When reflecting on the failings of 2015, Rapids president Tim Hinchey lamented the fact that Colorado with MLS coaching experience. Now they have.
John Spencer, former coach of the Portland Timbers and assistant coach of the Houston Dynamo, has been hired as the Rapids first team assistant coach, the club announced Thursday.
“We set out to find an experienced coach with an attacking background who could add a ‘new voice,’ ” Rapids vice president of soccer operations Paul Bravo said in a news release. “We believe we have our man.”
Spencer, 45, becomes the third member of the Rapids technical staff who is also in the team’s — coach Pablo Mastroeni and Bravo are the other two.
Like Mastroeni, Spencer is also a former Rapids captain. The two were teammates from 2002 to 2004.
“John is a winner, that is why I wanted him as part of my coaching staff,” said Mastroeni said in a news release. “He’ll bring determination, steel and a striker’s eye to our preparations for the new season. It was also crucial to have someone who loves the club as much as I do.”
Spencer has two MLS Cups on his resume — both coming as an assistant coach — with Houston in 2006 and 2007. He was on the Dynamo’s staff under Dom Kinnear through 2010, then left to become the first MLS coach of the expansion Portland Timbers. He went 14-19-12 before .
Bravo praised Spencer’s knowledge of the Rapids and the league when announcing the hire.
Spencer, born in Scotland, began his professional career with Glasgow Rangers in 1987. He played for Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers, Everton and Motherwell before coming to the states.
A striker, Spencer appeared in 88 games for Colorado, scoring 37 goals and was twice named to the MLS Best XI.
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or @danielboniface
