A day-to-day look at the Colorado Rapids

Behind the scenes at Dick's Sporting Goods Park

By Alex Jimenez
Special to Metromix

The MLS has grown considerably, and given that it’s only 15 years young, it’s quite an impressive league. It has come a long way since it’s 1993 launch, which was meant to help aid the later successful bid for hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup. And, so have its players.

Gone are the days of players holding two jobs and earning measly salaries. We’re not talking NBA baller status, but they do pretty well. As Clint Dempsey, a former MLS turned English Premier player puts it in one of his rap songs (side gig), “Thanks to soccer I’m around more ice than a hockey skate.”

Many teams still fly commercial, but for the most part, these guys live nicely. They are some of the most finely tuned athletes in the world.

Which made us wonder, what does it take to survive on one of the MLS’s most established teams, the Colorado Rapids? Metromix took a behind the scenes look at what a day-to-day player goes through. Find out how they’re pampered, how they’re pushed, and what a locally grown Rapids player has in common with Lamar Odom of NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.