Colorado Rapids SuperDraft Preview. Also the Rapids Have Almost $4 Million GAM.

PREVIEW – The 2025 MLS SuperDraft is tomorrow. Thanks to the most MLS trade ever, Colorado Rapids have three first round picks and seven total. Let’s take a look at who could end up in Burgundy. We’ve spoken to a few people who watched more college soccer than us this year (and not just Sam Bassett at DU). Here’s what we think club president Pádraig Smith could be cooking tomorrow.

To refresh, Colorado has first round picks #8 (from the Philly trade), #16 (the Rapids’ natural pick), and #26 (LAFC’s pick via the Ralph Priso trade). In the second round, they have #38 overall. Then third round picks #62, #68, and #75.

First Round: GA and trades possible

The Generation Adidas class of 2025 was announced yesterday: Wisconsin forward Dean Botlz, UC Santa Barbara midfielder Manu Duah, Cornell forward Alex Harris, and North Carolina fullback Tate Johnson.

My guess would be Johnson and Boltz. Both would be domestic players. Duah played the least of the four and I’m not sure about the depth of competition Harris would have faced in the Ivy League. Yes, Moïse Bombito came from the American East Conference. The ACC and Big Ten are still churning out MLS talent.

Johnson played more minutes than the rest of his GA class on a decent UNC team. He went 90 minutes in a lot of games, which is impressive given the coach sub rules.

Boltz got 10g/4a in 1,107 minutes for the Badgers. Not bad, though just four of those came against Big Ten opponents. That said, Top Drawer Soccer named him to the Best XI Freshmen Team, so maybe I’m just looking at the stats. He also was named the U-19 MLS NEXT MVP with Chicagoland’s Sockers FC. I’m sure Erik Bushey would want some of that film to look at him.

Colorado picking at #8 could see one of these guys still on board when they’re on the clock. If that’s the case, I would be shocked if they don’t take the left over GA player. I can’t remember a time Smith drafted for position of need rather than taking the best/highest potential player available especially in the top half of the first round.

With this many picks, expect Colorado to be active — similar to how it played out last year. They could move up like they did in 2019 to move up and get Andre Shinyashiki. Package that #8 pick, another pick, and some GAM should be enough to move up to ensure they get a GA player.

The latter rounds:

After #8 and #16, expect Colorado to go for guys who might be projects. Maybe a kid who goes back to school for a year or two. Maybe someone who starts off with Rapids 2. With how much the club values and prepares for the draft, they might take someone who nobody else has on their board.

I’ve heard there’s a decent group of attackers and center backs from the middle of the first round to the end of the second.

Sydney Wathuta was electric for the Vermont Catamounts on their way to a National Championship. He had 14 assists on the year, second most in D1. He didn’t get a goal contribution in the tourney though. Looking at his Whitecaps 2 film, he’s great in possession, including tight spaces. He finds space but doesn’t necessarily pursue it.

One college source said Hakim Karamoko from NC State would be an under-the-radar pick. Only played 1,000 minutes, 7 goals, 2 assists. He’s a more direct winger. He spent two seasons at Manhattan Soccer Club so Chris Armas probably slide tackled one of his youth coaches in a pickup game last year. There’s a world where Rapids 2 has a front three of Boltz at the 9 and Wathuta on one wing, and Karamoko on the other. That’s basically the MLS NEXT Pro equivalent of Cabral, Navarro, and Calvin Harris.

Center back wise, Colorado’s normally gone with measurables over what they put on film recently. DU’s Jason Belloli was great in the tournament. Victor Akoum got minutes as a sophomore on a good Virginia squad. Travis Smith Jr. became a starter at the back for a Wake Forest team that won their conference tournament. All three spent time with an MLS team either in the academy or NEXT Pro, so a scout or academy coach already had eyes on them before college.

All of them have large gates and are over six feet. Colorado loves taking a six foot plus center back in the draft, especially if they play out of the back and are left footed.

Other notes:

See the full list of eligible players here. You will see Sam Bassett is not on that list. He is eligible to be a Rapids Homegrown Player. If he was available in the draft, he’d (probably) be one of the first two players taken. I would be shocked if the Rapids haven’t already offered him a contract to play with his older brother.

As I’ve previously reported, expect players from last year’s draft to formally join the organization in the upcoming weeks. Former University of Central Florida captain Anderson Rosa is expected to join the first team for preseason. Cayman Islands international Gunnar Studenhofft is expected to join Rapids 2.

Also, MLS made another step towards transparency this morning. The league released how much 2025 General Allocation Money every team has. Colorado’s mid table sitting at 13th with nearly $4 million, granted there was a flurry of action that could have changed that.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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