Colorado Rapids

The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, later to be a founding sports franchise of the global sports & entertainment juggernaut AEG, the club is a founding member of MLS, playing their first season in 1996. The Rapids are owned by the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, also owners of the Denver Nuggets of NBA, Colorado Avalanche of NHL, and other sports teams outside of the state of Colorado.

Colorado won the MLS Cup in 2010, their second MLS Cup appearance. The first appearance was in 1997, losing to D.C. United. They were also runners-up of the U.S. Open Cup in the 1999 tournament, where they lost to the Rochester Raging Rhinos, the last time a non-MLS team won the Cup. The Rapids play their home games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, moving to the stadium after it opened during the 2007 season.

History

Early years

The Colorado Rapids were one of the ten founding clubs of Major League Soccer, owned and operated by the Anschutz Corporation. 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 head coach Bob Houghton, the team finished last in the Western Conference with the worst record in the league. Balboa became the first player ever to score for the club and also the first to record a goal at Mile High Stadium (in 1996).

For the following season, Glenn Myernick was hired as a new head coach and Dan Counce joined as a general manager. Myernick and Counce brought new faces to the squad including Paul Bravo, Wolde Harris, Ross Paule, and keeper Marcus Hahnemann.

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