It has been a roller coaster campaign for the Colorado Rapids after the club secured a playoff spot yesterday in their 2-0 win over the Toronto FC. The Rapids were a full year ahead after finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference in the previous season, and it does seem that the squad is hungry for more success with the hopes of making a deep run in the coming MLS Cup.

Handing over Toronto FC’s second straight loss, the Colorado Rapids celebrated in style as the team looked like they have finally redeemed themselves after improving a whole lot better than they played last season. No one expected them to make the MLS Cup this year, and it seems that they will be shocking a lot of fans heading into the postseason with just four games left to play in the regular season before the playoffs begin.

At this point, it is easy to say that a whole year makes a big difference than most people would expect. For the Colorado Rapids, their story has just begun, and they are driving it well with a chance to even secure a shot to the final of the competition if they’re lucky.

A Season to Remember

As of the time of writing, the Colorado Rapids have clinched the third spot in the Western Conference for the coming MLS Cup. This means that the team could go on to lose its final games and still make it to the postseason. However, this season is starting to look like a promising story of an underdog on the rise that is worth making a documentary like Wrexham AFC’s.

While they are not climbing a whole set of football divisions, Colorado’s sudden improvement still strikes as a show of grit and promise now more than ever. If you are not impressed, the Rapids finished the previous season with a meager record of 5-12-17 off 34 games for a total of 27 points – that is the second-worst record in the MLS in the previous season, and the worst for the Western Conference.

Flash forward to a year later, the Colorado Rapids have made some stunning noise and have transformed themselves into playoff contenders, which says a lot about how they are really poised for a massive finish this year should they continue to play at a high level as first-year head coach Chris Armas noted.

"It's a big accomplishment that a lot of people should be proud of, and I'm one of them," said Armas, hired last November. "Padraig Smith for putting together that roster, cleaning things up around here. The players are asked an awful lot physically, technically, tactically – the whole bit. They're a real team and they always put the team first.”

Translating the Energy to Success

The Rapids are building off a massive campaign full of frustrations into a season worth remembering. It is worth noting that the team was also a month removed from claiming a huge 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup place after finishing third in the Leagues Cup – an underrated feat worth praising.

It is also worth noting that the race to the top of the Western Conference remains wide open with just a few points separating the Rapids from the top contenders LA Galaxy (1st) and Real Salt Lake (2nd). Colorado won three of its four matches after the Leagues Cup, and they are certainly riding on a much better pace now more than ever as they head to the final four games of the campaign.