The Colorado Rapids have re-signed head coach Pablo Mastroeni to a new contract, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.
Carlisle reported on Tuesday that Colorado and Mastroeni have agreed to a new three-year deal. Mastroeni’s previous contract was set to expire at the end of 2016.
A Rapids legend as a player, Mastroeni engineered a huge turnaround in Colorado in 2016 after struggling in his first two years as head coach. Buoyed by new arrivals Shkelzen Gashi and Tim Howard and the development of several young defenders, the Rapids finished second in MLS in the regular season and advanced to the Western Conference Championship series in the playoffs, where they fell to eventual MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders.
Colorado were fantastic defensively in 2016, conceding just 32 goals in the regular season, fewest in the league. Mastroeni finished second in MLS Coach of the Year voting to FC Dallas manager Oscar Pareja, who Mastroeni took over for when Pareja left Colorado for Dallas following the 2013 season.
The Rapids made a significant move on Tuesday, dealing the MLS rights of midfielder Jermaine Jones to LA in exchange for the Galaxy’s first round pick in January’s MLS SuperDraft.
