Rafael Navarro Leads Colorado Rapids Attack Amid Wild Transfer Window

Commerce City, CO – Out of the 30 teams in Major League Soccer, there’s arguably no team that had a bigger summer transfer window makeover than Colorado Rapids. The team raised eyebrows when they announced the sale of midfield talisman Djordje Mihailović to Toronto FC for $8 million, but they nevertheless secured a promising replacement in the form of USMNT youth international Paxten Aaronson, who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt. They also replaced outgoing center back Chidozie Awaziem with the arrivals of Rob Holding and Noah Cobb, whilst they’ve refurbished their squad with the signings of Alexis Manyoma and Rafael Santos. However, it’s arguable that their best signing of the window was keeping hold of Rafael Navarro.

Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Navarro played for Fluminense’s academy before moving to Atlético Goianiense, where he was an unused substitute in the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, before eventually returning to his home state and joining Botafogo on a two-year deal, where he would make his professional debut and play in Série A. He impressed in 2021 and finished as the third-highest scorer in the second tier of Brazilian soccer with 15 goals, spearheading his team to the championship.

These performances attracted the attention of Palmeiras, who signed the striker in December 2021 to a five-year deal. Navarro made his mark at the international level for Palmeiras, scoring 7 goals in 10 Copa Libertadores matches and playing in the final 17 minutes of their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup Final – three years later, Chelsea defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal en route to the title.

He was unable to translate these displays into domestic proceedings, failing to score in 25 of his 26 Brasileirão appearances and eventually dropping out of the team in the summer of 2023. It’s why, on July 10, 2023, Palmeiras announced the departure of Navarro to Colorado Rapids on a one-year loan with an option to buy, with Colorado paying a loan fee of reportedly $500,000. The Brazilian striker struggled to get things going in his debut season, scoring just 1 goal and 1 assist in 10 MLS appearances. However, with a full preseason under his belt, Navarro managed to catapult himself to stardom and become a breakout sensation in Denver, scoring 15 goals and 1 assist in 34 MLS matches as well as 2 goals in 7 Leagues Cup matches. It’s why Colorado had no issues paying $3.5 million to sign him permanently in January 2025, which, up until a few days ago, was the club’s record signing before Aaronson’s arrival. 

So far, it’s proven to be money well spent for the Rapids, with Navarro emerging as a vital figure in attack and providing them with a new dimension in terms of his tenacity, poacher’s instinct, and physical prowess. Capable of bewildering his opponent with a subtle change of direction or drop of the shoulder, Navarro’s intelligence and anticipation shines throughout his game, with the Brazilian timing his runs to perfection and finding an inch of space before coolly firing into the back of the net. What’s more, he’s also demonstrated himself to be a reliable outlet in possession who can hold up the ball and link up to perfection with his teammates.

Navarro is the only Rapids player who is in double digits for goals (11), four more than second-placed Darren Yapi, whilst he also leads the team in expected goals (11.24), assists (3), expected assists (4.97), and goal contributions (14). With 7 games to go, he could very well get the Rapids to the club record for goals in a season (16, set by Diego Rubio in 2022).

He’s also second to Yapi in scoring frequency (a goal every 185 minutes), whilst he’s also racking up a team-high 1.2 shots on target per game. He sits atop the Rapids’ squad for big chances created (12) and big chances missed (13), he’s averaging 2.8 shots per game – nearly double second-placed Cole Bassett (1.5). The 25-year-old striker has proven to be a beacon of creativity in the team who can thread the needle and set up his teammates with prime scoring opportunities, sitting atop the squad with 1.2 key passes per game, whilst he’s also won five penalties this season, three more than second-placed Yapi.

The Brazilian striker has scored nine goals and two assists in his last 11 matches, leading the line with superb poise and emerging as the attacking talisman for Chris Armas’ side, after closing out July with a brace against Mexican side Santos Laguna, he blanked in a 2-1 defeat vs. Tijuana. He opened the scoring after three minutes against Cruz Azul, but he was unable to lead them to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, with the Mexican outfit winning 5-4 on penalties. Navarro carried this form over into MLS, setting up Yapi’s second goal in a 2-1 win vs. Minnesota United on August 10. Six days later, he assisted Yapi’s opener and bagged a brace in a 3-1 win against Atlanta United.

With Navarro running the show, Colorado find themselves in the playoff positions, sitting seventh in the Western Conference with seven matches remaining. Can he lead Colorado to a third-straight victory against LA Galaxy on Saturday?

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