# 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.
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

    As of October 28, 2018.
| No. | Name | Position | Since | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Games | Goals |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||
| 1 | Tim Howard | GK | 2016 | (1979-03-06) March 6, 1979 (age 45) | 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 38) | 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 34) | Ipswich Town | 33 | 4 |
| 13 | Sam Vines | CB | 2018 | (1999-05-31) May 31, 1999 (age 25) | Charlotte Independence | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Kip Colvey | CB | 2018 | (1994-03-15) March 15, 1994 (age 30) | San Jose Earthquakes | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | Kortne Ford | CB | 2017 | (1996-01-26) January 26, 1996 (age 28) | Denver Pioneers | 35 | 1 |
| 27 | Deklan Wynne | CB | 2018 | (1995-03-20) March 20, 1995 (age 29) | Whitecaps FC 2 | 25 | 0 |
| 44 | Axel Sjöberg | CB | 2015 | (1991-03-08) March 8, 1991 (age 33) | Marquette Golden Eagles | 82 | 3 |
| Midfielders |||||||||
| 8 | Johan Blomberg | MF | 2018 | (1987-06-14) June 14, 1987 (age 37) | AIK | 25 | 0 |
| 10 | Kellyn Acosta | MF | 2018 | (1995-07-24) July 24, 1995 (age 29) | FC Dallas | 13 | 2 |
| 15 | Sam Hamilton | MF | 2017 | (1995-07-27) July 27, 1995 (age 29) | Denver Pioneers | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Dillon Serna | MF | 2013 | (1994-03-25) March 25, 1994 (age 30) | 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 29) | Creighton Bluejays | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Bismark Adjei-Boateng | MF | 2017 | (1994-05-10) May 10, 1994 (age 30) | Strømsgodset | 38 | 1 |
| 26 | Cole Bassett | MF | 2018 | (2001-07-28) July 28, 2001 (age 23) | 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 30) | 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 36) | 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 | |

#### 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 |
| 2 | 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 |
| 4 | 73 | Niki Jackson | FW | Grand Canyon | Signed to roster |

### Out

| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date |
| 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. | Player | Loaned from | Start | End | Source |
| 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. | Player | Loaned to | Start |
| 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 |

## 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 |
| 3 | FW | 12 | Niki Jackson | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | FW | 10 | Joe Mason | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | MF | 11 | Shkëlzen Gashi | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | MF | 10 | Kellyn Acosta | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | MF | 28 | Sam Nicholson | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | FW | 32 | Jack McBean | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | FW | 9 | Yannick Boli | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | 19 | Jack Price | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | 21 | Nana Boateng | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | 17 | Dillon Serna | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | 26 | Cole Bassett | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 34 | 0 | 34 |
As of 28 October 2018.