Captain Keegan Rosenberry on new title, what won’t change, and leading the club

COMMERCE CITY – Right back Keegan Rosenberry walks into the press room at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park. It’s another loss for the 2023 Colorado Rapids. He’s one of the few players who wasn’t really bad tonight. He’s also a well-spoken veteran. It’s his turn to take questions from the media and try to come up with articulate answers as to why this team is broken.

He sits there, brain scrambled from another frustrating loss. He does his best to explain what’s happening and why. He takes accountability and restates that he intends fix the problem by first fixing the problems with his own game. Lead by example if you will. For Mr. Rapid, those were the foundational principals that turned him into Captain Keegan Rosenberry.

When Chris Armas was asked back in December what he was looking for in a captain, he mentioned leading by example, understand the club, holding himself and others accountable, and being a giver. “The 2024 Colorado Rapids will be a team of givers.”

When I heard that, the first player that came to mind was Keegan Rosenberry. Fast forward to late January, and the 30-year-old and oldest player on the team is now Captain Keegan.

“Chris had known me previously, being in the league. He had been super complimentary and liked what I was about, the way that I carried myself. He’s known Robin (Fraser) as well. Maybe he had some communication with him,” Rosenberry told Burgundy Wave in his first interview since being given the armband.

Bridging the leadership gap while being his true self:

There is a question hanging over this team about the leadership drain from last winter. Former captain Jack Price is gone. So too are William Yarbrough, Danny Wilson, and Diego Rubio, the other three loud voices. The leaders who are left from last year tend to be quieter. They lead by example. Think Cole Bassett and Andreas Maxsø.

“He asked me if I feel like the title of captain is too much press or is going to change me or how I play. My answer was no. Since then, it’s been very encouraging to hear from him and other staff that I don’t need to change. What has been really nice to hear is that what I’ve been doing and how I’ve carried myself, how I communicate, is exactly what they want in their captain.”

“It’s been a lot of nice things said about me. We can stop now. Appreciative of the support system that I have. It’s very validating for the hard work that I’ve put in, the way that I conduct myself as a person and being a servant leader.”

“It’s about as validating as it gets.”

It’s a good sign that the club sees the value in Rosenberry’s leadership style and that is what they are looking for. It’s worth noting that he and others are ready to step up and be more vocal if needed. Maybe them being the strong silent type was because there were other voices. Now with that void, Rosenberry, Bassett, and even Connor Rona feel empowered.

“I had a chat with Chris early on. It’s a young team. I don’t consider myself old yet. But I’m one of the older guys in the team. Maybe experience wise, I’ve played in different leagues and different levels, and had good experiences. I can use that to try and help some of the young guys. I can lead a little bit more and help drive this team when things aren’t going well. Last year we didn’t always have that person to get us going, to press, to be that voice. I’d like to think I (and Keegan) can do that more this year,” Ronan told Burgundy Wave this week after training.

Being nicknamed Mr. Rapid:

So a few members of the Rapids Community have been referring to him as Mr. Rapid. Burgundy Wave does not believe in giving players nicknames without getting their opinion on said nickname. At a glance, Mr. Rapid is a better fit for Bassett or Sam Vines.

“I haven’t had much of a nickname in the past. Somebody might have tried to something with me being a barber back in Philadelphia. Maybe Mr. Rapid seems more like Cole, somebody who’s from here. Boyhood club. The intention is maybe Mr. Reliable, somebody who embraces the club and knows who we are about. Someone you’d want to be your captain. No reason not to like it. I appreciate anything positive coming from the supporters.”

He’s now been with Colorado for 60 more games than Philadelphia. He’s now spent more years with the Rapids then the Union, even if you include his time in the academy. He’s not a local, but he’s done about as much as any athlete in Denver to assimilate and become a Colorado convert rather than a transplant.

“I would say so. Logistically, it really is home. We continue to say how lucky we were to be traded to a city and a state like this. We see (Colorado) as home. It’s been awesome for us to explore and feel at home.”

Implementing lessons from past experience:

Rosenberry has a good list of captains he’s played under. Alejandro Bedoya at Philadelphia Union. Tim Howard and then Price at Colorado. All were different in their won right. Bedoya probably is the most similar to him. Howard was load and talkative, sometimes too much. He’s followed a journey similar to Price from a timing stand point.

Rosenberry is grateful for the captains he’s had in the past and will look to take lessons from each of them to be his own man as captain. His past experience as well will serve him.

“I would have been a captain youth team way back, U13 maybe U18. Once with the Union academy. Then at Georgetown for two years. Something I wanted to achieve and I’m pretty happy about it.”

Yes, he’s a fullback, an uncommon captain position in the modern game. But he has so many other qualities that make the timing and fit perfect. He’s good communicator. He’s very intelligent. Maybe he learned some Project Manager skills in a Business Management elective at Georgetown. How many MLS players have an updated LinkedIn profile? Up until last year, he was Iron Man when it came to availability.

His only real weakness is that he hasn’t barked as much in the past as others. Just because we haven’t seen it doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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