Colorado Springs, Co. — Yosuke Hanya was thankful that one Colorado club gave him a chance to make his debut as a professional soccer player. But he knows it’s the black-and-blue of the Switchbacks where he wants to make a name for himself.
Ahead of Wednesday’s Round of 16 U.S. Open Cup I-25 Derby showdown, Hanya reflected on his time as a member of the Rapids organization and how he grew into being a key piece of the Switchbacks. In December, the 27-year-old UMass graduate signed a two-year contract with Colorado Springs until the end of the 2027 season.
“This is a fresh start, definitely,” Hanya told Burgundy Wave earlier this week. “I’m happy to be back with the Switchbacks, I love the coaching staff, fan base and teammates. I’m really happy with the environment I’m in right now. … Now, I’m a mature player, I have a new role on this team and have to help and lead the team with my ability on and off the pitch. It’s interesting. Definitely two different roles when I was with the Rapids and the Switchbacks right now.”
The Tokyo, Japan, native is coming off of a tough 2025 season. In the 2024 USL Championship game, he assisted Juan Tejada for the opening goal only to exit the match with a hamstring injury. Last year, on loan again from Rapids 2, he took awhile to find his form and get back to full fitness. Hanya still managed to play 1,700 minutes and chipped in one goal and three assists.
Fitting in like a glove
Switchbacks first-year head coach Alan McCann has used Hanya in a similar position as R2, expecting him to be shifty, versatile and dangerous at all times in chance creation, but also lead the way in counterattacks. It’s part of what makes him such an asset, as he tallied 17 goals and 13 assists across 4,000 minutes for Rapids 2, while he’s at six goals and 12 assists in his time with the Switchbacks.
McCann has molded the club to be a relentless, high-press, high-octane style, which has suited Hanya’s motor and instincts well.
“We know what we want to do as a team,” Hanya said. “I know I want to help this team with goals and assists, creativity in front of goal. It’s definitely something coach Alan is asking me for. I’m happy to do that. It was fun to play with those Rapids players back then. Now, I have to be more of myself, a bit more selfish and prove myself in this league. It’s very fun to prove myself at this level.”
Now, Hanya has plenty of help in the attack with the likes of established striker Khori Bennett, Jonas Fjeldberg, and Levonte Johnson, who Hanya helped assist in Colorado Springs’ home opener. With a trio like that and Hanya’s instincts at picking out passes and cutting inside, it makes the Switchbacks one of the deepest attacking threats in the USL, and they could capitalize on Wednesday.
Keeping tabs
But as Hanya reflected on seeing his friends and former teammates again on Wednesday, he also recalled what stood out with the 2023 R2 team that propelled so many careers forward: Camaraderie. That mutual respect and care for each of his friends’ career pathways still exists today.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the Rapids for giving me the start, without that, I wouldn’t be here today and I really appreciate the club,” Hanya said. “Obviously, I have great memories winning the regular season in my second year with Rémi (Cabral), Oli (Larraz) and Yapi. I love coach Erik Bushey, as well. Erik and I keep in always try to keep in touch now and again, so, I feel a connection. It’s always good to play against a former team that has my friends Yapi and Jackson (Travis). I’m really excited to play against them. … I really want to test myself against those MLS players and MLS teams.”
The club, including Director of Player Personnel Brian Crookham, helped him get a jump start on his green card application process, which he is in the final stages of and hopes to obtain it by the end of 2026. Hanya also recently married his longtime girlfriend last December and she is now based in the Springs, as well.
Building new connections
Still, he appreciates this new chapter of his career in particular, building new memories with a tight-knit set of supporters in The Trailheads and the Weidner Field regulars.
“The connection with the fanbase and fanbases really stood out to me. With the second team, we’d have a few hundred people there, but now, at our home games we always get 4,-6,000 people. The atmosphere is always great and it’s something I really like about Switchbacks and the USL in general. Especially, USL is trying to grow and get bigger. It’s really interesting to see where this league can go in the next few years.”
For one day though, he’ll have to put the fondness of his old club aside and focus at the task at hand: Focus on doing the ugly things well to help his side pull off a second straight “cupset” and reach the quarterfinals for the first time in club history.
“I watch a lot of Rapids games this year under the new head coach. They play really, really interesting soccer building out from the goalkeeper with the two number sixes,” Hanya said. “… We can do a high press, we can sit deep. We can do either. The main focus will be on the ugly part of the game, the second ball, first ball, aerial duels, those sorts of things.”
Hanya has his sights set not just on Wednesday, or the 2026 USL season, but far beyond.
“It’s amazing to be apart of this U.S. soccer history, and, again, in the next couple of years I want to go as high as I can.”
Spencer Baldwin 
Matt Pollard 
Eamon Shaw 