The 2020 Colorado Rapids season was the club's twenty-fifth season of existence and their twenty-fifth consecutive season in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of American soccer. The club qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. Colorado were also set compete in the U.S. Open Cup before its cancellation. The season covers the period from October 7, 2019, to the conclusion of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Colorado finished the 2019 season 9th in the Western Conference table, and 16th overall in MLS. Kei Kamara lead Colorado with 14 goals across all competitions. The club fired head coach Anthony Hudson on May 1, 2019, following a nine-match winless streak to start the season.[1]Conor Casey served as interim head coach until the hiring of Robin Fraser as the club's new head coach on August 25.[2] Outside of MLS play, the Rapids played in the 2019 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, where they lost in the fourth round to New Mexico United.
The Rapids started the season with wins over D.C. United and Orlando City SC[3] before Major League Soccer paused the 2020 season due to COVID-19.[4] The league returned to action in July with the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Fla., with Colorado in Group D with Minnesota United FC, Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City.[5] After another month-long pause, MLS returned to in-market play in August. Colorado took three points from four games before reclaiming the Rocky Mountain Cup with a 5-0 win over RSL on Sept. 12.[6] The win was Colorado's first ever at Rio Tinto Stadium and started a run of three wins in four, including three clean sheets. After a series of positive COVID test results, MLS postponed Rapids matches for one month.[7] In all, five Rapids matches were cancelled, which, in addition to other cancellations around the league, prompted MLS to alter MLS Cup Playoff qualification to a points per game basis.[8] The Rapids won their final three matches to qualify for the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016, capturing the fifth seed in the Western Conference.[9] Colorado visited fourth-seed Minnesota and lost, 3-0.[10]
The season saw head coach Robin Fraser post the best record of any Rapids head coach through his first 25 games in charge. In their first 25 games under Fraser, the Rapids scored 47 goals, won 13 games and earned 43 points, all the most by a Rapids head coach since the introduction of draws to MLS in 2000.[11]
After scoring the third-most goals in MLS with 58 in 2019, Colorado scored 32 goals in 18 games. Colorado's 1.78 goals per game ranked sixth in MLS in 2020. The Rapids also posted their first positive goal differential (+4) since 2016 and the seventh time in club history.[12]
Several Rapids enjoyed breakout years in 2020, including Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett and Homegrown defender Sam Vines. Bassett, from Littleton, Colo., turned 19 in July and finished the season as Colorado's leader with five goals and five assists. Vines, 21 years old from Colorado Springs, was the only player on the roster to play every minute in the regular season, adding the first goal and three assists of his MLS career.[13] The duo was named to MLS 22 Under 22 for a second consecutive year.[14] In February, Vines became the first Rapids Academy product to start a match for the USMNT, while Bassett scored four goals in four appearances with the U.S. U-20s and earned his first senior USMNT call-up for the December 2020 camp, joining Rapids teammates Vines and midfielder Kellyn Acosta. It was Acosta's first call-up in two years.[15]
Source: MLS[17] Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) total wins per match played; 3) total goal differential per match played; 4) total goals scored per match played; 5) fewest disciplinary points per match played; 6) away goal differential per away match played; 7) away goals scored per away match played; 8) home goal differential per home match played; 9) home goals scored per home match played; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots. Notes:
Source: MLS[18] Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) total wins per match played; 3) total goal differential per match played; 4) total goals scored per match played; 5) fewest disciplinary points per match played; 6) away goal differential per away match played; 7) away goals scored per away match played; 8) home goal differential per home match played; 9) home goals scored per home match played; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots. (M)MLS is Back Tournament champions Notes:
Note: Re-schedule of postponed September 27 match[20] Match was postponed again after a staff member from the Colorado Rapids tested positive for COVID-19.[19]
For transfers in, dates listed are when the Rapids officially signed the players to the roster. For transfers out, dates are listed when the Rapids officially removed the players from the roster, not when they signed with another club. If a player later signed with a different club, his new club will be noted, but the date listed remains when he was officially removed from the roster.
Toronto FC receives $50,000 in allocation money and an additional $50,000 in allocation money if Benezet starts 75% of matches in 2020. Guingamp receives a $500,000 transfer fee
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes.
