Meet the 2025 Colorado Rapids: A look at the roster with a chance to build on impressive 2024 turnaround

A look at the 2025 Colorado Rapids roster before the season kicks off at home against LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday.

Forwards

9 Rafael Navarro

F | 23 years old | 6-foot | 185 pounds | Cabo Frio, Brazil

One of the biggest Rapids stories in 2024 was Navarro’s permanent transfer from Palmeiras after a year-long loan. He made every bit of the $3.5 million fee worth it, nearly breaking the club’s single-season scoring record (16 goals) with 15 goals and five assists.

21 Alex Harris

F | 20 | 5-11 | 150 | Vancouver, Wash.

The Rapids have been enamored with Harris’ quick integration to the MLS level at preseason camps in Mexico and Florida. The Cornell product (19 goals, five assists in 2024) is a huge Nuggets fan; before being drafted fourth overall two months ago, his last trip to Denver was for the 2023 NBA Finals.

77 Darren Yapi

F | 20 | 6-1 | 174 | Denver

After two excruciatingly goalless seasons, the 19-year-old finally put two in the back of the net in the 2024 regular season — another during Leagues Cup. After shoulder surgery this offseason, Armas said he’ll need at least “a couple more months.”

Midfielders

8 Oliver Larraz

M | 23 | 5-10 | 139 | Denver

Larraz burst onto the MLS scene in 2024, becoming one of just 11 Rapids to ever play all 34 games in a season. He scored screamers in the Leagues Cup third-place match and at home against the LA Galaxy in the playoffs — the Rapids’ only postseason goal.

10 Djordje Mihailovic

M | 26 | 5-10 | 152 | Jacksonville, Fla.

The string-puller in the Rapids’ midfield went down with a nasty ankle injury on decision day last season, with which he played in a playoff game. He vowed to be good to go by the season opener, which looks likely after he played all 90 minutes of the squad’s final preseason game Tuesday. One of his 2025 goals is to break the Rapids’ single-season assist record (16, Carlos Valderrama, 2002).

11 Omir Fernández

M | 26 | 5-7 | 141 | Bronx, N.Y.

The winger repeatedly hit the post last season and didn’t quite pan out (two goals, four assists) the way some had hoped as a weapon out wide. Fernández played under Armas with the New York Red Bulls. He’s high on the list of Rapids who have something to prove.

13 Wayne Frederick

M | 20 | 6-0 | 146 | Cabin John, Md.

Frederick played one MLS minute in 2024 but was a solid option for Rapids 2 during its campaign. The 20-year-old was called up to the Trinidad & Tobago national team in December for a friendly against Saudi Arabia.

14 Calvin Harris

M | 24 | 6-0 | 161 | Middlesbrough, England

Save for 2025 departee Jonathan Lewis, Harris was perhaps the streakiest winger on the roster last season. The speedy 24-year-old had career highs in goals (4), assists (3), appearances (32) and starts (16). In the opener against LAFC, he will likely start opposite Kévin Cabral.

18 Sam Bassett

M | 21 | 6-0 | 165 | Littleton

The younger Bassett is one of the best to ever pass through DU. A finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy as a senior (nine goals, 13 assists), he led the Pioneers to their second College Cup semifinal. Though he’s never played competitively alongside Cole Bassett, the two have been quite the duo this preseason.

20 Connor Ronan

M | 26 | 5-7 | 154 | Rochdale, England

Ronan never complained about playing a more defensive position than he prefers the past two years. It was choppy in 2023 after he slotted into Jack Price’s role, but he fully leaned into playing as a physical defensive midfielder last season (one goal, two assists). The Rapids will need more of the same.

23 Cole Bassett

M | 23 | 5-11 | 150 | Littleton

The elder Bassett, whose 2024 ended with a hamstring injury, took about 20 minutes to link up with younger brother Sam on a scoring play during their first preseason match. With a full year playing a deeper role in the midfield under his belt (nine goals, seven assists), he should look even more comfortable this season.

27 Kimani Stewart-Baynes

M | 20 | 5-9 | 152 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Injuries and bouts of sickness halted a quick start from the Maryland product in his rookie season (one assist), but you can’t teach the speed and shiftiness Stewart-Baynes possesses. He’s a part of a packed winger room and will have to fight for minutes.

45 Daouda Amadou

M | 22 | 5-3 | 158 | Yaoundé, Cameroon

Amadou has been putting in the work with Rapids 2 for three years now and has finally been rewarded with a first-team contract through 2025. He was a regular participant at training with the first team throughout 2024.

91 Kévin Cabral

M | 25 | 6-1 | 152 | Paris, France

Cabral’s crowning achievement this offseason was receiving his U.S. green card, which freed up an international roster slot for the club. The winger was on pace for a career year (five goals, four assists) before breaking and dislocating his elbow while scoring a goal midway through 2024.

TBD Ted Ku-DiPietro

M | 23 | 5-9 | 161 | Oakton, Va.

A new arrival, Ku-DiPietro is a young center midfielder turned winger who has shown promise. D.C. United rewarded two solid seasons with a Homegrown U-22 contract, then sold him to Colorado. Armas likes the youngster, and he should be in the winger rotation after he recovers from a reported shoulder surgery.

TBD Ali Fadal

M | 21 | 5-11 | 159 | Kumasi, Ghana

The Ghanaian is likely the defensive midfield signing the club targeted during the offseason. There’s little tape available, but he notched an assist in 31 appearances in the Spanish fourth tier with Valencia B. Brought up in impoverished conditions, Fadal wants to one day build an orphanage in his hometown.

Defenders

2 Keegan Rosenberry

D | 31 | 5-8 | 161 | Ronks, Penn.

The captain will likely wear the armband for the club again this season but might play fewer minutes than a year ago. With the defensive flexibility the current roster provides, Armas could deploy his standard 4-2-3-1 or get creative with three or five defenders at a time.

3 Sam Vines

D | 25 | 5-10 | 150 | Colorado Springs

Like much of the back half of a somewhat disappointing 2024 campaign for Vines, he’s dealing with a soft-tissue injury in his leg. Armas will not rush getting him back on the field. Vines could play as early as the season opener, but nothing is guaranteed.

4 Reggie Cannon

D | 26 | 5-11 | 163 | Chicago

Though he joined the club with just six games left in the 2024 regular season, Cannon settled in quickly with a quality goal in his home debut last season and proved useful on either side of the back line.

5 Andreas Maxsø

D | 30 | 6-3 | 187 | Hvidovre, Denmark

There were rumblings of Maxsø garnering interest from Saudi Arabian clubs, but it appears the Great Dane is here to stay for now. That’s good for the Rapids, who rely on his size, physicality, leadership and stamina (he played 67 of 68 regular-season games the past two years).

6 Chidozie Awaziem

D | 28 | 6-2 | 172 | Enugu, Nigeria

The center back was brought in from FC Cincinnati with defensive partner Ian Murphy — not something you see often. Also, something out of the ordinary: Awaziem speaks six languages. Set piece mastermind Chris Sharpe should aim to uncover the aerial set piece threat Awaziem was earlier in his career.

19 Ian Murphy

D | 25 | 6-2 | 185 | Redlands, Calif.

Murphy, who was packaged with Awaziem in a trade with FC Cincinnati, will likely be the first center back off the bench in a four-back formation. He overlapped with Calvin Harris at Cincinnati his rookie year in 2022. The two have enjoyed catching up.

34 Michael Edwards

D | 24 | 6-4 | 176 | Woodbridge, Va.

Edwards debuted midway through last season and had a handful of strong outings, including scoring his first MLS goal with a backheel on a corner kick against Sporting Kansas City. He was re-signed to a one-year deal after having his 2025 club option declined.

99 Jackson Travis

D | 20 | 5-8 | 148 | Jackson, Miss.

A rookie in 2024, Travis showed flashes of solid outside back play to go with periods of young uncertainty. With new acquisitions and a lot of positional flexibility elsewhere in the defense this season, he’ll have to limit mistakes to earn minutes.

Goalkeepers

1 Zack Steffen

GK | 29 | 6-3 | 190 | Coatesville, Penn.

Last season was a prove-it year for Steffen. And prove it he did. Under new U.S. Men’s National Team coach Mauricio Pochettino, the goalkeeper spot is seemingly wide open with the World Cup in North America next year. Steffen is firmly in the mix for the job.

31 Adam Beaudry

GK | 18 | 6-2 | 154 | Castle Pines

Last year, which started by signing a four-year Homegrown contract with the Rapids, was by far a career year for the youngster. At the 2024 U-20 CONCACAF Championships, Beaudry started all but one match for the U.S. Men’s U-20 team on the way to the finals. He turned 18 in April and earned his MLS debut on decision day.

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