We entered 2013 as the only team in MLS history to have had neither a jersey sponsor nor a Designated player. Now, we're just the only team without a jersey sponsor. Late in the year, rumors began to bubble up linking Gabriel Torres to the Colorado Rapids. And by 'bubble up', I mean Tim Hinchey and Chris Bianchi basically told us on twitter.
After a long and drawn out transfer saga that featured a French team and a few others, he signed. With the Rapids pushing for the playoffs but faltering down the stretch, he was expected to step in and contribute right away.
Other than a kind of 'blah' first game against Vancouver and an invisible match against Seattle (a game where pretty much everyone was awful), he delivered. Three goals, two of them very pretty, and an assist in his seven appearances helped the Rapids get their first win over Seattle in three years and clinch a playoff spot by beating the Whitecaps.
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Matt Pollard 