Analyzing the 2026 Colorado Rapids Roster Profile

Commerce City, Colo. – Friday February 20 was Roster Compliance Day in Major League Soccer. The following Friday, MLS released the roster breakdowns of every club as of February 21. We have the 2026 Colorado Rapids Roster Profile. Let’s break it down and see what it means for the season and the transfer window.

Breaking down the roster:

For starters, the club currently has two Designated Players, Paxten Aaronson and Rafael Navarro. Alexis Manyoma and Ted Ku-DiPietro are occupying U-22 Initiative spots. That leaves the club with two open spots, which can either be one DP and one U22 or two U22 players. Presumably, Josh Atencio was bought down, likely with GAM, as he was last year.

Elsewhere, four players are on Targeted Allocation Money: Reggie Cannon, Rob Holding, Hamzat Ojediran, and Zack Steffen. We don’t have salaries from the MLS Players Association yet for 2026, so we don’t know how much Ojediran is making. For 2025, Cannon and Steffen were around $900,000 and Holding was at $1.2 million. The max budget charge for 2026 is $803,125. So the Rapids are spending a bit on TAM for the roster flexibility mentioned above.

The Rapids have all six International Slots occupied: Ali Fadal, Lucas Herrington, Rob Holding, Alexis Manyoma, Ojediran, and Donovan Phillip. Miguel Navarro and Connor Ronan have their green cards. Rafael Navarro has gotten his as well. BW can confirm Fadal and Phillip are on loan with Rapids 2. Adam Beaudry is on loan to Loudoun United in the USL Championship. Moves like these could open up an International Slot to use on another signing. It’s unlikely that current international players are close to getting their green card outside of maybe Phillip with how long he’s been in the States.

Beaudry, Jackson Travis, and Darren Yapi are still Homegrowns, as expected. Kimani Stewart-Baynes and Alex Harris are on their original Generation Adidas contracts.

Key 2026 contract decisions:

Contract wise, with Sam Vines bought out, the Rapid don’t have any bad contracts at the moment. We’ll see what Ojediran is making in a few weeks. They will have some roster decisions to make going into 2027. Manyoma’s loan expires in July. They’ll need to make a decision on the option to buy. Not retaining him will open a U22 spot.

Holding and Yapi are both out of contract at the end of this season. Every other player is guaranteed or has an option for 2027. Those decisions should be simpler.

Holding is the one veteran center back at present. Colorado hasn’t had a stable center back pairing which has hurt the team defensively. The chopping and changing from Moïse Bombito and Chido Awaziem leaving has prevented them from building continuity. It would be nice to have two straight years the same back line. Would Holding take another deal with gradual decreases in salary due to his age?

Yapi being out of contract is huge. He’s an amazing young talent. His recent comments about not knowing what his position was under Wells raised eyebrows. He’s the last established Homegrown on the team with Cole Bassett and Vines gone. Him leaving, especially if it’s on a free transfer out of contract would hurt. He’s due a pay raise and the right to be a starter somewhere in MLS or even a bridge move to Europe.

Transfer Window: Two open U22 slots

Lastly, what does this mean for the rest of the transfer window? The primary transfer window closes March 26. Ojediran likely put pen to paper around Christmas. The only other signing since has been the Miguel Navarro free loan. The only money they’ve spent since was buying out Vines, addition by subtraction.

It’s been a month since Bassett was traded. It’s been two weeks since President Pádraig Smith said they are in active negotiations with a winger and center back. Yet, the rumor mill is quiet.

The team has two open U22 slots. They could free up an International slot. The team cannot finish the window with two unused U22 slots. Signings need to be made. The club needs to show intent by spending that Bassett money now and well. Matt Wells said during the Bassett negotiations, “Judge us at the end of the transfer window, not in the middle of it.”

Rapids fans are waiting. The Front Office is in a contract year. Make a move that helps this team establish itself before the break for the World Cup.

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