In some ways, the Colorado Rapids’ 4-1 loss in their elimination game against the LA Galaxy on Friday night exemplified the season they put together: down, way up, then way down.

Firstly, a specific goal awarded through a Deflection at a strange angle that you might see once in a thousand games.. Then a howl of a shot to tie it up and gain momentum. Finally, two goals were conceded at the end.

The Rapids’ season largely followed the same pattern: a 4-0 failure at Portland in the opener, an improbable run to third place in the Leagues Cup and a 13-match unbeaten run at home, then seven defeats. in his last eight games.

But the Rapids showed energy and character in many big moments, something that couldn’t be said of the previous two years.

As bad as the season ended, 2024 offered a glimmer of hope. Like the sea of ​​burgundy and blue flags pulsing back and forth at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the 39th minute on Friday night, soccer is alive again in the Centennial State.

Life returns to the stands

As Keegan Rosenberry reflects on the 2024 MLS season, his first as captain of the Rapids, one of his proudest accomplishments was revitalizing the fan base.

The fan base had just endured the worst season in franchise history in 2023, just a couple of years after falling in the first round of the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs as the Western Conference’s top seed. And the fans were beginning to forget what it felt like to win.

The 2024 season, with a revitalized culture behind coach Chris Armas, eliminated that flavor until the final stretch of the season.

“Part of our goal coming into the year was to get that fan base back after a couple of failed seasons, especially last year, which was very disappointing and hard to get over, we had to get some people back,” Rosenberry said. “I think we did it and I think we turned people into new fans and that’s a huge accomplishment in our eyes.

“There are some tangible achievements with the Rocky Mountain Cup, third place in the Leagues Cup, (a place in) the Champions Cup, all these things, but I think the way we came together and immediately, under new leadership, He started this new system with new tactics and took it calmly. It is very difficult to achieve, from one year to the next, such a big change.”

Lessons learned

Armas doesn’t go a day without learning something about his team, a player or an aspect of coaching. For the Rapids’ first-year coach, it’s one of the best ways to improve at any level.

The foundation he helped lay in Colorado was created in part by encouraging everyone around him to do the same. For midfielder Oliver Larraz, who scored with a long-range shot against Los Angeles and forced penalties with a prettier goal in the Leagues Cup third-place game, education came quickly.

After some injuries weakened the defensive midfield, Larraz assumed a starting role early on after playing just 22 minutes in MLS. Through 27 starts, 36 games and more than 2,200 minutes, the 23-year-old discovered that regardless of what he uses to rest and recover, he should probably get the high-mileage gear next season.

“(I learned) the impact that a season has, the length of it and how important the playoffs are because I feel like we had a very, very good season and at the end of the day, in terms of the MLS Cup, I have nothing to show” said Larraz. “So going into next year, focus on doing all the right things throughout the year and get ready for the end of the year because that’s when it really matters: making the playoffs but then being ready to fully play, which was new to me. .

“In my opinion (in the past), throughout the season, you always go the same way, fighting until the end of the season and then it’s kind of a relief at the end of the season, we’re done. But this season showed me that the importance is now.”

Investment worth it

Aside from the culture created by Armas, whose level of urgency matched his grandiose goal-setting, it’s encouraging that the Rapids invested relatively a lot of money in players who made instant and consistent contributions. After transferring former center back Moïse Bombito for a club-record $7.7 million, they are in a good position to do more of the same this offseason.

Club president Pádraig Smith’s most glaring need during the off-season, apart from finding another star on the flanks and in defensive midfield, is to add depth to the squad.