What Can the Fans Expect From the 2025-26 Rapids Offseason?

This article was written by friend of Burgundy Wave and longtime Colorado Rapids STM Eric Stinson. He’s written for us before.

Editorial – Alas, the offseason is upon us. The 2025 Colorado Rapids season will be remembered for the heartbreaking finish to the season, failing to make the playoffs by finishing behind Real Salt Lake on a tie breaker in the Western Conference standings, with head coach Chris Armas becoming the first casualty, leaving the team by mutual consent on October 27.  

As custom with the Rapids, Club President Pádraig Smith and KSE President of Team and Media Operations Kevin Demoff conducted the offseason press conference on October 30, and there were many things to unpack with this press availability. Here are some of the highlights and analyses:

They liked Chris Armas, but the results weren’t good enough.

One of the most discussed moments of the 2025 season was the public drama regarding a contract renewal for Armas. At every opportunity, both sides said they wanted him to return. But listening to Smith at the press conference, it was clear that he and the front office were displeased with the performance and wanted to move on. Highlighted was the sheer volume of points being dropped. As Smith pointed out, that 21 points of a possible 36 were left off the standings board by the Rapids against non-playoff teams, any of which would have changed our fortunes. By any measure, that is not an acceptable metric.

Another was how the team this season, yet again, faded down the stretch, netting 11 points in the last nine games after the Leagues Cup competition. This was a familiar pattern after the 2024 Leagues Cup campaign except the Rapids limped into the playoffs. It becomes apparent that for Armas to return, he would be on the hot seat and sign a contract to Smith’s liking. Armas, who desired a longer-term deal to complete his masterpiece, balked and left.

How many coaches and rebuilds are there now for Pádraig Smith?

Smith joined the Colorado Rapids in 2015. Pablo Mastroeni was our head coach, in his second season with things going woefully poor. For the second straight season, a chartered private aircraft flew a banner saying unflattering things about KSE. This changed in 2016 with the Rapids finishing second in the Western Conference and coming one game short of MLS Cup. In 2017, Smith sacked Pablo after a poor start to the season. In 2019, Smith sacked Anthony Hudson after a historically poor start to the season where the Rapids earned two points in 11 games, and the infamous “bottom group of players” comments.

In 2023, Smith sacked Robin Fraser during a historically bad season where Centennial 38 staged walkouts and numerous fan protests. Now Armas has left after a contract non-renewal among a failure to meet results expectations on the pitch. He is now on manager number five, and the fourth that he will onboard.

One must ask the question, why can’t we find the right coach? Not to mention how many roster rebuilds we have made during his tenure and millions of dollars spent on wages and transfer fees. Credit to Matthew Wick for asking the blatantly obvious question, why is he the guy to run this team? It’s clear that we have not seen consistency among any of the five managers in Smith’s tenure. Is it really that difficult to put together some consistent playoff runs? Since Pablo left the Rapids and became the coach for Real Salt Lake, they have managed to put together five consecutive playoff appearances. The fact that Pablo did it for that other team and not for us suggests that it’s a front office and ownership issue, which I would tend to agree.

If Demoff is indeed going to be part of the KSE public picture with the Rapids, then he must ensure this is the final coaching hire for Smith. To be fair, Demoff did say under normal circumstances, a general manager would not get four coaching hires.

Well, what are the unique circumstances besides absent ownership? KSE has long been asleep at the wheel for the Rapids, and they must start being much more of a skeptical presence with this club, much as they are with their other sports franchises. But it is long past due that Smith be forced to explain himself and his roster expenditures with greater scrutiny, and to far more than just to the perpetually dejected fan base.

Word of the Day: Accountability

During the presser today, there was one word that was spoken more than any other word in recent pressers: accountability. Demoff said it repeatedly. Smith likewise spoke it vociferously. But in the world of a mediocre MLS team, what does that mean? Far less what does it look like?

In a well-run professional sports organization, ownership, front office leadership, coaching staff, and the players are all aligned and on the same page. There is a strong culture within the groups from the top down. Everyone walks the talk. However, I can say with confidence that this is not something that has existed within the Colorado Rapids with any consistency, certainly not in the 15 seasons for which I have been a Season-Ticket Member.

Let me be clear, making the playoffs is the bare minimum a team can do in service to its success. So, to say you want to be a perennial playoff team is a great hook, but today is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit. If “The Rapids Way” is the cultural backbone of the team, it’s time for a major refresh. This club needs to fully find and embrace its identity, as Demoff has said.

Further he mentioned the expectation is to compete for and win titles. If this is truly the vision, then the actions of the front office must reflect this philosophy. This has not always been the case here, and the results year over year have shown this. Accountability is something that should be more than sacking head coaches. Yes, coaches come and go, that is part of sports. But the Rapids cannot continue to be an assembly line of coaches hired, given short stints, and sacked when they come up short. Smith and Demoff must find the right coach, and then grow that coach into a winner, as Demoff described with the other KSE franchises.

Further, the roster rebuilds have become the biggest butt of jokes in the league. To be fair, finding talent on a worldwide scale, bringing them to Colorado, and having everyone mesh into a cohesive team is a herculean task.

Having said that, for every player that Smith has hit with, there have been many notable misses. For an organization that does not spend asinine amounts on transfer fees, it is crucial that when you do spend, you get it right. This past year, we saw the unravelling of Kévin Cabral. This was someone Pádraig was very high upon, but his massive contract with the LA Galaxy that was split with them was the biggest anchor in his success, and he floundered.

If we’re going to talk about accountability, then it must be front-and-center with player acquisitions. No more spending money on projects and hope for the best on human beings coming from around the world. Scouting and analytics need to be much more involved and prevalent in ensuring that we get the right players, but don’t be afraid to splash the Benjamins. Homegrown talent and the MLS SuperDraft are two tools that can help us find talent. But we must be better attuned to the international transfer markets and better identify the talent we need to win. Demoff said that the Rapids have the full attention of KSE. If that’s true, it’s long past due that this is the case.

Where do we go from here?

I think that this offseason is the last chance for Smith to hire a coach, build a winning team, and make good on his vision. Demoff certainly will push and prod Smith to achieve this vision. I will reserve judgment until we learn about the new head coach and what roster changes will occur this offseason.

But from my vantage point, the way the Rapids have previously conducted business must change immediately. Perhaps Demoff is here to ensure this occurs. But the fans will be skeptical because of all the previous times we heard the same tired cliches coming from the FO. Making the playoffs must happen. And we must do more than just earn an eight or nine seed for the play-in game. As I told Pádraig during the Fan Fest, we must strive to become top four in the Western Conference every year. This is where every MLS Cup winner has been positioned since 2010, so we must do the same annually.

It’s time to put up or shut up.

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