The Colorado Rapids will begin their 2026 Major League Soccer season on Sunday, February 22, with an away match against Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field. The game is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m. Mountain Time and will be available for viewing and listening through Apple TV, Altitude Sports Radio, Tico Sports Spanish Radio, the Colorado Rapids website, and the team’s app.
This marks the first official match for new Head Coach Matt Wells, who joined the Rapids after working as part of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.’s coaching staff for over two seasons. During his time at Tottenham, Wells contributed to the club’s victory in the 2024-25 Europa League—Tottenham’s first European title since 1984. Wells is joined by assistant coaches Rob Burch and Alastair Harris, both of whom bring significant experience from European soccer.
The offseason brought several changes to Colorado’s roster. The team traded with CF Montréal to acquire forward Dante Sealy, who comes off a personal best season with nine goals and two assists across 30 matches. In January, defensive midfielder Hamzat Ojediran was transferred from RC Lens in France’s Ligue 1. Australian center back Lucas Herrington also joined after completing his previous season with Brisbane Roar in Australia’s A-League. Other new additions include forward Bryce Jamison, MLS SuperDraft pick Donavan Phillip, and former Rapids 2 midfielder Sydney Wathuta.
Colorado hopes to build on its last result in Seattle—a memorable 3-3 draw last July where the Rapids overcame a three-goal deficit in the second half. This comeback made them the first MLS team to avoid defeat at Lumen Field after trailing by three goals against Seattle Sounders.
Seattle enters this fixture with much of last year’s squad intact but has seen some changes. Notably, midfielder Obed Vargas departed for Atlético Madrid earlier this month in a record transfer move. New arrivals Hassani Dotson, Ryan Sailor, and Nikola Petković—all experienced in MLS—will join core players such as Cristian Roldan, Pedro De La Vega, Albert Rusnák, and Jordan Morris.
For Sunday’s match, the Rapids will debut their “Colorful Colorado” primary kit. As part of a community initiative tied to this launch—and ahead of what is expected to be an important year for soccer in North America—the club has partnered with UCHealth to donate 10,000 soccer balls to youth throughout Colorado over the next two years.
###
