Colorado Rapids: Anthony Hudson better be right

Anthony Hudson has revealed that the Colorado Rapids made a conscious decision to target experienced MLS players this offseason. He better be right about the signings, because his job could be on the line if not.

It couldn’t really have been a worse first season as the head coach of the Colorado Rapids for Anthony Hudson.

Hired to instill a new culture at the club, Hudson, this time last year, was still scrambling to fill out his squad and implement in small behavioural changes that he hoped would result in a greater professionalism at the club. He was still on the basics. He didn’t have the time to drill down into the detail.

The Rapids floundered as a result. One of the very worst teams in MLS for much of the year, eventually ending the season in second-last in the Western Conference, scoring a league-low 36 goals in 34 games, and amassing more points than just two other teams.

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It was a horrible season for the Rapids, and Hudson’s non-MLS transfer policy of the previous offseason was partly to blame. Stefan Aigner, Yannick Boli and Joe Mason all failed to deliver, struggling to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of MLS. Because these were very much Hudson’s signings, Hudson, naturally, came under pressure for the decisions that he made.

And this offseason, he and the Rapids have swung the pendulum the other way. Speaking this week to mlsscoccer.com, Hudson stated that their MLS-heavy approach was intentional:

"“Yeah, it was on purpose <…> There’s a real high risk with players who aren’t going to adjust or take a long time to adjust. Really knowing the character of players, knowing if they can really deal with MLS and the travel, I just felt throughout the season some of the MLS experienced players dealt with those situations better. I just felt that we needed to bring in more players that know the league, know how to win in the league, know what it’s like to go to Toronto needing to get a result after two or three days of flying somewhere else.”"

And the Rapids Front Office most certainly delivered. Kei Kamara, Keegan Rosenberry and Diego Rubio were both acquired via trades. Benny Feilhaber was signed in January, with Hudson subsequently talking up his leadership qualities. Moreover, throw Kellyn Acosta into the mix who was traded for midway through last season, and that is a spine of a team bar a centre-back with MLS experience.

Whether that number of signings can all come into the first team and gel from the opening weekend remains to be seen. So much and so sudden overhaul is rarely a productive way to build a team. But the Rapids had little foundational quality prior to this offseason. There wasn’t really much to build on.

Hudson has thrown down the gauntlet for another squad revolution. If this one is not successful, then questions need to be asked of his capabilities to lead the Rapids’ project. After a poor first season, should he fail in his second, an already uncertain job only becomes that much more insecure.

That decision is for way down the line. Hudson deserves time and if he can show progress this year then he should be backed. But he needs to be right about his signings first.