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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – At just 17-years-old, Colorado Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett is too young to rent a car, or buy a beer. But he’s already earned one thing that money can’t buy; the trust and backing of head coach Anthony Hudson.

“I’d been speaking with [Rapids GM Padraig Smith] so many times about Cole, saying we need to sign him,” Hudson told Pro Soccer USA. “I think the biggest thing I kept saying was ‘I trust him’. I trust him to play in a game. I trust him because of what he’s shown us on the training pitch every day and the type of character he is.”

That trust level led to Hudson rolling the young Homegrown player out in last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Portland Timbers. As Colorado looked to chase the result, Bassett substituted into the match in the 71st minute for defender Kortne Ford.

“It’s definitely a proud moment for me and my family because I’ve worked so hard for this for so many years,” Bassett said of his MLS debut. “I’m really proud to make my debut but I wish it could’ve ended in a better result because we deserved more.”

Like Ford, Bassett was one of the top college prospects for the University of Denver men’s soccer program before signing a Homegrown contract with Colorado last month. But unlike his teammate, Bassett chose to forgo the college experience. The decision wasn’t an easy one.

“Kortne and I talked about it a lot as well as Sam Hamilton,” Bassett said. “I spoke with [DU head coach] Jamie Franks and the staff there as well. Part of me is a little bit sad not to be able to go to DU, it’s a great program, but ultimately I had to decide to stay with the Rapids.”

At first, his parents were nervous at the idea of passing up a college scholarship, but the Rapids’ courting of Bassett, along with the chance to take classes via the MLS partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, eased the anxieties.

“For around six months they spoke with my parents and I had a lot of time to think about it,” Bassett continued. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a professional soccer player, so when I got this opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up.”

With his debut against Portland, Bassett became the youngest player in Colorado Rapids history to play first team minutes for the club. It was a surreal experience for someone who has followed his local team since childhood.

“I started coming to Rapids games when I was six-years-old,” Bassett recalls. “Nick LaBrocca was my favorite midfielder and I loved watching Conor Casey. The cool thing is [Casey] is now my coach and we stay after practice to work on finishing.”

Casey is just one of several within the Rapids facility willing to lend advice to the youngster.

“Guys like Barnesy [Giles Barnes], [Shkelzen] Gashi and Enzo [Martinez] are always out there giving me tips throughout the game and before,” Bassett said. “The biggest advice I’ve received was from Tim Howard. He told me to play simple. If you miss a pass, get right back out there and get the other one. From the coaching staff, they told me to be confident, show what you’ve done to get here.”

Taking charge in his own path and development is one of Bassett’s best attributes. To those that know him, it comes as no surprise.

“It’s always hard to step in as a young player without the development that most guys get in college but he’s come to me with questions and I don’t hesitate to help him out,” said Ford. “He has a very good idea on his shoulders that he has to be in control of his own development and he’s taken on that role.”

Hudson also offered praise for the young Homegrown. But the Rapids manager also emphasized the importance for Bassett and the team’s other young players to keep working hard and remain level headed.

Said Hudson, “What he needs to keep doing is responding by having unbelievable discipline, unbelievable attitude and at no point can he get carried away with anything.”

Having reached one milestone, Bassett is now focused on his next big goal for his career and this season;  cracking the starting XI.

“Ultimately, I want to get a start before the end of this season,” said Bassett. “It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to keep working towards it and talk to the coaching staff to see what I need to do to get to that point.”

With Colorado’s playoff odds currently at a near mathematical impossibility, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hudson play the youth as the team’s disastrous 2018 comes to a close. But as Bassett explained, the team is currently focused on several collective goals for the seven matches that remain.

“As a team, we want to start playing the best that the Rapids have ever played, football-wise,” he said. “We want to reach 600 passes a game, reach 60 percent possession at home or on the road and dominate the game. We want to work towards that and build towards next season.”

The post At 17, Colorado Rapids homegrown Cole Bassett looks to make mark on MLS appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The Colorado Rapids extended their current losing streak to three on Saturday night, as hosts Portland tallied goals from Jeremy Ebobisse (45’) and Diego Valeri (65’), both assisted by Sebastian Blanco in a 2-0 win for the Timbers.

Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ 2-0 loss:

Bassett makes MLS debut

A week after debuting with the first team during a 3-2 friendly win last week against United Soccer League side Tulsa, Rapids homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett earned his first MLS appearance. Bassett entered Saturday’s match as an offensive substitution in the 71st minute for defender Kortne Ford.

“I’ve spoken about Cole for a long time now, and I don’t want this to overshadow and serve as an excuse for the fact that we just lost the game, but he’s someone that we believe in and he’s done nothing yet,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson said. “We believe in him and I trusted him to put him out on the pitch, but you just never quite know. And I thought he was outstanding when he came on. He was under pressure at times and he did well on the ball, I was really pleased with him. He just now needs to be feet on the ground, patient, keep working hard — and it’s fantastic having him in the squad.”

At age 17, Bassett is the youngest player to get first-team minutes for the Colorado Rapids in the club’s history.

“I don’t really think about it when I’m on the field. I just try to help the team out,” Bassett said of his debut. “It’s definitely a proud moment for me and my family because I’ve worked so hard for this for so many years. I’m really proud to make my debut, but I wish it could’ve ended in a better result because we deserved more.”

In addition to Bassett’s debut, 21-year-old Rapids homegrown Caleb Calvert — recalled from his loan with the Charlotte Independence — also saw minutes. Calvert subbed in for Shkëlzen Gashi in the 55th minute.

Calvert completed 70 percent of his passes, but didn’t register a shot in just under a half of play.

Lacking in attacking

Colorado absorbed pressure for much of the game, particularly in the first half. Portland could have easily been up 2-0 in the first half hour with goals called offside from Ebobisse and Valeri in the 12th and 30th minutes, respectively.

“I think for large parts of the game, most of the first half and parts of the second half, at times I thought we were the better team,” said Hudson. “The contrast was in the final third. When they were in the final third, Tim had to make a save. And tonight, I don’t think we had enough quality in the final third and I don’t think we were a threat in the final third.

“Other than that, the overall game was very good and the players never stopped all the way to end. We were unlucky with the penalty at that moment and at the end I thought we could have potentially nicked on as well, we had a couple of chances.”

Portland outshot Colorado 18 shots to 10 in the match, but the Rapids held on to nearly 56 percent of the game’s possession, a positive statistic for MLS teams on the road. The Rapids lack of attacking threat exposed how thin Colorado is offensively at the moment, with Jack McBean and Giles Barnes getting the start atop Hudson’s 4-4-2. Attacking options Sam Nicholson (back injury), Niki Jackson (red card suspension) and Yannick Boli (hamstring) were all unavailable for this match.

Result may VAR-y

Portland found itself on the wrong end of the two offside calls, so could’ve easily been up 3-0 by the half. But calls also went against Colorado, mainly a call for a penalty which was initially awarded to the Rapids and then reversed in the 61st minute.

At that point in the game, Colorado could’ve tied the match and played for the road point, but the reversal shifted momentum in the Timbers’ favor for the remainder of the match.

“The mental part is 80 percent of the game,” said Portland midfielder Diego Valeri. “If the PK [decision] went for Colorado, maybe we’d be frustrated. I think all game we were concentrated. Sometimes, Colorado was aggressive but mentally and tactically we did a great effort. We began to play aggressive and after the second goal we matched the energy.”

The post Cole Bassett makes MLS debut during Colorado Rapids 2-0 loss to Portland appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.