Colorado Rapids made the right call to sign Jonathan Lewis through 2024
By Daniel Garza
The Colorado Rapids have rightfully signed Jonathan Lewis to a long-term deal
In one of their early offseason moves, the Colorado Rapids have signed forward Jonathan Lewis to a contract through the 2024 Major League Soccer season. The 23-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Rapids after arriving from New York City FC in 2019. Lewis was a 2017 first-round draft pick after a successful season for Akron in the 2016 NCAA soccer season.
An offensive leader for the Rapids
Lewis was certainly one of the top offensive players for the Rapids in 2020. He registered five goals in 18 appearances to finish as the joint top scorer for the Western Conference club. This matched his goal total from the 2019 campaign when he registered five goals in 16 appearances. With 10 goals scored in a total of 34 MLS appearances for the Rapids, it’s easy to see why they wanted to sign him for four more seasons.
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According to Football Reference, Lewis finished in the top 10 in multiple offensive statistical categories in the 2020 season. The forward was sixth in goals per 90 minutes played, sixth in non-penalty kick goals per 90 minutes played, and fifth in total shots per 90 minutes played.
In addition to his success in these statistical categories, one of Lewis’ goals this season was included in the MLS’ September goals of the month.
With the Rapids losing Kei Kamara in September in a trade with Minnesota United, they lost one of their key goal scorers. There’s also the possibility that young offensive talent Cole Bassett could be headed to Europe in the near future.
For this reason, securing Lewis to a long-term contract through 2024 is the right move as they do not want to lose one of their best offensive players. This contract will ensure that Lewis continues to receive plenty of playing time which is of course good news for his continued development.
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USMNT future
Lewis has seen call-ups to the United States Men’s National Team due to his recent spell of good form for the Rapids. More recently, he made an appearance in February when the USMNT defeated Costa Rica and was later named to the Olympic qualification team. There is still plenty of time for Lewis to make an impact in the near future for the USMNT and the Olympic qualifying may offer that opportunity. He is a player who is still capable of during big things both on the club and international level.