Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
rapids roster compliancePhoto Credit: Mark Shaiken

COMMERCE CITY – The Colorado Rapids start their 2024 MLS campaign Saturday night at Portland Timbers. Friday morning, the club announced several updates to reach roster compliance.

Sidnei Tavares, on loan from FC Porto B, has been waived. The club has used their offseason buyout on Alex Gersbach. The Rapids are also trading an International Roster Slot to New York Red Bulls for $175,000 in 2024 GAM. Daniel Chacón has been placed on the Injured List, coming back from ACL surgery. He will not require an International Roster Slot for now as a result, thus making the club compliant in terms of international players.

The Tavares move is not surprising and for the best. Read more on the curious case of that saga here. That open U22 slot should come in handy in the summer with Cole Bassett being the only U22 player as of today.

Gersbach had a tough time with the Rapids. He joined the team in the final week of preseason due to the immigration paperwork taking time. He started at Seattle Sounders and got smoked in a 4-0 loss. He fell out of favor with Robin Fraser, as they experimented with Sam Nicholson and others out of position.

The 26-year-old Aussie had adductor tendon surgery in June. Sources tell Burgundy Wave he had been dealing with that injury before the surgery. Did he have a rough start to MLS, get hurt, then try to play hurt? Or was he just not that good and the Rapids got what they paid for? Surely an A League team will pick him up if nothing else.

In any case, the Rapids have paid out his ~$270,000 guaranteed compensation. He’s now a free agent and can find a new club in the summer.

Chacón will continue to rehab his ACL. The Rapids have plenty of good young center backs who will get minutes in the meantime.

Club President Pádraig Smith loves an opportunity to get some GAM. Sources tell BW that several players could be going through the green card process by the time Chacón is ready to come off injury. They might not even have to go spend $100K on an INT Slot later this summer.

With that, the Rapids are roster compliant. They have 29 first team contracted players, three of whom are on loan.

Andreas Maxsø and Connor Ronan are the only acquisitions from last winter who didn’t end up being busts. Some questions still remain for Rafael Navarro and Maxsø as a DP.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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