Dillon Serna has been around soccer long enough to know how to take every opportunity that is given.
Now, the 27-year-old former Colorado Rapids Homegrown Player is looking to pass along those same values to players with Rapids 2, some a decade younger than him.
Serna became the first Homegrown Player to make over 100 appearances for thfe Rapids. Now he’ll get the chance to captain the club’s budding stars as their dreams of reaching the first team are close to being realized.
“Every time I step on the field I believe it’s an opportunity,” Serna said. “… This is something I would have loved to have when I was coming through the academy, but I think I have a lot to offer and can help lead the younger guys.”
The Rapids first-team hopefuls begin their season at 4 p.m. Sunday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium against Sporting KC II. Here’s what to expect in their inaugural MLS Next Pro season:
What is MLS Next Pro?
MLS Next Pro is a new third-division league run by MLS. It is designed to plug the gap between the end of teams’ academies and the top club. It links the MLS player pathway from the youngest academy age to the first team. Players who are on the cusp of making the first team will still get consistent minutes with Rapids 2.
There can be up to 35 players on MLS Next Pro rosters, with 24 professionals and 11 amateurs. Rapids 2 has seven international spots it can use. Unlike MLS, the new league will not have a salary cap and there is no minimum or maximum salary.
Who is leading Rapids 2?
The team will be led by Erik Bushey, who has been a part of the Rapids Academy since 2017. Brian Crookham, the former Switchbacks’ general manager, is now the GM of Rapids 2.
Bushey will look to balance the development of promising players over a results-driven approach, and Crookham will make the decision on when players are ready to stay up with the first team, and call up younger academy players to Rapids 2.
“First and foremost we are here to support the club,” Bushey said. “To me a big part of that is supporting the first team. We certainly want to provide consistency for the players who go up and down from first team to second team. We believe in the principles that the first team puts forward and it’s easy to follow. So, yes, we are doing our very best to emulate that because we believe in (those principles).”
What players should I watch on Rapids 2?
There’s a healthy mix of up-and-coming players through the academy, four players on MLS Next Pro contracts and eight notable Rapids first-team players. Five of the eight are Homegrown Players who are “on loan” to R2, and can be called back to the first team at any point during the season.
The four players on MLS Next Pro contracts are: center back Omar Gomez, a former Rapids Academy product, Serna, and two strikers — 19-year-old Michael Harris, who joined from Derry City’s academy in Ireland, and 23-year-old Yosuke Hanya from Tokyo, Japan, who played at UMass-Amherst.
Additionally, the team announced Thursday 10 players had signed amateur contracts, which allow them to keep their NCAA eligibility. It brings the total to 22 players.
“We are in the middle of an exciting era with so many talented young players on our first team roster,” Crookham said in a statement. “The competitive opportunities that Rapids 2 will provide ensures that these players continue to move forward on the development pathway while they look to earn more First Team minutes.”
Rapids 2 will play 24 games (12 home/12 road) plus the playoffs, and two games will coincide with Rapids first team doubleheaders at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
First team players on loan
- Abraham Rodriguez, GK*
- Sebastian Anderson, D*
- Michael Edwards, D*
- Anthony Markanich, D
- Jackson Travis, D*
- Philip Mayaka, MF
- Dantouma “Yaya” Toure, F*
- Darren Yapi, F*
Players on MLS Next Pro contracts
- Omar Gomez, MF
- Dillon Serna, MF
- Yosuke Hanya, F
- Michael Harris, F
Amateur contract players
- Isaac Nehme, GK^
- Adam Beaudry, GK
- Steve Flores, D^
- Daniel Garcia, D^
- Vladimir Walent, D
- Robinson Aguirre, MF^
- Connor Miller, MF^
- Maclovio Swett, MF
- Joaquin Torres, MF
- Nick Legendre, F
* Homegrown Player
^ Rapids Academy player who made 2022 preseason roster
