Matt Wells Exclusive Interview: Colorado Rapids Hire Spurs Assistant as Head Coach

Commerce City, Colo. – Matt Wells has been officially named the head coach of Colorado Rapids, the club announced Tuesday. Wells joins the MLS side from being on staff at Tottenham Hotspur. Sources tell Burgundy Wave the contract is 2.5 years (three season) through the 2027-28 MLS season with an option for 2028-29.

Wells, age 37, comes to the Rapids with a wealth of experience as an assistant. He never made it to first team football as a Spurs youth player, so got into coaching a decade ago. He had roles at the U17 and U23 level at Spurs. He served as a first assistant to Scott Parker (Fulham FC, AFC Bournemouth, Club Brugge) and then back at White Hart Lane under Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank.

Spurs fans rate him and believe he’s ready for a first team job. Sources tell BW he had interest in other clubs back in England.

“The opportunity here was too good to turn down. Not the fact that it was MLS. More the people. I was going to go where the good people were. The opportunity to come and implement my vision and my philosophy. I liked the youthful energy of the team when they’re at their best,” Wells said in an exclusive interview with Burgundy Wave.

Game Model and Tactics: “Dominate Framework.”

It was very clear in speaking to him that he understood where the club is at and has solutions for what their weaknesses were in 2025. The team needs to be better at home in 2026. They need to be able to control games and have tactical solutions for going at teams without being so vulnerable at the back.

Wells used the term “dominate framework,” multiple times. “We need a really clear processes. We’re going to be a dominant team with and without the ball. We’re going to dominate games. We’re going to be physically unbelievable. Dominant with the ball back to front.

“Everyone talks, it’s much more principals than formation (these days). I don’t agree. I think it’s both. Say we play 4-3-3 and we have clear principals, perfect. Then the next week we play 3-5-2, it’s different for the players. I will be clear on our framework, positional play, and that will change as we move up the pitch.”

Wells wants the players to have “one brain,” similar to Keegan Roseberry’s concept of “thinking collectively.”

Not to make this hiring a referendum on Chris Armas, but Armas emphasized the principals regardless of the shape. There were times the players didn’t seem to be on the same page or hadn’t iterated on something new.

Wells getting a three season deal when Armas was only offered two says a few things. There were issued with performance that Armas did not fix in time to make the playoffs.

Kevin Demoff was highly involved in this coaching search. They followed the KSE model of hiring a bright young coach they want to develop. They also hired a manager who seems to have good answers/solutions to their biggest issues. They tried to hire the next Seam McVay or Jesper Sørensen. One source even admitted they reached out to someone at Arsenal who knew of Wells and they said good things.

First Impressions and Reenforcing Accountability:

During the interview process, Wells’ sophistication and detail within the game model in particular stood out. It sounds like they’re going to press as much and be strategic about it. He has ideas about patterns and phases of play to be better in possession while not hanging the defense out to dry.

I came away impressed.

Wells is a calm, positive, focused, tactical mind. The Rapids need that. Pádraig Smith and Kevin Demoff emphasized that accountability needs to be reestablished from top to bottom. Demoff is doing that with most of the Rapids FO in a contract here. Wells will be doing that for the players with the backing of a three season contract.

“Everyone’s (the players) so receptive, so coachable. There’s a clammer amongst the squad a lot of the stuff for what I’m talking about. I said quite openly ‘there’s going to be days where you hate me.’ I’m very intense when it comes to training. The standard is the standard. Anyone below the bar needs to come up to the bar,” he said.

The club will be spending most of the preseason in Florida. Two-a-days are coming. Wells will be adding two members of staff with a focus on fitness and taking advantage of altitude. Perhaps they have a background in the Premier League, the most fit league in the world. If the Rapids can hack that without inducing injuries (an issue in the past), they should be the most fit team in MLS.

Learning Curves, Being his own Man, Youth Development:

Speaking of learning curves, foreign managers need sometime to adjust to MLS. Wells comes off as a quick study and a student of the game. What grade is he getting in MLS 101?

“That’s no substitute of learned experience. There’s a couple of guys staying on. They’ve been a massive help. I wasn’t going to come here without that,” he said. “I have the small grasp now of a (Super)Draft Meeting,” he added, having been in the draft room on Thursday.

Several first team staffers are expected to stay on. Those with language ability will be retained. Goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe isn’t going anywhere. One source described Chris Little’s future as uncertain. Enough people will remain to help support Wells as he adjusts to MLS.

Wells clearly has ideas beyond how pragmatic Parker, Big Ange, or Frank were.

“I’m none of them. I’m my own person. I’ve had a vision of how the game should be played. I’ve refined that, gained experience, worked with incredible people.

“I’m staunch in my view of the game. That comes from inside of me. I can’t take that from (them).

“Development is at the center of everything I believe in with my background. I’ve got an affinity to young players. I tend to drop the word ‘youth’ from it. It’s just development. I expect to develop Rob Holding and take his game to another level.”

I came away highly encouraged by this hiring. The Rapids need a smart, level-headed manager. He’s going to be given time. The timeline of the contract given the World Cup and other contracts was my biggest curiosity. If he can adjust to MLS and the Front Office can support him (you know what I’m more worried about), the Rapids will certainly be better in 2026.

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