Pablo Mastroeni Cannot Change How Rapids and RSL Fans Feel About Him. He’s at Peace.

EDITORIAL – Pablo Mastroeni is at peace with the Colorado Rapids because he is at peace with himself. The former Colorado Rapids captain spent nearly 15 straight years total in Commerce City. He was captain for the MLS Cup champions in 2010. He then was head coach from 2014-17 and was fired that August. As Real Salt Lake head coach, he’s now persona non grata, a Claret and Cobalt turncoat. He doesn’t really care. There’s nothing he can do about it.

This year is Mastroeni’s fourth full season as RSL’s head coach, fifth total. They’re off to a slow start with a number of big sales going back to last summer. But during his tenure, they’ve spending more money than ever before. They’ve had success. They’ve made the playoffs all four years and won playoff games. The Rapids haven’t done that.

He’s in this weird space in the context of the Rocky Mountain Cup. He’s the best or second best Rapids player of all time, alongside Marcelo Balboa. He was the first Rapids player to have his number (22) retired. He has one of the most iconic poop-house moments in RMC history. He’s now seen as a traitor by Rapids fans.

RSL fans were lukewarm about his appointment after his interim stint in 2021. It’s like dating your enemy’s ex who you hated. But he’s generally had success. That wins supporters over. The longer he survives in this job, the further removed from his Burgundy and Blue past. He’s 3-1 in the RMC as RSL manager, for what that’s worth.

How does Pablo feel about how the two fan bases feel about him?

“This has nothing to do with me. Maybe I didn’t know it back then because I was a young naive coach. This game is for the players. No one comes to see the coach. For me, it’s a fantastic rivalry. Chris Armas is doing a great job in Colorado. Regardless of what I say, the people that enjoyed me being in Colorado will still enjoy me. The people that didn’t like me in Colorado still don’t like me. It’s a moot point,” Pablo told Burgundy Wave last year.

I agree with him. Pablo got fired as the Rapids front office was making a philosophical change. He delivers the second best season in club history then isn’t put in a position to build on that. Then he’s scapegoated. Why should he be loyal to a club that from his perspective wasn’t loyal to him?

The few Rapids fans who don’t begrudge him already have. The Rapids fans who think he’s turned heel aren’t going to change their mind. The only thing he could do is come back to coach the Rapids and win. He might need a trophy to fully win that group back. He’s been there for five years. Salt Lake fans have had five years to accept him or at least accept the situation. The only way he’s winning over the non-believers is to win a trophy.

There are few, if any, swing voters on Mastroeni. Until he wins a cup or gets fired, nobody’s changing their mind. As long as RSL’s successful, he’ll hang around.

“He has matured as a person, as a coach, and even more now as a manager. The way he speaks to the players. The way he involves the group. He was more learning on the fly in Colorado. He’s so much more calm about things,” goalkeeper Zac MacMath told Burgundy Wave.

“He always was super tactical. What makes him a great manager is he plays to the strength of his players. Maybe now because of the players we have, we are maybe more tactical.”

Mastroeni has evolved, but he’s still stuck to his core principles. Pablo Ball/Mastronnacio worked when he was a player. It still works in 2025 with the right team. He doesn’t mind not having the ball. He knows how to get a team to band together, be hard to score against, and be insufferable SOBs. Add in a few creative attackers who can create goals with only so much structure, you will win games.

There’s nuance. He is who he is. A hard nosed defensive midfielder. He doesn’t suffer fools. He wants to win games, not friends. Flashy ain’t his style. As he told me for the Memories From Toronto, he got back into coaching after doing a lot of work on himself:

“I’m at peace with the Colorado Rapids because I’m at peace with myself.”

Only someone who’s done that much self-development could go on to do what he’s done. And when you get to that destination, why ruin it by caring what other people think about you. Especially if you can’t do anything to change their mind. Can someone be both Zen and Heel?

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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