NFL
By Keith Richards
Earlier today, in front of a packed room, Padraig Smith officially introduced the new Colorado Rapids Head Coach: Chris Armas. It’s no secret at this point. The 2023 season for the Colorado Rapids was a complete disaster. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, which still might be an understatement.
Given the decline of the Rapids over the past two seasons, the hiring of Chris Armas will be a significant turning point for the franchise. Will that turning point move to something positive? Will that turning point move to more negativity? These are the questions that were asked of Chris Armas today.
However, before we get to that, there is one important question we must answer first: Who is Chris Armas? To give more context to the questions asked of him, and why he answered the way he did, we must first understand him as a player and as a coach.
Chris Armas the Player
Chris Armas’ professional career as a MLS player spanned from 1996 to 2007. Armas played two seasons with the LA Galaxy before finishing his career with the Chicago Fire. In that time frame, he would make 333 appearances and record 18 goals from the midfield position (six with LA and 12 with Chicago). Chris would also make 74 appearances for country (8 with Puerto Rico and 66 with the United States), in which he tallied two goals.
Here are some of the accomplishments of Chris Armas the player:
• 1998 MLS Cup winner with Chicago
• 2003 Supporters’ Shield winner with Chicago
• Four-time U.S. Open Cup winner (1998, 2000, 2003, 2006)
• 2000 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year
• CONCACAF Gold Cup with the United States in 2002 and 2005
• Six-time MLS All-Star
• Five honors with the MLS Best XI
• 2003 MLS Comeback Player of the Year
Chris Armas the Coach
Chris Armas’ career as a coach started in 2008. During that time, Armas has experience coaching on the domestic and international stage. Between 2011 and 2014, Chris coached the Adelphi Panther’s Women’s squad. Then, Chris Armas served as an assistant with the New York Red Bulls between 2015 and 2018. From 2018 to 2020, Chris served as the Red Bulls manager. During that time, he would become one of the few people to win the Supporters’ Shield as a player and coach.
In 2021, Chris Armas would serve as the head coach for Toronto FC for a single season. After that, Armas’ international coaching career began. Chris would serve as an assistant coach with Manchester United in 2021 and 2022. From there, he would serve as both an assistant coach and co-interim coach for Leeds United in 2023.
In his time with the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, Chris Armas’ record as a MLS head coach stands at 35-30-21. After early success with New York, Armas would end up being let go by the Red Bulls and Toronto FC, which we’ll touch on again here soon.
Can Chris Armas Save the Rapids?
As I said before, the hiring of Chris Armas will either remake the Rapids or drag them down further into obscurity and negativity. The moment is so important that Matt Hutchings (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer) of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment made it to the press conference. So, why Chris? What makes Padraig Smith believe Armas is the man for the job?
Regarding his decision to hire Chris Armas, Padraig Smith stated, “Chris brings a tremendous amount of experience to the table with us. One of the things that stood out to me as we went through this process was that everywhere I turned, whether other team presidents, team GMs, and most telling, players that played under him…all spoke about the type of person he was. The type of character. The type of leader his was going to be.”
In speaking about the hiring process and his decision to join the Colorado Rapids, Armas stated, “They shared with me who they’re about and gave me a chance to talk through who I was about and I did sense urgency. They talked a lot about winning, getting back to winning, which not too long ago, the club was there.”
Chris would go on to say, “I’m going to work hard to win for you guys. To my players, my boys that I’ll get to get a meeting in the next days, I’m honored to be your coach. I can’t wait to get started.” Armas seemed to be aware of the well-reported tension between the Rapids and their fans as well.
With leadership from Centennial 38 on-site, Chris Armas stated, “We have good fans and I know that. I do. I really, am looking forward to sharing the new direction, the philosophy, our playing style, with you, getting to meet you, and most importantly delivering what you want.”
What is his philosophy? Chris stated, “We’re going to be a team that plays with intensity and we’re going to play home and away. We’re going to go after games. I can assure you we’re going to be a team that sticks together and is clear on our philosophy. But, make no mistake, we’re going to be an attacking team.”
For the first question, Brendan Ploen of the Denver Post asked Chris Armas, all things considered, how much self-reflection he did to conclude that he felt ready to take on the challenge of a Colorado Rapids who is declining and has frustrated fans.
Armas replied, “That’s exactly why I wanted to come here. Good young players…. It gives me a lot of confidence that this is going to take off.” Chris would go on to say, “It’s a fan base that’s a 12th man. I’ve seen it as a player. I’ve been here and I’ve been a coach in this building. I don’t like it. I like it now, but I didn’t like it…[the fans] get behind the team.”
Remember I mentioned the perceived failures of Chris Armas as a MLS coach? Matt Pollard of Burgundy Wave addressed that with his question. Pollard asked Coach Armas to help Rapids supporters (who were underwhelmed by his appointment) better understand why he’s a better coach today than he was in 2021.
Chris replied, “The first thing I’d say to our fans is I understand that they might not be the happiest right now for lots of reasons. I love sport. I’ve been part of the sport and I’ve been a fan. So, I understand exactly how they feel.”
Further addressing the apprehension of fans, Chris Armas stated, “We can talk about certain experiences that I’ve had in New York, I think was really successful. I think the key thing about all my different stops in the football journey is that I’ve learned along the way and that I’m ready more now than I’ve ever been.”
Mitchell Carroll of DNVR Sports asked Armas about the report that he came in with a plan specific to players and not just his coaching philosophy. Coach Armas replied, “I was searching and looking for a hungry group. Hungry to play a certain way but open to something different. Something that requires a togetherness and a real energy.”
The players mentioned by Chris Armas, whom he deems the core group of the Colorado Rapids are Rafael Navarro, Cole Bassett, Connor Ronan, and Moise Bombito. Armas was impressed by the effort that Navarro gives to the team, Bassett’s love for the club, Ronan’s desire to want the ball, and the versatility of Bombito.
I asked Chris to give an example of what he thought was good about the current roster and what he thought would be a challenge. On the positive side, Chris Armas stated, “Well, I would say that the thing I like about this team is that this is a nice core group of young, intelligent, hungry players. I know that they’re open, I can see their behaviors on the field that play with energy and that’s going to be important for the way we want to play.”
Regarding what he feels the team could improve upon, Armas said, “To maybe name something that I think we’re going to improve is the structure. We’re going to play with organization and structure. It’s going to be key to what we do with the ball and without the ball. It’s going to help us play with verticality and attack but I think defensively the structure can be tighter.”
Chris Armas would also talk about his desire to push and develop young players, the recent success of the ownership group and how the Rapids need to be next, and his desire to be up there with the rest of the pro organizations in Colorado and their perceived excellence.
My Two Cents on Chris Armas
“Actions speak louder than words.” That’s a saying that I think most people would agree with. In the end, what will matter most is what Chris Armas can prove on the pitch. However, all that Armas can do right now is speak to his vision and his desire to be a successful coach and his desire to (for lack of a better phrase) make this club great again.
I was impressed with Chris today. He was (or at least seemed to be) honest, clear, and direct in his answers. Most importantly, I was impressed with the enthusiasm of Armas. I can understand the apprehension of the fans. It’s been a terrible period for their club and in comes a coach with perceived failures.
That said, and to reiterate, we won’t know until we see the product on the pitch whether Chris Armas will be a great hire or another bad decision by Rapids leadership. Given the departures announced on the year-end transactions report, there is still a lot to do before Coach Armas can fully implement his plan or his philosophy.
So, for now, in regards to the question of whether or not Chris Armas can return the Rapids to prominence in 2024, we don’t know that yet, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
