June 28, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Colorado Rapids News Release
Rapids Designated Player Rafael Navarro, who had previously been on loan from Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Palmeiras, is now officially staying with Colorado after a permanent transfer was agreed upon by all parties. The forward will be on contract with the club through 2027, with a club option for an additional year.
The decision to retain Navarro comes as a result of his dominant run of form in 2024, with the Brazilian on pace for the best season of his professional career. Just 20 games into the MLS regular season, Navarro has logged 11 goals which puts him into a tie for the fifth most in the entire league. He has also recorded three assists, giving him the second most goal contributions on the team this season with 14.
While the success has been there this year, it did not come easy for the Cabo Frio, Brazil, native.
When Navarro came over to Colorado in July of last year, it was clear that there would need to be a growing period for him to get to the point that he is at today. The forward tallied one goal and one assist in 10 appearances last season, and while the numbers were not there, every player in the locker room could see exactly what he could provide.
“If you were in training with us last year, you would have seen that he has the quality to score [these] goals,” Homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett explained after Navarro surpassed the ten-goal mark this season. “We have a team this year that creates chances for him, and he doesn’t need many to put them away.”
What can’t be looked over when talking about Navarro’s resurgence are the offseason additions to the club, such as head coach Chris Armas, midfielders Djordje Mihailovic, and midfielder Omir Fernandez, among others. These additions have proved to complement Navarro’s style of play while also allowing him to grow into new scenarios on the pitch. With star power throughout the pitch for Colorado, all the attention is not solely focused on Navarro and his lethal finishing capabilities.
Apart from having more weapons around him, Navarro has found a consistency in his play that was hard to come by last season. Armas accredited part of that consistency to the belief that the forward has in himself:
“Rafa is playing with confidence, he’s getting into spots, he’s pretty ruthless around the goals these days,” he said.
Ruthless he has been. Navarro’s stellar season so far includes a five-match goal scoring stretch,…
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