Holding The High Line, a Colorado Rapids Podcast

Hello Colorado Soccer fans! Happy New Year! Holding The High Line is back for 2026 just in time to talk about Lindsey Heaps signing with Denver Summit FC. We might be a Summit podcast now. We discuss the Great Horan Linsey Heaps signing a precontract with Summit. We discuss this massive move, what it means for the expansion club and the Rapids. We have updates on Summit and the Pids playing a home game at Mile High as well as Summit renting out DICK's Sporting Goods Park in the spring. What a fascinating case study experiment we get to witness, and all because Summit's temporary stadium has construction delays. Oh, and Mark pokes Matt about Chris Armas getting the KC Current job. Then the guys talk Rapids preseason. We've got a schedule, some new coaches (we'll miss you Chris Little), a preseason roster, and some center back rumors. We break it all down. Oh and Footy Headlines thinks the new Rapids kit will be black and sky blue. Hope that's fake news. Check out this article from Maxwell's blog about the state of the fanbase. Thank you for listening to HTHL, High Liners and haters. Happy New Year. We are so back. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Soccer fans. On this episode of Holding The High Line, we pod in between holidays to discuss all the news. Rabbi and Red react to the Matt Wells official announcement as Colorado Rapids head coach. Red spoke to him. Hear his first impressions. We give our thoughts on the One Club, One Legacy fan survey about possibly rebranding. Most fans on social media don't like this. We've got some info from the club side of things. We also talk MLS SuperDraft with the main story being Colorado needing to protect Billo Diop despite having him under contract for 2026. Then we go full Home Alone. Red talks Noah Cobb, Dante Sealy, Hamzat Ojediran, the proposed division re-alignment, the anniversary game at Mile High against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, and the Denver Summit stadium plan getting approved by the Denver City Council. That Matt Wells interview will be in your feed later this week. Happy Holidays High Liners. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This week on Holding The High Line, Red is back from England and recovered from jet lag. Rabbi has come down from his Thanksgiving food coma and high of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds winning the USL Championship. The guys give some brief thoughts on Inter Miami winning MLS Cup and the FIFA World Cup draw. Hey, we feel good about the USMNT getting out of the group. We discuss Colorado picking up the purchase option on Noah Cobb. Matt has some reporting on Sam Bassett and Rafa Santos. We discuss the coaching search, the profile of manager we think the Rapids are going for, and the timeline. Then we discuss MLS Free Agency and the SuperDraft. Palmer Ault hype. Once again, well done to Rapids 2, Erik Bushey, and Brian Crookham. Oh, and here's that ESPN article Mark mentions about the USL CBA. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Matt's inconveniently on assignment gallivanting around England. He and the girlfriend, former college soccer player and third-year Rapids STM, sit down to discuss the year-end roster decisions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Soccer fans. We did not expect to be doing this podcast! Matt is galavanting around England with the girlfriend. Mark is hyped for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds playing in the USL Championship Final! We separately discuss the Apple TV MLS Season Pass news. MLS voted to change the schedule format to the European style. We got a schedule for the 2026 MLS season. Lionel Messi is coming to Mile High on April 18. We've got USL thoughts. Also, Matt talks Denver Summit FC. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Well so much for taking a few weeks off. Chris Armas will not return as head coach. Pádraig Smith and Kevin Demoff had a press conference. It was informative but also it wasn't. Holding The High Line banters about the USL Championship and MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks have a tough road game at FC Tulsa to start the playoffs. Colorado Rapids 2 are hosting MNUFC2 on Sunday in the Western Conference Final. Then we react to Armas Out. We give our thoughts on the press conference. It was a big deal that someone from KSE was there to speak. It also felt like Groundhog Day. Many Rapids fans will be underwhelmed. We try to make sense of it all. The guys end the show with a draft of our realistic and ideal coaching candidates. Vincente Sánchez anybody? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. The 2025 Colorado Rapids season is over. A lot happened after the full-time whistle. Holding The High Line sits down for a looooong chat to discuss the Chris Armas apology and do a season review. The guys break down the 2-2 draw against Los Angeles FC and why it was a microcosm of their season and their matchup against LAFC. We discuss how Colorado came so close to winning and so close to making the playoffs. Then Matt talks about the post game press conference with Chris Armas. Spoiler alert, he and I are good. But this is a good 'Inside Baseball' conversation about MLS media relations and how journalists do their work covering a local beat. Rabbi and Red then review the season, Lord of the Rings trilogy style. We talk about Chris Armas' future with the club and why the timing of this extension or decision to let him walk is so interesting. We discuss roster options for 2026 and what other players could depart. We look ahead to positional targets for the 2026 January Transfer Window. Then we give you all the information on the offseason. Spoiler alert, it's going to be a couple weeks. Here's some links to stuff we talked about during the episode: When Playing It Out Of The Back Goes Wrong (@WPIOOTBGW), Mark's open letter to Chris, and Matt's thread discussing it. Thank you for listening to us all season long, High Liners. 1:00 Intro Banter 5:00 Recapping the 2-2 draw with LAFC 22:00 Chris Armas Press Conference Discussion 28:00 The Press Conference Audio 61:00 Season Review 94:00 Chris Armas future/Potential Coaching Search 1:45:00 End of Season Roster Decisions 1:54:00 2026 Tactics and January Transfer Targets 2:15:00 Offseason Roster Schedule Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This week on Holding The High Line, it's Decision Day 2025. We preview the Rapids hosting Son and Los Angeles FC. We talk playoff clinching scenarios. It's a mess. The guys banter about the USMNT game and international window. Matt goes Inside Baseball talking about what national team media is like. Then we preview LAFC, Fan Appreciation Night, and Decision Day. What do the Rapids do formation wise? How do they break down the Black and Gold and guard against Son and Bouanga on the counter attack? What does the Out Of Town Scoreboard need to do depending on if the Rapids win or draw? Then we discuss big picture what this weekend means for the Rapids off-season. Chris Armas is still out of contract. There's contract decisions as well. During this episode, we discuss Laurel Pfahler's (Queen City Press) open letter to MLS Comms. You should read it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Well, that was underwhelming. This week on Holding The High Line, we break down the Rapids out of town scoreboard. The guys banter about the international break. The USMNT has two friendlies and no juice. Zack Steffen didn't get called up. He did not deserve it. We talk about Poch's every worrying comments. Also not that many of you are going to the game on Tuesday at DSGP. Then we take a high level view of the Real Salt Lake game and the Rocky Mountain Cup. Can Rapids fans take solace in retaining the Cup for the first time since in 19 years? Is the team for sure missing the playoffs? How about Cole Bassett again being played at left wing? We discuss the Chris Armas contract talks. Matt has some non-Rapids first team news to update you on. We look at playoff elimination scenarios for the weekend. Gulp. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This week on Holding The High Line, we are joined by Marcelo Balboa to preview the Rocky Mountain Cup! Rabbi discusses the high holidays and how it relates to sports and life. We discuss the 1-1 draw with Minnesota United. Rafael Santos had another standout performance. They had issues breaking down a low block. Cole Bassett is still being started on the left, which isn't ideal. Paxten Aaronson and Rafael Navarro still need to click. Then Red talks to Marcelo Balboa. We look back on his jersey retirement. We discuss talking points around the state of the Rapids, the Rocky Mountain Cup, and Pablo Mastroeni. Celo handicaps the MLS Western Conference playoff race and the Supporters' Shield. Then we preview Real Salt Lake. This is a must win, yeah? We confirm the scenarios in which the Rapids can not win but retain the trophy. Diego Luna, Victor Olatunji, oh my. Courage, Rapids supporters. Taifour Diané hype. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Soccer fans. This week on Holding The High Line, Rabbi is out for Rosh Hashanah, so Matt Pollard is joined by Jason Maxwell of View From The Couch. Jason and Matt banter about Ballon d'Or. We have good news regarding John Babiak's health. We recap the 3-1 loss to FC Dallas. MLS released club roster profiles on Friday. We review that and discuss the implications for the winter transfer window. There is an Ask HTHL about the Reggie Cannon G+ numbers. We touch on Eamon Zayed leaving Northern Colorado Hailstorm. Then we preview Minnesota United and discuss the playoff race as it stands. Thanks again to Jason for the strong performance on the call-up. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Soccer Fans. This week on Holding The High Line, the Colorado Rapids won against Houston Dynamo on a stoppage time own goal! We discuss an FC Dallas six pointer and more. The guys open with some heavy topics, discussing the gun violence from last week. Also Real Salt Lake kicked a spectator out for wearing a MAGA hat, then apologized to him publicly, and invited him back. This despite wearing political campaign material being against MLS stadium policy. RSL Twitter thinks they found the guy. He's said some bad words and suggested the club send all their foreign players back to where they came from. The we lighten things up, discussing the 2-1 win over Houston Dynamo. The home debuts from Paxten Aaronson, Rob Holding, Rafael Santos, and Alexis Manyoma were good. Cole Bassett scored on a set piece. The winner was a bit of a lucky bounce but it was a much better performance. We discuss some recent press releases from Denver Summit FC. Spoiler, they've got more season ticket holders than the Rapids have ever had, probably. Then we preview FC Dallas. Another mid team with one really good attacker. They've got Lalas Abubakar though. Oh, and Matt talks about his ideas for MLS 30 for 30 documentaries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This week on Holding The High Line, we preview Houston Dynamo and revisit how Colorado Rapids spent the Moïse Bombito money. The guys banter about the USMNT September international break and the state of the program. We have concerns about Poch's approach to this job and how the player pool has reacted to him. This window didn't really change that. I guess we're excited for the game at DICK's in October. Then we preview Forever Orange. How good has Jack McGlynn been? How might head coach Ben Olsen approach this game? What does the Rapids lineup look like and what do they need to do to bounce back? Alexis Manyoma debut? We have some answers. We touch on the FIFA World Cup ticket visa setup and how it's a mess. We touch on why the Denver Broncos potentially moving to Burnham Yard won't change much for the Rapids. Lastly, we revisit the topic of the Moïse Bombito transfer money and how it was spent. Mark and Matt do some nerd math, look at spreadsheets, and sort out our differences. We come to the same conclusion with different approaches. Enjoy this HTHL sicko nerds. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Well that loss to Sporting KC wasn't fun. Holding The High Line is back to ruminate for too long about it. The guys recap their travels over Labor Day weekend. Matt went to the family cabin on Michigan to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, in the Upper Peninsula. He nerded out about the Edmund Fitzgerald. Mark had a less fun weekend. Shout out to the 29th Infantry. Oh, and we talk about the Leagues Cup Final, which was boring and uneventful match and postgame. Don Garber, suspend Luis Suarez for the rest of 2025, you coward. Then the guys discuss the 4-2 loss at Sporting KC. Rafael Santos, Paxten Aaronson, and Rob Holding made their first starts for Colorado. There were defensive mistakes a plenty. Rafael Navarro missed ANOTHER penalty. There were some good attacking sequences. Then there was an eight minute collapse in the second half. What's not working tactically with this team? Why are they so inconsistent? Will they find continuity? What does all this mean for their playoff hopes and the future of Chris Armas? We try to find some answers. Then the guys do some house keeping with updates on Alexi Manyoma and Josh Atencio. We then look ahead to Colorado's final five games and what they can and need to do give that schedule. Oh and here is that Brian Jennings interview article on Rob Holding. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. What a fantastic end to the MLS transfer window and what a dismal performance at LA Galaxy. But hey, Pax10 Aaronson hype. Oh, and Matt and the dog are doing well. Thanks for all the support last week. Rabbi and Red put a bow on our coverage of the Aaronson transfer. The financials are a big deal and likely a one-time thing? There's the USMNT discussion. Commerce City Radio did a more thorough breakdown of that if you haven't listened already. There's the question of where the Rapids go from here and how Aaronson fits in tactically compared to his predecessor. Then we break down that 3-0 loss to LA Galaxy and why it was that bad. We give thoughts on how and when Aaronson, Rob Holding, and Alexis Manyoma will integrate into the squad. We look ahead to Sporting KC. There's an Ask HTHL about the third Rafa. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This week on Holding The High Line, we record just in time for some breaking news. There's the Paxten Aaronson rumor, the win over Atlanta United, and the road game against LA Galaxy on Saturday. We banter about Matt's not-so-fun hiking experience and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds stadium project. The guys discuss the breaking Aaronson news and Rafael Santos signing last Friday. We break down the win against Atlanta, Rafael Navarro, Darren Yapi, Noah Cobb, and all. Then we look ahead to a potential must-win game against LA Galaxy? Here's Mark's piece on recent foreign transfer business. Check out Burgundy Wave's Marcelo Balboa content as well. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. This weekend the club will be retiring Marcelo Balboa's #17 jersey. It's just the fifth jersey number retirement in MLS history and the second one for Colorado (Pablo Mastroeni's #25 was retired July 4, 2021). Shortly after the end of the 2022 MLS season, we interviewed Celo. This was after the Altitude TV contract had expired. MLS was in the middle of setting up MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Teams were saying goodbye to their local broadcast partners. Celo was in limbo. He was happy and at peace, amid the uncertainty. Here's that interview again. We discuss him growing up in Southern California and transitioning from college soccer to the fledgling semi-professional game in America. The Colorado Foxes come up. We talk bicycle kicks, his rehab to make the USMNT for the 1994 World Cup, and that wild Copa America. He gets real about his struggles academically, with injuries, and in his personal life. He's got some good stories about his time at Club Leon (Marcelo Balboa Clasico Champions, you'll never sing that!). Then we discuss his legendary Colorado Rapids moments: That phone call with Phil Anschutz, the first goal in Rapids history, the 1997 MLS Cup Final, the 1999 U.S. Open Cup Final, getting traded to the MetroStars, and more. We touch on what he's done since retiring, working with the Rapids Academy, doing soccer media in English y Espanol, y mas! Congratulations Celo. Thank you for everything. Legend, now and always. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. How about that Darren Yapi brace and that win against Minnesota United? And what does the Rafael Navarro future look like? Holding The High Line is back to discuss this and more. The guys banter about the start of the EPL season and MLS visa timelines. Son Heung-min got his visa in less than a week meanwhile it's looking like a week for Rob Holding and Alexis Manyoma. Other MLS teams have issues. Is this a club or a system issue? We break down how the bench did against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup dead rubber. Who was the most impressive between Alex Harris and Sydney Wathuta? What have Wayne Frederick II and Sam Bassett really done? We discuss. Then we enjoy that Minnesota United game. Darren Yapi scored twice. Navarro was bought in. The back three with Noah Cobb worked, mostly. Sam Vines was the Vines Back again. The guys touch on transfer news. Manyoma and Lucas Herrington are official. Ally Watt is officially the first signing in Denver Summit history. There's the Javairo Dilrosun rumor. Not much else. We preview Atlanta. They're expensive, talented, and underperforming. The guys end the show celebrating Marcelo Balboa. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Earlier today, news broke that Colorado Rapids are on the verge of trading Djordje Mihailović to Toronto FC for a club record $8 million. Rabbi and Red get together for an emergency podcast to discuss how this could have happened and what it says about the club. Matt wrote out some good thoughts on specific indications and implications going forward. Mark looks big picture. Colorado's going to have more money to spend than ever before with 17 days left in the secondary transfer window. Can Chris Armas keep the group together? Can Pádraig Smith spend that money well and quickly like never before? It seems like the Burgundy Boys are at a crossroads. Many fans are wondering if this is a sinking ship. This is shocking, horrible, ironic, condemning, and oh so Rapids. Oh, and the Rapids played two games last week and have two games this week. We acknowledge their existence. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello Colorado Rapids fans. Welcome back to Memories From Toronto, a Holding The High Line Production. My name is Matt Pollard. On this episode of our 2010 MLS Cup interview series, I speak with the man who made this all happen, forward Macoumba Kandji. Mac and I discuss his emigration to the United States and soccer career that led him to Colorado Rapids. We talk about his relationship with Steve Guppy and that questionable PK at Columbus Crew. He got away with one there. We of course get his thoughts on his play to create the MLS Cup winning own goal, in which he tore his ACL going up against former Rapid Ugo Ihemelu. He gets real on how he's reconciled sacrificing his body and affecting his career to win a major trophy. This conversation hits different, you guys. Mac Kandji is built different and he says as much. You can listen to previous episodes of Memories From Toronto where we interview Marvell Wynne, Kosuke Kimura, Omar Cummings, Paul Bravo, Jeff Plush, and Drew Moor. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.