Zack Steffen’s latest injury blow is his biggest yet in a Colorado Rapids jersey.
The 31-year-old underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder, the club announced on Tuesday. He’s expected to miss 5-6 months, which means he’s likely to miss the remainder of the MLS regular season and most of the playoffs.
Steffen joined the Rapids ahead of the 2024 season and has racked up 78 appearances in all competitions for the club. In regular-season games since then, he’s amassed 240 saves and 12 clean sheets while giving up 111 goals.
Steffen’s stint in Colorado has been a rollercoaster of sorts. He started the 2024 season on a rocky streak before embarking on a legendary Leagues Cup run, during which he was named goalkeeper of the tournament. In that run, he racked up a tournament-high 35 saves in seven games for an absurd 5-save-per-game average. He helped the club to three penalty shootout wins, including in the third-place match and a thrilling 10-round shootout against Club América in the quarterfinal in which he attempted and converted a penalty of his own.
The performance put his name near the top of the U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper pool, and he stayed put in Mauricio Pochettino’s group for almost a year. After a few appearances in international friendlies in late 2024 and early 2025, he was called up to the USMNT camp right before the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Then, as soon as he had the chance to cement himself as the U.S. No. 1 again, a knee injury sent him home just days before the Gold Cup started.
He finished the 2025 season with the Rapids and played well, but went into 2026 on the outside looking in on the USMNT’s World Cup squad. In nine appearances this season, he’s given up 15 goals and held two clean sheets. His most recent game was on May 2 against the Houston Dynamo.
His guaranteed contract is up after this season with a club option for 2027, which makes it possible Steffen has played his last game in a Rapids jersey.
So far, backup Nico Hansen has looked every bit the part of a starter in Steffen’s absence. He’s started nine games in all competitions this year and has conceded 11 goals. For a keeper who’s only played 23 career MLS games, his coolness between the pipes stands out. He’s been the top choice in all three U.S. Open Cup games so far, where he’s given up just four goals and helped the Rapids to a penalty-shootout win over in-state opponents Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the round of 16.
Now, he’ll get an extended opportunity to prove his fitness as a weekly MLS starter in goal.
