Commerce City, Colo.- Colorado Rapids have signed Mamadou Billo Diop to an MLS contract, the club announced Saturday. It is a three-season contract through 2027-28. There are a pair of team options years through 2029-30.
Billo Diop signed with Rapids 2 out of high school from DME Academy in Florida. In 2025, he played in 31 games all competitions, scoring 16 goals and 2 assists. He became a well-rounded forward and dangerous in transition. He was in contention for the MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot in the final month. The Rapids went on to draft him 6th overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft after some shenanigans made him eligible for another team to take him.
Sources tell BW the player changed agents in the offseason, who could have pushed for the promotion to MLS.
It is unclear at time of publishing whether attending high school in America makes Diop a domestic player in MLS. He is originally from Dakar, Senegal. If he does occupy an International Roster Slot, the club can still be roster compliant as long as one of Diop, Ali Fadal, or Donavan Phillip is loaned out with R2.
The club is very high on the 6’2″ 19-year-old. He spent much of preseason with the first team and has impressed. This came alongside R2 teammate Sydney Wathuta also getting an invite and signing with the first team.
Read More: Mamadou Billo Diop: The Best Colorado Rapids 2 player you’ve never heard of.
“Billo has impressed in his training exposure with the first team,” said Colorado Rapids Head Coach Matt Wells.
“He really caught the eye in the final pre-season fixture, combining his physicality with moments of high technical quality. He arrives in good positions in the penalty box and is becoming more decisive with each week. We look forward to continuing his development in our first-team environment.”
Sporting Director Fran Taylor added, “He’s earned this opportunity through his production, and impact at the Next Pro Level. We believe he has the ability to impact the game at the first team level.”
Diop will provide depth at the center forward position, especially when both Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi start. Would expect him to spend most training days with the first team, but get semi-regular starts with R2. Getting 500 minutes in MLS and U.S. Open Cup combined would be a good season for Billo. He’s likely on an MLS minimum deal, so Wells has another youngster on good terms to develop.
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Spencer Baldwin 
Eamon Shaw 