Colorado Rapids add Homegrown Oliver Larraz
The Colorado Rapids have added another Homegrown player in Oliver Larraz.
The 19-year old midfielder, who has an intriguing resume, was signed by the team to a two-year deal on Wednesday. Larraz has spent time in Germany with Duisburg’s U19 squad as well as the FC Barcelona Residency Academy based in Arizona.
In a statement released by the club, sporting director Pádraig Smith said he was “delighted” to capture the young prospect on a first-team contract.
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“Ollie has worked hard to progress as player during his time in the academy and he has earned this opportunity with his consistent performances while training with our First Team throughout 2020,” Smith said in the statement released by the club.
“We look forward to seeing him continue to develop and contribute to our club.”
Larazz, as noted in the team release, has been with the first team over the past year in training stints. He came up through the team’s development pyramid, having joined the academy in 2014.
The signing of Larazz signals a youth shift taking place in Colorado. Under Robin Fraser, now set for his second full season with the Rapids (he joined the club in August of 2019), the club has increasingly targeted younger signings for both their international imports as well as their domestic signings.
Earlier this offseason, the Rapids made a bit of a splash, acquiring Michael Barrios from Western Conference rival FC Dallas. It wasn’t a young player but one who can bring some flair and creativity from wide.
In adding Barrios, the Rapids got a dynamic attacking wide player. The 29-year old winger is set to enter his seventh season in MLS. In 179 appearances (156 starts), he has 31 goals and 44 assists.
Under Fraser, the Rapids showed some progress last year. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016 but also showcased potential.
The team’s leading goal scorers, Jonathan Lewis and Cole Bassett, both tallied five goals. They are 23-years old and 19-years old respectively.