BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - SEPTEMBER 29: Miguel Navarro of Talleres looks on the ball during a Liga Profesional 2024 match between River Plate and Talleres at Estadio Más Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on September 29, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Rodrigo Valle/Getty Images)
Commerce City, Colo. – Colorado Rapids announced today that the signing of left back Miguel Navarro from Club Atlético Talleres of Argentina’s Primera División. The Venezuelan international joins on loan through the 2026 MLS season. The club holds a permanent transfer option for 2027 with a club option for 2028.
Navarro previously played for Chicago Fire and was acquired by the Rapids ahead of the 2024 season in a trade for Andrew Gutman. When the Rapids brought back Sam Vines, Navarro was loaned to Talleres for the year with an option to buy. Talleres activated the purchase option. Burgundy Wave has previously reported the transfer fee was for in excess of $1 million. Navarro, despite being a Burgundy Boy on paper, never played for the club in 2024.
Padraig Smith on winter transfers:
"We worked on acquiring two players for positions… a defensive midfielder that we filled with Hamzat [Ojediran]… a left-footed right winger. We achieved that with Dante Sealy."
Said left-back was an area where they wanted more competition.
In his two years in Argentina, he played regularly. He’s made 68 appearances, 5,322 minutes played. Just one goal and five assists and a FotMob rating one 6.78. This was with Talleres competing for a title in 2024. This form led him to being a starter for Venezuela at the 2024 Copa America and in World Cup qualification. Transfermarkt has his valuation at $2.37 million.
The 26-year-old will be a domestic player having gotten his green card in 2021 when he was with the Fire. He was good for Chicago. We don’t have his updated salary for 2026, but in 2024, his guaranteed MLS compensation was 339,000. That’s way less than Sam Vines.
I feel similarly about the player as I did when they acquired him from Chicago before Vines came back. Navarro’s a good two-way fullback. He’s decent on the ball. Gets assists. In the right system where he’s not exposed defensively, he’ll be reliable.
Since we sold Vines in mid 2021 we've signed Lucas Esteves, Alex Gersbach, traded for Andrew Gutman, signed Jackson Travis as a home grown, traded for Miguel Navarro, re-signed Sam Vines, traded for Rafael Santos, and now reacquired Miguel Navarro to fill the left back hole
What it means for left back depth and Sam Vines’ future:
This now gives the Rapids three left backs. Vines has had a tough two years in returning to MLS. Fans are waiting for the 2021 Vinesback to return. Many are out on him. Jackson Travis is young and promising but has made mistakes. There’s competition at the position.
It would be ironic in hindsight if Navarro wins the starting job and does well. Colorado could have kept him to compete and potentially start over Vines in 2024. This could be a pivotal year for Vines. A third season of underwhelming and underperforming could prompt a move within the league. $900,000 for a non-starting left back is a lot. It would be a tough decision for the club to trade another Homegrown who’s been beloved after trading Cole Bassett.
The “how do we replace Sam Vines now that we’ve sold him to Antwerp?” problem has in a strange way, come full circle.
We don’t have a number on the purchase option. Would guess it’s close to but more than whatever he was sold for at the end of 2024. TransferMartk is hit and miss with valuations. If the Rapids are spending $2 million to keep Navarro for 2027 (I don’t think that’s the case), they’ll need to recoup some money with that potential Vines transfer.
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Eamon Shaw 
Spencer Baldwin 