NFL
By Keith Richards
Tonight, Tom Bogert reported, and Matt Pollard and Braidon Nourse confirmed, that Colorado Rapids homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett is likely heading to the Portland Timbers. Though not official, it is rumored to be a cash trade. For Cole Bassett, the Timbers would pay Colorado $2.65 million. Additionally, the Rapids could receive an additional $1.05 million in add-ons. Finally, Colorado retains a sell-on clause.
The history of Cole Bassett with the Colorado Rapids is a hot-and-cold one. It starts with promise after his debut. Then, Bassett’s play earns him the opportunity to play in Europe. Eventually, Cole Bassett comes back to MLS and Colorado. During his second stint, Cole cemented his place as Colorado’s best homegrown. Even after a down year, is the time right for both sides to move on?
Starting his career with the Rapids in 2018, Cole Bassett currently sits at over 150 appearances with the Rapids. He’s started over 120 of those appearances. During that time, Cole has produced 53 goal contributions (31 goals and 22 assists). His best season was 2024. During that season, Bassett had 16 goal contributions (Nine goals and seven assists). This past season, however, was not the best for the homegrown.
During the 2025 season, Bassett only had seven goal contributions (three goals and four assists). Now, it’s easy to state that Bassett had a bad season. While that is correct to an extent, it is not the whole story. Arguably, the most significant factor in the down year for Cole Bassett was what was asked of him. Frequently, former head coach Chris Armas had Bassett playing out of position on the left wing. Bassett is a natural box-to-box midfielder.
However, that’s still not the whole story either. In addition, Cole missed time with injuries, which was a significant blow to the team. Between the injuries and the team’s shape on the pitch, Bassett often seemed frustrated, which is understandable. Cole Bassett is known for speaking his mind. He would never throw anyone under the bus, but he also made his displeasure tactfully known.
To me, last season, I think you could see that the marriage between Bassett and the Rapids was ending. At the end-of-season media availability with Padraig Smith and Kevin Demoff, I asked whether the club would be willing to make hard personnel decisions once they found their coach. At the time, Matt Wells was not yet the head coach. I had a couple of players in mind when I asked the question. The player at the front of my brain was Cole Bassett.
First, it’s important to note that my thoughts are my own. I’m not speaking on behalf of anyone within the club. That said, it’s possible that Bassett is not a great fit for Matt Wells’ system. In a 4-2-3-1, you would think Cole is a perfect fit. However, we don’t know for sure what the shape will be. Another factor is that the Rapids’ midfield is a bit bloated. Chris Armas loved his midfielders. Consequently, he carried a lot of them.
Even with the departure of Oliver Larraz, you still have Josh Atencio, Connor Ronan, Hazmat Ojerdian, Paxten Aaronson, Wayne Frederick, Ali Fadal, and Ted Ku-DiPietro. Though Colorado signed Aaronson to replace Djordje Mihailovic at the 10, Matt Wells could want him at the 8. That would likely leave Bassett as the odd man out, especially if he can’t perform on the wing.
At the end of the day, there could be several reasons why the Rapids have decided to move on from Cole Bassett. It will be soul-crushing for the fan base. Without question, Bassett was a fan favorite. In particular, the move will not sit well with Centennial 38, the Colorado Rapids Supporters’ group. However, I believe that it’s a good move for both Bassett and the Rapids. For Cole, he goes to a, I hate to say it, great club in the Portland Timbers. He will make a deadly attack even better. For sure, the Rapids will not enjoy playing him twice a season, including for the first match of the season.
For the Rapids, they get to clean up their midfield a bit. On top of that, they get up to $3.70 million in the process. That money could go toward acquiring a left back, which is a position of concern for the Rapids. In addition, maybe the club has decided to get a natural 10. Maybe, hear me out, the club decides to replace the video board with some of that money. Though I know fans would rather have Cole Bassett than a new video board.
When the dust settles, I think fans will see that it’s wholly a bad thing. Of course, it will depend on whether the club decides to reinvest the money from the cash trade. They have been good about that in recent years, but they also have a history of not doing so. If they do, it’s a win-win. Cole Bassett gets go somewhere he can continue to grow, and the Rapids can fill some holes in their team. Only time will tell. No matter what, Team NBS will be here to bring you all the news!
