Paxten Aaronson saw familiarity — and perhaps a home — in Colorado.
The newest Rapid, officially announced as a record-breaking inbound transfer on Thursday, had an introductory news conference in Denver alongside club president Pádraig Smith and coach Chris Armas. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder was acquired from Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for a Rapids record $7 million and an additional $1.5 million in conditional add-ons.
The original plan was to allocate a record $8 million fee for Djordje Mihailovic modestly into multiple players, but in the past two weeks, an opportunity arose that the Rapids couldn’t pass up.
Aaronson, a bright prospect who could grow into a regular feature for the U.S. Men’s National Team, wanted to move on from Frankfurt and had options in England at the EFL Championship level. The Rapids had their eyes on him passively, but it got real when Aaronson expressed interest in Colorado as a home and a place to nurture his talent.
“I think itap a unique time in my career. … I think it’ll challenge me as a young player to come into a team, to fight for trophies and get better in roles and aspects maybe Europe can’t give me,” Aaronson said. “Thatap the main thing that attracted me to it, coming to a team, being a presence to try to win trophies. I want to make myself better and also everybody around me.”
Many of the players he’ll surround himself with have connections with him already through his academy days at the Philadelphia Union, as well as at youth national team camps and competitions. Those include Darren Yapi, Cole Bassett, Josh Atencio, Zack Steffen and Keegan Rosenberry.
In some ways, the Rapids have deliberately built a squad of up-and-coming national teamers or fringe players trying to push their way back into the USMNT fray. Aaronson wanted in on that.
Now, he could become one of the faces of a franchise that recently lost one in Mihailovic. Aaronson will likely play a similar position and wear the same number: No. 10, a historical marker of leadership and excellence. During his time with the Rapids, Mihailovic represented it well, but the club thinks Aaronson can take it further.
“We’re thrilled with this (transfer) window. … (Aaronson) was icing on the cake,” Smith said. “What happened with Djordje happened. We had to take a real deep look at that and say, ‘How do we get better here?’ We found a way to get better and ultimately brought in a player who I think will take us to another level because he’s able to affect the game on both sides of the ball.”
While officially at Frankfurt, Aaronson spent two years on loans at two different clubs in the Dutch Eredivisie. Last season, he was a finalist for the league’s Young Player of the Year award for a 12-goal contribution season at FC Utrecht. Now, Aaronson gets stability with a five-year contract in Colorado, where his father has an office for his work.
“I was constantly on the move,” Aaronson said. “The loans, they couldn’t have gone better. I enjoyed every moment in the Netherlands, but I hadn’t really been able to settle down somewhere and call it home. I think that really intrigued me about here, building that foundation of a family, being close to my family … and going into a locker room with a bunch of American guys and familiar faces makes it easier.”
Armas didn’t specify how he’ll use Aaronson on the field, but it seems he’ll occupy a central role. A return to Armas’s 4-2-3-1 with Aaronson as the 10 or keeping with the 3-4-3 with him as a No. 8 remains to be seen, but all three pointed out a willingness to press and win the ball back with consistency.
Armas, a players’ coach obsessed with culture, was especially impressed by Aaronson’s mentality and mindset in various meetings before the signing.
“We’re very selective in who we bring in, who we want in, and allow into our circle. Itap a special group we have going,” Armas said. “For me, all the things that make great athletes great and good people good, this is what we have (in Aaronson), so itap a perfect fit. I think his play will do the talking of what a real player is: a team player who plays for the joy of the game, which sometimes gets lost these days.”
Pending medical evaluations, Aaronson could debut as soon as the Rapids’ away match at the L.A. Galaxy this Saturday. So could Rob Holding, a center back signing from nearly three weeks ago who received his P-1 Visa and is eligible to play. New arrival Rafael Santos made the bench last week against Atlanta United, but did not feature.
With seven games to go in the regular season, Aaronson doesn’t have a ton of time to establish his base, but perhaps a foundation in a more comfortable place with just enough challenge and responsibility to mold his young career.
