Rapids sign F Darren Yapi to multi-year contract

The Colorado Rapids signed forward Darren Yapi to a multi-year contract as a U22 Initiative player on Tuesday.

The deal with the 21-year-old homegrown player runs through 2028-29 with a club option for 2029-30.

Yapi has three goals and two assists in 11 MLS matches (seven starts) this season, boosting his career totals to 13 goals and five assists in 102 regular-season matches (38 starts) since making his Rapids debut at age 16 in 2022.

“Darren has made a really positive start to the season and continues to grow into a more complete front line player for us,” head coach Matt Wells said. “He’s shown a top mentality to embrace our football, has made big steps in his physical development and is consistently impacting the game in attacking positions. He has the right level of ambition and we believe he has so much more growth to come, so we’re looking forward to continuing to work with him.”

A former Rapids Academy Player of the Year, Yapi also contributed 11 goals and three assists in 35 appearances with MLS Next Pro affiliate Rapids 2 from 2022-25.

“He has consistently shown his ability to impact games at the MLS level, and we believe he has the qualities to develop into a top attacker in this league and beyond,” team president Padraig Smith said. “This new contract reflects both his performances and the standards he has set for himself, and we’re excited to see him continue to build on that here in Colorado.”

–Field Level Media