No one knows what Cris Armas will do as the club's manager again.
Given that his coaching career has been a bit of a yin and yang to date, it's no surprise that in a few weeks, when the Colorado Rapids open their season on the road against Portland at Providence Park in February. (February 24, 10:30pm ET, 7:30pm PT) It's hard to know which Almas you'll end up getting.
Rapids fans certainly had high hopes for Armas, who took over the reins of the New York Red Bulls team midway through the 2018 season after then-head coach Jesse Marsch left for Red Bull Salzburg as assistant and later took over as manager. You should be doing it. Armas guided Red Bull to the Supporters' Shield, which is awarded to the Major League Soccer club with the best regular season record, and they advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.
Although there were other playoff appearances, this was the high point of his professional coaching career, especially with so much success in such a short period of time.
But the blips on Armas' radar in recent years have been strange, with high-profile jobs at European clubs, first links to Manchester United's revolving door of managers, and the dreaded United Collective that collapsed in 2021. It was revealed that Armas had resigned a few months later, having been dropped from Champions League contention during his time with Ralf Rangnick. He would reappear as an assistant at Leeds last year, but that was…
It's a fresh start and a clean slate in familiar territory, considering Armas was part of the memorable Chicago Fire squad that ran through the league. He's a familiar face, but MLS is much different than it was when he toured England three years ago.
recently, DNVR Rapids Podcast, Armas was asked about his time in England and how it relates to his plans for his tenure as Rapids maestro. After a bit of introspection about how demanding and crazy the supporters are, and how obnoxious the British press is, this part is perhaps the most heartbreaking, and a new beginning for both club and coach. It gave me an insight into his thought process. .
“What really matters in Colorado Rapids is, what's important there is, do you get internal respect for your work,” Armas said. “And you try to repeat it because it lasts. … You learn more by listening than you think you need to talk, and that's what I learned a lot from being in the Premier League. I think that's what I learned.”
