The Colorado Rapids’ 2016 season was an exercise in strict pragmatism.
Picked to finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference by most observers after dreadful 2014 and 2015 campaigns, the Rapids shocked MLS by finishing second to FC Dallas in the regular season, staying in contention for the Supporters’ Shield all the way through Decision Day.
They showed decently in the playoffs, too, beating LA in the Western Conference Semifinals before falling to eventual MLS Cup winner Seattle Sounders in the Conference Championship series.
They did it by creating an identity centered on discipline and defense. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni understood the strengths of his roster. He knew that he didn’t have the attacking horses to survive a season full of shootouts. But he saw a pair of committed, talented defensive midfielders in Sam Cronin and Micheal Azira, an emerging beast at center back in Axel Sjoberg and promising, athletic youngsters along the backline in Jared Watts, Eric Miller and Mekeil Williams. He also had Tim Howard on the horizon, and the very solid Zac MacMath to man the net before the US international arrived in July.
Mastroeni was realistic. He didn’t fall into the trap of trying to play “attractive” soccer for the sake of it. He put points before style, molding a team that defended fiercely from all 11 positions, attacked opportunistically and ended the season with just 32 goals allowed, by far the fewest in the league.
It didn’t matter much that the Rapids scored just 39 times in the regular season. Because their head coach was committed to playing in a way that maximized the strengths of his roster, and because the players bought in to his program, the Rapids were able to have the most surprisingly successful year in recent MLS history.
We don’t yet know what the full 2017 Rapids roster will look like, but the club has already committed to retaining their back six and goalkeepers. Colorado announced earlier this week that they’d picked up the options on Sjoberg, Miller and fellow defenders Bobby Burling and Marc Burch and that they’d signed MacMath, Watts, Azira and Cronin to new, long-term deals.
With Howard and Williams already under contract, Colorado have control over their top three fullbacks, top three center backs, top two defensive midfielders and top two goalkeepers heading into 2017. They’ll likely want to add another defensive midfielder to compete with the hugely important Azira and Cronin (the duo combined to start 61 regular-season games in 2016), but their depth means they could realistically survive an injury at any other position in the back.
With Jermaine Jones’ rights traded to LA and Marco Pappa entering free agency, Colorado’s attack will look a bit different next year. They’ll likely have the room to make a high-priced addition, should they so choose. As things currently stand, they’ll have talented Designated Player Shkelzen Gashi (who came on strong down the stretch), striker Kevin Doyle, midfielder Dillon Powers, developing forward Dominique Badji and promising midfielders Dillon Serna and Marlon Hairston back in 2017.
The Rapids will keep most of their core, including their coach, but the temptation will be there to tweak. People like attractive soccer for a reason, and Mastroeni might feel some pressure to play a more open style in 2017. That’d be fine – as long as it fits the Rapids’ strengths. But, barring a major offensive overhaul this winter (something that looks pretty unlikely given their moves so far this offseason), I don’t expect a free-flowing, attacking style to be their best option.
So stick with what you know, Colorado. Try to improve the attack, but maintain that pragmatic approach. It’s your best chance of turning a surprising 2016 into sustained success in 2017 and beyond.
