Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids

Full name	Colorado Rapids
Founded	1996
Stadium	Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, Colorado (Capacity: 19,680)
Owner	Stan Kroenke
Head Coach	Vacant
League	Major League Soccer
2010	Western Conference: 5th Overall: 7th Playoffs: Champions
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors
Current season

The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception.

Colorado is the reigning MLS Cup champion, having won the competition for the first time in 2010. The Rapids reached the final once before, in 1997, which it lost to D.C. United; they also reached the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999.

Colorado played its home games at the Mile High Stadium in Denver from 1996–2001, and then at Invesco Field at Mile High in 2002, before moving to their current home – Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City – prior to the beginning of the 2007 season.

History

The First Decade (1996–2006)

The Colorado Rapids were one of the ten founding clubs of Major League Soccer, owned and operated by the Anschutz Corporation (later AEG). The inaugural 1996 season was a forgettable one for Colorado. Despite fielding experienced players like Shaun Bartlett, Chris Henderson, Chris Woods, Roy Wegerle and Marcelo Balboa, and English Head Coach Bobby Houghton, the team finished dead last in the Western Conference with the worst record in the league. Balboa went down in history as the first player ever to score for the club and also the first ever player to record a goal at their home of Mile High Stadium in their first home match in 1996.

The complexion of the team changed dramatically for the following season with new head coach Glenn Myernick and a new General Manager, Dan Counce. Myernick and Counce brought new faces to the squad including Paul Bravo, Wolde Harris, Ross Paule, and keeper Marcus Hahnemann. The team struggled early on, but rallied to grab a postseason spot. The Rapids pulled off two major upsets and advanced to the 1997 MLS Cup final. Chris Henderson scored a mid-air volley past Dallas keeper Mark Dodd in the 87th minute in the Western Conference final, ensuring Colorado's place in the MLS Cup final. They scored in the Cup thanks to a goal by Adrian Paz but lost the final 2–1 to D.C. United.

Colorado continued on a roller coaster of success, but mostly disappointment: Myernick brought in more new players including Anders Limpar and Marcus Hahnemann and the club made it to the 1999 US Open Cup final, only to be upset 2–0 by the Rochester Raging Rhinos.

The 2000 season boasted two of the more memorable moments in Rapids history. The first was Marcelo Balboa's famous bicycle kick which garnered the Goal of the Year. The second was clinching a playoff spot in the final game of the season against the Los Angeles Galaxy, with Paul Bravo scoring in the 97th minute.

Chris Henderson playing for the Rapids in 2004

In 2001 Tim Hankinson took the reins as Colorado's new head coach. Scottish striker John Spencer also joined the club that year. While Hankinson did bring effective players like Mark Chung, Chris Henderson, Carlos Valderrama, and Joe Cannon to the squad—and made the playoffs every year—Hankinson also signed a number of expensive and unsuccessful players including ZiZi Roberts and Darryl Powell. During his coaching stint, the club also traded away club legend Marcelo Balboa, whose career was nearing its end....he played 1 game with New York before retiring.

2002 was a banner year for the Rapids, and they started off their new year at their new home of Invesco Field at Mile High by acquiring two powerhouses and future stars for the team, Pablo Mastroeni and Kyle Beckerman from the defunct Miami Fusion F.C. Chris Henderson went down in history as the first player ever to score a goal in the brand-new stadium. Mark Chung posted record numbers on the season, and Mastroeni shone for the US Men's National Team in that year's World Cup. The club advanced to the MLS Cup Playoffs Semifinals, and although they didn't advance to the MLS Cup, the Rapids did clean up at the MLS postseason awards ceremonies. General Manager Dan Counce was named MLS Executive of the Year and 4 other Rapids front office staff were named as the best at their positions in MLS that year. Mark Chung was named to the League Best XI squad and also took home the MLS Fair Play Award. Finally, the Rapids ticket sales staff was named worst in the league after the Rapids ended dead last in MLS average home attendance for the first time ever with an average home crowd of under 2,000 fans per home game.

2003 saw the club change their identity, with a rebranding that brought in the new team identity and color scheme of black and blue. Mark Chung and forward John Spencer had banner years. Spencer, the Rapids' team captain, set a new team record by scoring in six consecutive games and tied his own team record with 14 goals on the season. He finished the season third in MLS with 33 points, was a finalist for Honda MVP and was named to the MLS Pepsi Best XI. Joining him on the Best XI was Chung, who tied his career high of a year prior with 11 goals and was second on the team with 28 points. This was Chung’s second consecutive appearance on the MLS Best XI and it marked the first time in league history that two Rapids had been so honored in the same season.

The Rapids set a new MLS record for the lowest home Goals Against Average over an entire season with at 0.53 by only allowing eight goals in 15 matches at Invesco Field during the season, and never more than one in a single game. After Kansas City broke the Rapids’ MLS record 16 game home undefeated streak on June 9, the Black & Blue reeled off 11 more undefeated home games. On the year Colorado was undefeated when scoring more than one goal, a credit to the play of goalkeeper Joe Cannon and the suffocating defense.

Kroenke Sports Enterprises purchased the club in late 2004 and made several changes before the 2005 season. In the front office, KSE replaced long-time executive GM Dan Counce with Charlie Wright, who appointed Fernando Clavijo as the new head coach.

Clavijo and Wright brought in many new additions to the squad including Jeff Cunningham, Terry Cooke, and David "Dedi" Ben Dayan. The team saw steady improvement over the course of the 2005 season. The season's success was highlighted by a dramatic playoff victory over FC Dallas in a penalty shootout, and their claiming of the brand new Rocky Mountain Cup in the tournament's inaugural year.

Colorado's 2006 season seemed to parallel trends from previous years. Clavijo's squad performed inconsistently and only secured a playoff spot at the very last instant. Lightning managed to strike twice as they duplicated their 2005 playoff run by again beating FC Dallas in penalties only to crash out of the Western Conference Final by a two goal deficit. Other highlights from the final black and blue season include securing the Rocky Mountain Cup for the second consecutive year and winning the MLS Reserve Division.

The Modern Era (2007–present)

The Rapids (in pale blue) in action against Houston Dynamo in 2009

New head executive Jeff Plush had taken over the business responsibilities of the club when he was named Managing Director in January 2006. One of his main initiatives was to re-invent the club with new colors that meshed with the DNA of other KSE clubs, in the form of burgundy and blue, leading the way towards constructing the world's largest and most state of the art professional soccer stadium and fields complex, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, formulating club-to-club relationships with Arsenal of the English Premier League and Pachuca of Mexico, and ushering in a new era of optimism.

The Rapids business-wise enjoyed a fantastic inaugural year at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, hosting numerous international exhibitions, tournaments on the stadium's 24-field complex, and the 2007 MLS All-Star Game; on the pitch though the team's performance was less than ideal.

The team started out strong with a series of good results, including a fantastic 2–1 victory over DC United in frigid conditions on MLS First Kick and the first-ever event in the newest soccer stadium in America. Herculez Gomez went down in history as the first-ever player to score in the Rapids' brand new shining jewel of a stadium. However as the season progressed, the team endured a long winless streak that saw them sink in the standings. Colorado struggled with inconsistent results at the end of the season and ultimately finished just shy of a playoff spot. The major low points in the season included an embarrassing 5–0 loss to the Seattle Sounders in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, and a crushing defeat to Real Salt Lake that saw them lose both a playoff berth and the possession of the Rocky Mountain Cup for the first time ever in the last game of the regular season. One of the club's few consolations of the season on the pitch was winning the MLS Reserve Division Championship for the second consecutive year.

Despite underachieving on the field the previous year and protests from the fans, the Rapids elected to honor Fernando Clavijo's contract, which ran through the 2008 season.

Heading into 2008, Rapids GM Charlie Wright and the front office staff bolstered the roster by adding depth to the midfield and defense. Major signings included Christian Gómez and Jose Burciaga Jr. The 2008 season saw a resurgent Rapids side, which started off the season with a complete thrashing of David Beckham and the LA Galaxy by a 4–0 score on Opening Day to launch the season. However, an inconsistent mid-season stretch where, for 13 games,^[1] the Rapids could not win 2 games in a row or lose 2 in a row, saw Clavijo resign from the Head Coach position for personal reasons, and saw Gary Smith, an assistant coach who came from the Arsenal F.C. system, take over on an interim basis with 11 games left in the season. Under Smith's direction, the Rapids surged back into the playoff race, including two key away wins, only to fall short of the playoffs in the last game of the season, against rivals Real Salt Lake. Salt Lake tied the Rapids 1–1 in the 90th minute of that game to eliminate the Rapids from playoff contention.^[1] Because of the signs of improvement shown in the last 11 games, Smith was hired as the head coach.

The 2009 campaign featured head coach Gary Smith in his first full season.^[2] Smith took over the reins from Fernando Clavijo as interim manager after Clavijo resigned for personal reasons. Smiths first appointment was Steve Guppy ex England International as his assistant, Guppy had spent the previous successful season at USL1 team Rochester Rhinos as their Player Assistant Coach. Shortly after, Rapids veteran midfielder Pablo Mastroeni re-signed with the club for four years after mulling potential offers from Europe.^[2] The Rapids also signed new four-year contracts with midfielders Colin Clark and Nick LaBrocca and defenders Jordan Harvey and Kosuke Kimura.^[3] The Colorado Rapids did acquire former QPR and Chicago Fire goalkeeper Matt Pickens to replace fan-favorite Senegalese goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul. The other major roster move included the arrival of Ivan Guerrero from DC United in exchange for midfielder Christian Gomez and backup goalkeeper Mike Graczyk.^[4] The media criticized the Rapids for not making more roster moves to improve the team for the 2009 season. However, the core of the team remained intact.^[5]

The 2010 campaign featured many roster moves that saw the likes of Danny Earls, Jeff Larentowicz, Claudio Lopez, Quincy Amarikwa, Ian Joyce, and Wells Thompson join the club. The offseason also included a new contract for star forward Conor Casey. The Colorado Rapids also excited many of the ultras supporter groups by the creation and construction of a unique supporters terrace within Dick's Sporting Goods Park.^[6] During the summer transfer window, the Colorado Rapids signed academy youth player Davy Armstrong, and brought in defender Anthony Wallace from FC Dallas. Colorado also sent Mehdi Ballouchy to New York Red Bulls in exchange for Macoumba Kandji and acquired Brian Mullan from Houston Dynamo in exchange for Colin Clark. With these changes, Colorado qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs and defeated Columbus Crew in the first round. On November 13, Colorado hosted the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS Eastern Conference Championship and won by a scoreline of 1-0. This was Colorado's first trip to MLS Cup since 1997. In the final, the Rapids trailed 1–0 at half time. Conor Casey equalized in the 2nd half to send the game to extra time. Macoumba Kandji helped set up the game-winner that went off FC Dallas defender George John. Colorado won the 2011 MLS Cup 2-1 after extra time. The was Colorado's first MLS Cup championship and also the first major trophy in the club's history.

The 2011 campaign led to minimal roster changes, as the Rapids retained every starter from the 2010 MLS Cup Final on the roster. However, Sanna Nyassi and Tyrone Marshall were signed from Seattle Sounders FC. Joseph Nane and Josh Janniere were additions from Toronto FC. Local product Steven Emory was signed after an open tryout during preseason. Emory played collegiate soccer at nearby Metro State in downtown Denver. The Rapids made the headlines when Irish International and former Hull City striker Caleb Folan signed with the club. The primary departure was defender Julian Baudet. Since Colorado won the 2011 MLS Cup, they automatically qualified for the group stages of the 2011–2012 CONCACAF Champions League. On September 9th, Colorado signed versatile defender Miguel Comminges. The Guadeloupe International can play at either Left or Right back. On September 13, Comminges made his debut for Colorado as a substitute in a 4-1 home loss to Club Santos Laguna in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Colors and badge

The evolution of the Colorado Rapids kit.

The Rapids' image has evolved a great deal since their inaugural year. The team has undergone two complete re-brandings. Originally using green as the primary kit color, the team changed to black and blue for the 2003 season.

As Colorado were preparing to move into Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the 2007 season, the club re-invented themselves again to more closely align with the DNA and color scheme of other KSE teams, changing their colors to burgundy and blue, and creating a brand new shield logo to fit in with more traditional global soccer marks.

Colorado has had three logos in their history. They originally first used the "river" logo as their primary crest with the "circular" logo as a secondary one. In 2002, the two logos would switch, with the "circular" one becoming the primary. For the 2007 re-branding, the Rapids created the new shield-style logo, which is the one that is currently used today.

The original look of the Rapids sported a predominantly white kit with green trim, when the club's kit supplier was Puma. Other minor colors such as gold and blue were occasionally incorporated, with the club's association with Reebok. Eventually black became more heavily used and eventually overtook white as the more dominant color that accompanied the green, when the club switched to Kappa.

The Rapids underwent a more dramatic image change prior to the 2003 season. Following the club's switch to Atletica, the kit colors switched to black and blue vertical stripes, similar to the uniforms worn by Italian Serie A club Internazionale. The blue and black vertical stripes remained almost unchanged when MLS adopted Adidas as their league wide kit sponsor.

The kits underwent one last dramatic change for the 2007 season. The Rapids now sport burgundy and sky blue as their primary colors. The Colorado Rapids also have a brand new third kit, consisting of a white shirt, white socks and burgundy shorts.

The Rapids are one of five MLS clubs in 2011 (out of 18 clubs) not to have sponsorships on the front of their jerseys.

• 

  Colorado Rapids logo (1995-01)

• 

  Colorado Rapids logo (2001–06)

• 

  Colorado Rapids logo (2007–)

Stadium

Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Colorado's home stadium since 2007

• Mile High Stadium; Denver, Colorado (1996–2001)
• Invesco Field at Mile High; Denver, Colorado (2002–2006)
• North Area Athletic Complex; Arvada, Colorado (2003) 1 game in US Open Cup
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colorado (2007–present)

The Rapids play their home games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado (approximately 8 miles north of downtown Denver). The stadium capacity is 19,680 and cost $131 million to construct. It is also referred to as a soccer-specific stadium, since it was constructed for the Colorado Rapids. The soccer stadium opened on April 7, 2007. The stadium complex includes youth soccer fields and various retail establishments, and is owned and operated by Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) which also owns the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Crush and Colorado Mammoth sports franchises, and is a co-owner of English Premier League club Arsenal.

Prior to moving to DSG Park in 2007, Colorado Rapids shared Mile High Stadium and then Invesco Field at Mile High with the Denver Broncos American football franchise.

Club culture

The Rocky Mountain Cup

Main article: Rocky Mountain Cup

With Major League Soccer's expansion in 2005, Real Salt Lake became the second team in the Rocky Mountain region and the Rapids' closest neighbor. The supporters of the two clubs created a regular-season competition between the two sides to foster and memorialize this budding rivalry. Each season, the Rocky Mountain Cup is determined by the winner of the head-to-head fixtures within league play. Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids are one of the best rivalries in Major League Soccer and the matches are also referred to as the Rocky Mountain Derby.

Supporters

While the Rapids had, until recent years, always have been among the top teams in the league in average fan attendance, including leading the league in average fans per game in 2002,^[7] the club has had a fairly rocky history when it comes to supporters groups or ultras. A handful of formally organized groups have come and gone. While there have been several groups both large and small, the most notable of these were the Jolly Green Men, the River Ratz, and Ultra Azul. Reasons for the failures of these groups include lack of growth, leadership from within the supporters clubs, and tensions between them and Invesco Field stadium security. After the River Ratz become defunct, there was a period of several years where there was no real supporters group.

In 2005 and 2006, two organized supporters groups emerged. The Centennial Firm (C-Firm) was the latest group trying to establish an ultras scene with flags, banners, and drums. Class VI was established in late 2005 to provide an alternative to the traditional standing environment. They are an organized body known as a seating club, focused on passion for the game, premium viewing location, and a focus on gameplay and is open to any fan (including both season ticket holders and single-game fans). After the close of the 2006 MLS season, the Rapids announced a new area (and official supporters' club) in Dick's Sporting Goods Park that would specifically house fans interested in an ultras experience. This section was called The Front Range and was located in section 114 then moved to sections 101 and 102. In 2007 the NCC (North Corner Council) was started up as an extreme supporters group within the supporters section. Class VI, C-Firm and the NCC were the main three supporters groups up until 2010.

2010 marked a groundbreaking year for Colorado Rapids supporter groups. Before the 2010 season, the Colorado Rapids unveiled plans for a unique European-style supporters terrace for the north end of Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Currently, the Colorado Rapids boasts two major supporter groups that fill the terraces. These include the Bulldog Supporters Group and the Pid Army. The Bulldog Supporters Group (also referred to as "BSG" or "the Bobbies") formed out of the British Bulldog Pub in downtown Denver in 2010. The Pid Army grew out of the merging of the C-Firm and the NCC in 2010. The Pid Army is geared more toward the Ultras, DIY and Punk Rock culture. Both supporter groups fill the terraces in the north end of the stadium and create a passionate atmosphere for the Colorado Rapids.

For the 2011-2012 Edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, CONCACAF regulations require "all-seater" stadiums. The Supporters Terrace was officially closed for these matches, due to the fact that the terraces are standing-only areas with no stadium seating. CONCACAF group stage fixtures have seen the Pid Army and the Bulldog Supporters Group relocated to either midfield in the East stands (Isidro Metapán) or directly behind the South goal in sections 117 and 118 (Club Santos Laguna, Real España).

Broadcasting

Rapids matches appear on several channels including Altitude Television, which is owned by Kroenke Sports Entertainment as are the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. Major League Soccer determined in 2007 that every game must be televised, either through a regional (or local) TV station, or a national channel.

All games are broadcast on television by Altitude, the official television partner of the Rapids, or else via nationally-available channels, including ESPN-2, Fox Soccer Channel, and Telefutura, or the MLS Direct Kick package.

To start the 2010 season, KWGN-Denver CW Affiliate Channel 2 (the Deuce) has partnered with the Colorado Rapids to broadcast 25 Rapids games over the season.

The 2011 season features the Rapids back on Altitude Sports and Entertainment.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of September 9th, 2011.^[8] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 2 DF Danny Earls 3 DF Drew Moor 4 MF Jeff Larentowicz 5 MF Joseph Nane 6 DF Anthony Wallace 7 MF Josh Janniere 8 DF Eddie Ababio 9 FW Conor Casey 10 MF Macoumba Kandji 11 MF Brian Mullan 12 FW Quincy Amarikwa 13 MF Steven Emory 14 FW Omar Cummings 15 MF Wells Thompson 16 MF Ross LaBauex

No. Position Player 17 GK Ian Joyce 18 GK Matt Pickens 19 FW Andre Akpan 20 MF Jamie Smith 21 FW Caleb Folan 22 DF Marvell Wynne 23 MF Sanna Nyassi 25 DF Pablo Mastroeni (captain) 26 DF Michael Holody 27 DF Kosuke Kimura 28 MF Davy Armstrong 29 DF Scott Palguta 31 GK Steward Ceus 32 DF Miguel Comminges 34 DF Tyrone Marshall

Reserve Team Players

This list shows players who have played for the team in official 2011 MLS Reserve Division games, but are not part of the senior roster.^[9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player MF Oscar Montez MF James Rogers MF Dillon Serna

No. Position Player FW Phil Bannister FW Ricardo Perez

Notable former players

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

Junior Agogo (2000–2001) Marcelo Balboa (1996–2001) Shaun Bartlett (1996–1997) Kyle Beckerman (2002–2007) Dedi Ben Dayan (2005–2006) Nat Borchers (2003–2005) Paul Bravo (1997–2001) José Cancela (2007–2008) Joe Cannon (2003–2006) Mark Chung (2002–2005) Colin Clark (2006–2010) Terry Cooke (2005–2009) Bouna Coundoul (2005–2009) Jorge Dely Valdes (1999–2000) Robin Fraser (2001–2003) Cory Gibbs (2008–2010)

Marcus Hahnemann (1997–1999) Chris Henderson (1996–1998), (2002–2005) Ugo Ihemelu (2006–2009) Aitor Karanka (2006) Jovan Kirovski (2005–2008) Anders Limpar (1999–2000) Clint Mathis (2006) Alain Nkong (2005–2006) Daniel Osorno (2007) Raúl Palacios (2002) Adrian Paz (1997–1998) Jacob Peterson (2006–2009) John Spencer (2001–2004) Steve Trittschuh (1996–1999) Carlos Valderrama (2001–2002) Chris Woods (1996)

• See also All-time Colorado Rapids roster

Head coaches

• Bob Houghton (1996)
• Roy Wegerle (1996), (Interim)
• Glenn Myernick (1997–2000)
• Tim Hankinson (2001–2004)
• Fernando Clavijo (2005–2008)
• Gary Smith (2008–2011)

Gallery of Honor

The Gallery of Honor was established in 2004 to honor former Rapids that had a significant impact on both the team and with the community. The Gallery is commemorated by large banners visible at the north end of Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

• #17 Marcelo Balboa (inducted 2004)
• #9 Paul Bravo (inducted 2004)
• #19 Chris Henderson (inducted 2007)
• #7 John Spencer (inducted 2009)

Honors

• MLS Cup
  • Winners (1): 2010
  • Runners-up (1): 1997

• MLS Eastern Conference
  • Winners (Playoff) (1): 2010

• MLS Western Conference
  • Winners (Playoff) (1): 1997

• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1999

• Minor Trophies
  • MLS Reserve Division (2) 2006, 2007
  • Rocky Mountain Cup (2) 2005, 2006

Record

Year-by-year

Year	Regular Season	Playoffs	US Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions' League
1996	5th, West	Did not qualify	Semi-Finals	Did not qualify
1997	4th, West	Final	Round of 16	Did not qualify
1998	3rd, West	Quarter-Finals	Did not enter	Qualifying Round
1999	4th, West	Quarter-Finals	Final	Did not qualify
2000	3rd, West	Quarter-Finals	Round of 32	Did not qualify
2001	4th, West	Did not qualify	Round of 32	Not held
2002	4th, West	Semi-Finals	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify
2003	3rd, West	Quarter-Finals	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify
2004	3rd, West	Quarter-Finals	Round of 16	Did not qualify
2005	3rd, West	Semi-Finals	Round of 16	Did not qualify
2006	4th, West	Semi-Finals	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify
2007	4th, West	Did not qualify	Quarter-Finals	Did not qualify
2008	4th, West	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2009	6th, West	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2010	5th, West	Champions	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2011	5th, West	TBD	Did not qualify	Group stage

Year-by-year stats

Year	League Record							Top Scorer
	P	W	L	D	F	A	Pts	Name	G
1996	32	11	21	NA	44	59	29	Jean Harbor	11
1997	32	14	18	NA	50	59	38	Paul Bravo	8
1998	32	16	16	NA	62	69	44	Wolde Harris	13
1999	32	20	12	NA	38	39	48	Jorge Dely Valdes	10
2000	32	13	15	4	43	59	43	Junior Agogo	10
2001	26	5	13	8	36	47	23	John Spencer	14
2002	28	13	11	4	43	48	43	Chris Carrieri	11
2003	30	11	12	7	40	45	40	John Spencer	14
2004	30	10	9	11	29	32	41	Jean Philippe Peguero	7
2005	32	13	13	6	40	37	45	Jeff Cunningham	12
2006	32	11	13	8	36	49	41	Kyle Beckerman Nicolas Hernandez	7
2007	30	9	13	8	29	34	35	Jovan Kirovski	6
2008	30	11	14	5	44	45	38	Conor Casey	11
2009	30	10	10	10	42	38	40	Conor Casey	16
2010	30	12	8	10	44	32	46	Omar Cummings	14
2011	34	12	9	13	44	41	49	Jeff Larentowicz	7
Total	492	191	207	94	664	734	643	Conor Casey	48

Note: MLS did not allow ties prior to the 2000 season as games were decided by shootout when tied at full time.

International tournaments

• 1998 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Qualifying Play-off v. Club León – 1:0, 2:4 (León advances 4:3 on aggregate)

• 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League:

Group Stage v. Isidro Metapán – 3:2

Group Stage v. Real España – 1:1

Group Stage v. Santos Laguna – 1:4

Group Stage v. Real España – 1:2

Group Stage v. Isidro Metapán – 1:3

Group Stage v. Santos Laguna – 2:0

Finish 3rd in Group B

Team records

• Goals: Conor Casey (48)
• Assists: Chris Henderson (53)
• Games Played: Pablo Mastroeni (216)
• Minutes Played: Pablo Mastroeni (18,212)
• Shots: Chris Henderson (342)
• Shots on Goal: Chris Henderson (151)
• Game-Winning Goals: Paul Bravo (12)
• Penalty-Kick Goals: John Spencer (9)
• Multi-Goal Games: Paul Bravo (7)
• Hat Tricks: Conor Casey (3)
• Saves: Joe Cannon (349)
• Shutouts: Joe Cannon (25)
• Wins: Marcus Hahnemann (39)

Players in bold are active Rapids players
Last Updated November 7th, 2011

Average attendance

regular season / playoffs

• 1996: 10,213 / missed Play-offs
• 1997: 11,835 / 15,785
• 1998: 14,812 / 6,582
• 1999: 14,029 / 6,542
• 2000: 12,580 / 8,789
• 2001: 16,481 / missed Play-offs
• 2002: 20,687 / 11,002
• 2003: 16,772 / 6,434
• 2004: 14,195 / 8,028
• 2005: 13,638 / 11,207
• 2006: 12,056 / 4,176
• 2007: 14,749 / missed Play-offs
• 2008: 13,659 / missed Play-offs
• 2009: 13,018 / missed Play-offs
• 2010: 13,329 / 14,826
• 2011: 14,838 / TBD
• All-Time: 14,195/8,731

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.coloradorapids.com/history/2008
2. ^ ^{a b} Rapids name Gary Smith Head Coach
3. ^ http://www.coloradorapids.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?NID=Zos+sEziTHo=
4. ^ http://www.coloradorapids.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?NID=WT1XZ24fC48=
5. ^ http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/03/sbi-mls-power-rankings-week-1.html#more
6. ^ Rapids Announce Creation Of New Supporters Terrace For 2010
7. ^ 2002 Final MLS Regular Season Statistics, September 23, 2002, http://web.mlsnet.com/history/archive.jsp?year=2002&content=stats_league ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ http://www.coloradorapids.com/players
9. ^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/reserve-league-schedule

External links

• Official Club Website
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the Rapids' home stadium
• Class VI and Pid Army Website
• Pid Army Website
• Bulldog Supporters Group Website
• Official Rapids discussion board, courtesy of BigSoccer
• Colorado Soccer News
• Rapids Supporters Community dedicated to supporters culture in CO