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Top 10 Best Colorado Rapids Players of All Time

The Colorado Rapids were one of the original MLS teams and have been playing in the league since 1996. The club has won the MLS Cup once in its 28 seasons, as the Rapids took home the trophy in 2010. With that said, who are the best players in Colorado Rapids’ history and what are their accomplishments with the club?

Who Are the Best Colorado Rapids Soccer Players of All Time?

Conor Casey
Chris Henderson
Marcelo Balboa
Omar Cummings
Joe Cannon
Pablo Mastroeni
Drew Moor
Paul Bravo
Diego Rubio
John Spencer

1. Conor Casey

2010 MLS champion
Most goals in Rapids history
Two-time single-season goal leader for the Rapids

Conor Casey played for multiple German teams before joining the Colorado Rapids in 2007. Casey is the all-time leading goal scorer for the club and won the MLS Cup with the Rapids in 2010. The center-forward had five goal contributions in 15 matches during his first season in Colorado. Casey led the Rapids with eleven goals in 2008 while also adding one assist. He led the club for the second straight season in goals in 2009 as he scored a career-best 16 goals.

Casey contributed 13 goals and six assists in 2010 when the Rapids won the MLS Cup. He added seven goal contributions in 2011 and finished his tenure with the club in 2012 after scoring two goals in 18 matches. The forward had 52 goals and 14 assists while appearing in 123 matches across all competitions for the Rapids. Casey is the all-time leading goal scorer in Colorado’s history.

2. Chris Henderson

Most assists in Rapids history
Third most games in Rapids history
Fifth most goals in Rapids history

Chris Henderson played professionally in Germany and Norway before joining the Colorado Rapids for the club’s inaugural MLS season in 1996. Henderson was one of the first stars for the Rapids and is in the top five for many statistical categories. The right midfielder started all 29 matches that he appeared in 1996 and had three goals to go along with seven assists. Henderson improved his stats in the following season as he had seven goals and nine assists. The midfielder had eight goal contributions in 1998. He left Colorado after that season but returned in 2001, where he had eleven goals and four assists. Henderson had 14 goal contributions over the following two seasons.

The midfielder left the Rapids for the final time in 2005 after having one goal and five assists in eight matches to start the season. Henderson’s 42 assists for the club are the most by any player in Colorado’s history. His 197 matches are the third-most and his 37 goals are the fifth-most by a player for the Rapids.

3. Marcelo Balboa

Fourth most games in Rapids history
Eleventh most goals in Rapids History
Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame

Marcelo Balboa joined the Colorado Rapids for the club’s first season in the MLS in 1996. Balboa is one of the best defenders in the history of the Rapids and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The center-back appeared in 18 games during his first year in Colorado and had seven goals and one assist. He started 28 games in 1997 and had three goal contributions. Balboa had five goal contributions in the following year as well. The defender had four goals and four assists in 2000 and five goals and three assists in his final season with the club in 2001.

Balboa was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005 for his contributions to the MLS and the United States Men’s National Team. The defender had 24 goals and eleven assists during his 168 matches across all competitions for the Rapids. Balboa has played in the fourth-most games and has scored the eleventh most goals for Colorado in the club’s history.

4. Omar Cummings

2010 MLS champion
Second most assists in Rapids history
Third most goals in Rapids history

Omar Cummings was selected in the third round of the 2007 MLS Draft by the Colorado Rapids. Cummings is one of the best offensive players in the history of the club, as he is in the top three for both goals and assists for the Rapids. The center-forward didn’t play much in 2007 but scored six goals and four assists in the following year. He led the MLS with eleven assists in 2009 while also having eight goals.

Cummings won the MLS Cup with Colorado in 2010. He had 14 goals and three assists that year. Cummings combined for 17 goal contributions over the following two seasons. The forward joined the Houston Dynamo after the 2012 campaign and played professionally until 2017. Cummings appeared in 157 matches for Colorado which is the fifth-most by a player in club history. His 35 assists are the second-most for the Rapids and his 41 goals are the third-most for the club in its history.

5. Joe Cannon

2004 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year
Three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist
MLS leader in clean sheets in 2004

Joe Cannon joined the MLS in 1999 and later became a member of the Colorado Rapids in 2003. Cannon is one of the best goalkeepers in the club’s history and was a three-time finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. The keeper appeared in just one match in 2003 but made 30 starts the following season. Cannon led the MLS in minutes while having ten wins and a league-best ten clean sheets. He was also named the 2004 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

Cannon finished as a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2005 and 2006. The keeper once again had double-digit wins in 2005 while also having eight clean sheets. In his last season in Colorado, Cannon started 28 matches and won nine games. He played for seven more seasons in the MLS before retiring in 2013.

6. Pablo Mastroeni

2010 MLS champion
Most games in Rapids history
Most bookings in Rapids history

Pablo Mastroeni was a second-round pick in the 1998 MLS Draft by the Miami Fusion and he eventually joined the Colorado Rapids in 2002. Mastroeni is the longest-tenured player in club history and is an MLS Champion with the Rapids. The defensive midfielder had two goal contributions in each of his first two seasons in Colorado. Mastroeni scored his first league goal with the club in 2005. His highest offensive output came in 2009 when he had four goal contributions, something that the midfielder repeated in 2011.

Mastroeni won the MLS Cup with the Rapids in 2010. The midfielder remained with the club through the 2013 campaign before joining the LA Galaxy for one season and then retiring. The Argentinian appeared in 245 matches for Colorado which is more than any other player for the club. He had six goals and nine assists during his 12 years with the club. Mastroeni’s 65 bookings are also the most by a player for the Rapids.

7. Drew Moor

2010 MLS champion
Second most games in Rapids history
Two-time MLS leader in minutes

Drew Moor was selected the sixth-overall pick in the 2005 MLS Draft by F.C. Dallas and later joined the Colorado Rapids in 2009. Moor is one of the longest-tenured and most consistent defenders in the history of the club. The center-back did not play much in 2009 but started all 30 games that he appeared in 2010 while leading the MLS in minutes played. He also won the MLS Cup with the Rapids that year.

Moor scored a single-season-best four goals in 2011. The defender had four goal contributions in 2012 while once again leading the league in minutes played. Moor continued to be a consistent starter for Colorado before joining Toronto F.C. in 2016. The defender returned to the Rapids in 2020 and appeared in 29 MLS matches during the following three seasons before retiring. Moor appeared in 223 matches across all competitions during his time in Colorado which is the second-most in the club’s history.

8. Paul Bravo

Second most goals in Rapids history
Eighth most games in Rapids history
1997 goal leader for the Rapids

Paul Bravo played one season in the MLS before joining the Colorado Rapids in 1997. Bravo is one of the best goal-scorers in the club’s history and is in the top ten for both goals and assists in the history of the Rapids. The attacking midfielder scored eight goals and had three assists in his first season with Colorado. Bravo led the club in goal-scoring that season.

His best offensive season with the Rapids came in 1998 when he scored 11 goals and had six assists. The midfielder had double-digit goal contributions again in 1999, as he had seven goals and three assists. Bravo matched his goal total in the following season and then scored six goals in his final season with Colorado in 2001. He appeared in 151 matches across all competitions for the Rapids, which is the eighth-most by a player in club history. Bravo’s 45 goals are also the second-most in Colorado’s history.

9. Diego Rubio

Sixth most goals in Rapids history
Sixth most assists in Rapids history
2021 goal leader for the Rapids

Diego Rubio played professionally throughout the world before joining the Colorado Rapids in 2019. Rubio is a top offensive player in the history of the Colorado Rapids. The center-forward scored 11 goals and added four assists in his first year in Colorado. Rubio had six goal contributions in 16 matches in 2020. He added nine goal contributions in the following season as well. Rubio led the Rapids with 16 goals in 2022. The forward also contributed five assists while appearing in 30 matches during that campaign.

The Chilean player has appeared in 112 matches across all competitions for the club. He has 37 goals and 22 assists during his tenure in Colorado. Rubio is sixth all-time for both goals and assists in the history of the Rapids.

10. John Spencer

Fourth most goals in Rapids history
Two-time single-season goal leader for the Rapids
Two top-three goals finishes in MLS

John Spencer was well known for his time in the English Premier League before joining the Colorado Rapids in 2001. Spencer was one of the best goal-scorers during his four seasons with the club and he led the club in scoring twice. The center-forward scored 14 goals and had six assists in 23 games in 2001. Spencer led the Rapids in scoring and finished as the third-highest goal scorer in the MLS that year. The Scottish player finished third in the MLS in the category again in 2003 as he led Colorado with 14 goals.

Spencer had five goal contributions in his final season with the Rapids in 2004, as he retired at the end of the campaign. The forward appeared in 95 matches across all competitions during his four seasons in Colorado. He scored 39 goals and had 13 assists during his time with the club. Spencer is the fourth-highest goal scorer in the history of the Rapids.