Colorado Rapids Parts Ways with Daniel Chacón Then Draw D.C. United in Preseason

COMMERCE CITY – Colorado Rapids have parted ways with center back Daniel Chacón, the club announced Monday. The contract was mutually terminated ahead of the start of the 2024 season. The 23-year-old has since signed with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in his native Costa Rica.

Chacón joined the organization in the summer of 2022, joining Rapids 2. It is believed any transfer fee was minimal by MLS standards, or possibly a free transfer. He came from CS Cartaginés in Costa Rica. He stayed with them on loan. In 2023, he played five games for R2. The club was still high on his potential. He made Costa Rica’s World Cup squad and played in a group stage game they won in Qatar.

He signed an MLS contract in the summer of 2023 and then went on loan to Alajuelense where he played regularly. That October, it was announced that he tore his ACL. Chacón spent the first half, maybe a bit longer rehabbing that. By the end of the regular season, he was practicing fully and available for selection.

The Rapids took a flyer on a young player they saw potential in. They didn’t pay a lot for him. His compensation in 2024 was $98K. They brought in two center backs from Cincinnati. They re-signed Mike Edwards. Chacón was in the final year of his contract. He wanted to go somewhere he could play. The Rapids needed the roster and INT slot freed up. Everybody wins.

Some Rapids fans could be forgiven for forgetting about him, like Sidnie Tavares or Kip Colvey. I don’t even have a photo of him for this article, that’s how little he played. Put this in the same category as Aboubacar Keita, et al.

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Down in Florida, Colorado played their first friendly of preseason since leaving Mexico. It was Friday morning against D.C. United. From the lineups, it appeared both teams played their preferred starters in the first half with some rotation in the second half. The one exception for Colorado might have been captain Keegan Rosenberry coming on in the second half with R2 full back Anderson Rosa starting the game. The team appeared to mostly be in the 4-2-3-1.

First half lineup: Chidozie Awaziem, Cole Bassett, Reggie Cannon, Omir Fernandez, Calvin Harris, Andreas Maxsø, Djordje Mihailovic, Rafael Navarro, Connor Ronan, Anderson Rosa, Zack Steffen

Second half lineup: Sam Bassett, Kévin Cabral, Michael Edwards, Wayne Frederick, Alex Harris, Oliver Larraz, Ian Murphy, Keegan Rosenberry, Zack Steffen (Adam Beaudry, 71’), Kimani Stewart-Baynes, Jackson Travis

From the video highlights, it was a pretty even game. Colorado pressed, mostly out of the 4-2-3-1. Calvin Harris appeared to do good work. Rafael Navarro continues to wreak havoc on backlines, sometimes by himself. Conor Ronan was lively in the double pivot. Sam Vines and Darren Yapi were still out but those are not big concerns right now.

The teams traded chances in the first half. Some good pressure in the second half forced a poor backless. Kamani Stewart-Baynes ran onto it and scored. A mix up at the back saw Ian Murphy possibly give up on own goal on the equalizer. He’s been at fault in a few games this preseason. The match ended 1-1.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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