For the second time in as many years, the Colorado Rapids are kicking off a new era in Commerce City. Here are three questions that will define 2026 and beyond as the Matt Wells project begins. What does success look like in Matt Wells’ first year? Kroenke Sports Entertainment President of Team a nd Media Operations Kevin Demoff put it bluntly after the club missed the 2025 playoffs and parted ways with former coach Chris Armas in November: “This club should be competing for titles.” The Rapids are likely far from that mark, but internal belief in first-time head coach Matt Wells has grown before even setting foot on the sideline at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. That’s in part because of his no-nonsense, detail-oriented coaching style and the way he has introduced his game model to the roster. This preseason, it took time for those ideas to take shape, but a 4-1 win over Orlando in the finale — a game of which the Rapids posted rare highlights — showed what’s possible. That may not be title contention in year one of the project, but if the team is as receptive to significant on-field changes as Wells has suggested, 2026 could bring along actual progress instead of another reset. “I think our expectation is to compete for an MLS Cup, and a successful season is taking meaningful steps in that direction and being in that conversation,” Demoff said during a preseason press conference on Tuesday. “Nothing short of being competitive, playing attractive football, drawing people here and growing the brand is acceptable.” One highlight from the Orlando match stood out: a possession started deep in the Rapids’ own corner to stretch Orlando’s defense, then Colorado found nine consecutive one- or two-touch passes to nine different players. In just 10 seconds, the move finished with a stunning service by Darren Yapi for a header into the net from Rafael Navarro. That’s the exciting brand of soccer Wells has promised from the day he was hired — and the kind of sequence that played out sporadically at best over the past two seasons. United States' Paxten Aaronson plays the ball during the men's Group A soccer match between New Zealand and the United States at the Velodrome stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 27, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File) Which players will define a new Rapids era? Particularly with the departure of longtime star Homegrown Cole Bassett, no player carries the weight of expectation like Paxten Aaronson will this season. Now just 22, he was brought in late last season for a club-record transfer fee and locked into a five-year contract, which is longer than typical Rapids’ contracts. Much of that expectation is rooted in the role he occupies and the freedom it demands, particularly now in Wells’ system. “We play a positional game. It’s important for players, in the first buildup, to hold their positions. They understand what movements to make, but the movements are all dictated by how the opponent presses,” Wells said. “We’ve still been far too precise (in the final third). I want to drop the precision there, and I want us to play with much more aggression, conviction, more bodies in the box. Constantly attacking, constantly trying to score goals, even if at risk for a counterattack.” That vision fits what Aaronson does best: progressing the ball through traffic, accelerating attacks and serving as connective tissue in an offense designed to match his assertiveness. Even if he doesn’t score at a high clip, the Rapids expect him to be a central figure offensively and on the press. Another player who could make the Rapids’ offense sing this year and beyond is winger Dante Sealy. Also 22, the Trinidad and Tobago international was Wells’ first target and acquisition as a head coach. His system required an inverted winger with an eye for goal, and the former CF Montréal star provided that. He scored nine goals for a near-bottom Montréal team in 2025 and has already gotten praise from Wells this offseason. No Rapids winger in the past decade has hit that mark. The closest was Michael Barrios in 2021, who scored eight goals and provided five assists. Colorado finished atop the Western Conference that year. Connor Ronan (20) of the Colorado Rapids advances the ball against Timothy Tillman of the Los Angles Football Club in the first half at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on October 18, 2025 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Are the Rapids built to dictate games or react to them? Perhaps the most infamous Rapids loss of the 2025 season was a 3-0 thrashing from the L.A. Galaxy. Without its star midfielder, Riqui Puig, who was out all season with an ACL injury and many starters resting for another competition, Los Angeles used almost exclusively young and inexperienced players, and still overwhelmed Colorado. Related Articles How the Rapids’ MLS opener at Seattle is a litmus test for 2026 season Rapids nearing deal to send homegrown star Cole Bassett to Portland Timbers, source confirms Why three Rapids coaches, two players missed start of preseason while waiting on visas Oliver Larraz, Calvin Harris won’t return to Rapids, opt to sign MLS deals elsewhere LA Rams, Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke becomes largest private landowner in the U.S. At the time, the Rapids were a reactive team — give up possession, spark a press, win it back and score in transition. The Galaxy punched them in the mouth early and often. That game set in motion a wave of disappointing results after another, which culminated in elimination from playoff contention on Decision Day. In some ways, Colorado was wired to see itself as the underdog, which led to some unexpectedly good results at times but more often produced bad losses against bad teams. Wells has used the preseason to hammer the opposite home. In a media availability after training on Thursday, he had the rasp of a coach who had spent the past two hours getting his message across. “The training was so good, but then there were certain things we did in training in terms of our finishing where we didn’t show true belief and commitment and ruthlessness,” Wells said. “That’s what I’m trying to create in this group: an edge and an aggression and a ruthlessness — a conviction behind what they do. … I’ll never stop going after that.” Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams. ...read more read less