Nearly one year ago, one of the most devastating losses occurred for a member of the Colorado Rapids staff - the sudden and tragic death of almost 3-year old, Elysa Rojas was a painful moment for so many at the club, but none so much as parents Jaime and Jana. Jaime Rojas has served as the Rapids Head Athletic Trainer since 2010 - the year the Rapids won MLS Cup and his daughter Elysa was born in February of that same year. Elysa held a special place, too, in the hearts of those that played and worked for the club during those years - she could be seen out a training session with mom and sister, and was always giving dad

Recently, the Colorado Rapids cleaned house - boxes of used team gear were simply taking up too much space in the confines of Dick's Sporting Goods Park and after the annual "garage sale" for Rapids fans, there was still plenty left over. That's when team staff contacted Rapids Chaplain Brad Kenney. The text message read: Yo. We have 4 boxes of donations for you. Everything from boots to jerseys. You want to get them at some point? Well, four boxes turned into 20 - jerseys, boots, pants, compression shirts and shorts, socks - the amount was nearly overwhelming. Chaplain Kenney conferenced with Associate Chaplains Hugo Venegas and Ricardo Orellana - how can we quickly move this gear and get it into

The Colorado Rapids have been in the news of late, particularly over the situation with the head coach, Oscar Pareja. For the last couple of months, there have been stories that surface about Pareja's pursuit by his former club FC Dallas. Beginning in November of 2013, rumors that Dallas had interest in the former player, former academy coach started to hit online media outlets. The Rapids quickly shut down the conversation with a strong statement that Pareja was the future coach. But the story resurfaced just before Christmas, that Dallas was really keen to make Pareja their next head coach. After weeks of quiet, the news suddenly broke that Pareja was stepping down as head coach, but then Pareja was

On the last day of 2013, there is occasion to pause for reflection. There is much debate around looking backward in order to move forward in our culture. Some criticism - that the only reason we look back is so that we can make more efficient our practice or modernize our mechanistic attitude. Some wisdom - that we ought to learn from mistakes and strive to not repeat them, to teach our children how to overcome them. Some practical application - goal-setting, resolutions, and the like. Some fantastical dreaming - see above. In looking back and contemplating 2013, there are several poignant moments (notice I didn't use the word highlights) for 2013 that have shaped and framed 2013 as its

When the whistle finally sounded, it was Sporting Kansas City that had overcome Real Salt Lake to take the Major League Soccer Cup Final for 2013. The game went to penalty kicks - the second such championship game for RSL - as both teams were looking for their second title. It has been three years since the Colorado Rapids claimed the title over FC Dallas in the cold confines of Toronto's BMO Field. Read a Rapids' staff reflection here. There has been much that has changed in those three years - in MLS as well as with the Rapids. As I reflect back on the team I offer some reflections that you might not exactly expect. 1. There is always a