith	4	0	4
3	DF	2	Edgar Castillo	3	0	3
	FW	12	Niki Jackson	3	0	3
	FW	10	Joe Mason	3	0	3
6	MF	11	Shkëlzen Gashi	2	0	2
	MF	10	Kellyn Acosta	2	0	2
	MF	28	Sam Nicholson	2	0	2
	FW	32	Jack McBean	2	0	2
	FW	9	Yannick Boli	2	0	2
11	MF	19	Jack Price	1	0	1
	MF	21	Nana Boateng	1	0	1
	MF	17	Dillon Serna	1	0	1
	MF	26	Cole Bassett	1	0	1
Total				34	0	34

As of 28 October 2018.

Awards and honors