Commerce City, Colo.- Colorado Rapids confirmed Tuesday that Zack Steffen has had shoulder surgery. The player posted about it last Friday. Steffen is expected to miss the next 5-6 months. His season is in doubt. With the 31-year-old on a team option for 2027, what does this mean for his future?
Firstly, get well Zack. He had a shoulder injury back in March. Rapids manager Matt Wells confirmed to Burgundy Wave that the morning of the May 9 home match vs St. Louis CITY, the issue flared up again. Steffen missed the rest of month. Steffen in his social media post and Wells alluded to this being something he had been dealing with. Perhaps it got more serious such that surgery was required.
Five months to recover puts Steffen back in early November, with the final regular season match November 7. Six months would put him out well into the MLS Cup playoffs. Pending a quicker recovery and/or him being ready to immediately ramp up to game speed, his season is probably over.
Steffen’s had an interesting 2.5 years with the Rapids. In 2024, it took him time to settle. He and the team grew into that summer. He was fantastic in that Leagues Cup run. USMNT Bro Twitter made a big deal of his stats, though we’ve argued that’s not the full story. Steffen got called up for Mauricio Pochettino’s first camp as USMNT manager that fall. He withdrew after a last minute knee injury.
Read More: “Just Another Step.” Zack Steffen Discusses PSxG Criticism and USMNT Injury.
He made the 2025 January camp and played well in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica. That was his first camp since a March 2022 match against Mexico in World Cup Qualification for Qatar.
Since then, there’s been a noticeable decline. He had a few soft goals down the stretch in 2025. Poor positioning at Sporting KC and a five-hole goal at FC Dallas come to mind. The whole team didn’t play well and they missed the playoffs on Decision Day.
Steffen’s form hasn’t bounced back this season. There was that infamous own goal at Toronto FC on Easter Weekend. Even if he comes back for a game or two in November, that won’t be much to read into compared to the last 18 months.
Nico Hansen is the starting goalkeeper going forward. He won’t be the key reason the Rapids succeed for fail. There are bigger issues to address. They have less depth for fixture congestion unless they make a signing. Could see them signing a veteran on a short term deal so Adam Beaudry can go back on loan to Loudon United to get minutes. None of this should change the club’s prioritization of the Open Cup.
Steffen be 32 next April. He’s played his last game for the national team. He has a guaranteed compensation of $1.1 million for this year. He was not playing up to his salary in 2025. He’s still good on penalty shootouts and in possession. Even if the shoulder fully recovers, on his best day, he’s a top 10 goalkeeper in MLS. At his worst, he’s committing a howler that costs the team the game.
He could come back on a one-season deal with an option year or two at a significant pay cut. We’ve seen this Front Office cut ties with players with injury histories before (ex: Jack Price).
Nico Hansen has been a reliable backup. He’s a good shot stopper. He’s ok with his feet. There’s room to improve there. He’s 24, signed to an extension at $160,000 a year. That fits the club’s player development ethos. He should have sell on value.
At some point, goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe wants to see if Adam Beaudry and Zackory Campagnolo can make it in MLS. Now would be a good time to make that transition.
If I had to guess, I think Steffen’s played his last game for the Burgundy Boys. I hope I’m wrong. He’s a good person, professional, and humanitarian.
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Spencer Baldwin 
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