Matt Wells believes Morgan Whittaker can become the face of the Colorado Rapids' attack for years to come and has backed his new signing to provide "individual magic".
Wells confident Whittaker will bring 'individual magic' to Colorado's attack
Morgan Whittaker could make his MLS debut for the Colorado Rapids this week, as they prepare for a trip to Q2 Stadium to face Austin FC.
It was announced last week that Whittaker had joined the Rapids from Championship side Middlesbrough on a Designated Player contract through to the 2029-30 MLS season.
Whittaker arrives after a successful stint with Middlesbrough, where he scored 14 goals and provided nine assists in 66 appearances across all competitions.
He narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season after losing to Hull City in the play-off final, and he will now play his football in the United States.
He watched his new team lose 3-0 to the Columbus Crew in their last MLS match, though Wells is confident that the 25-year-old's arrival will add more quality in the final third, with the Rapids scoring just 31 league goals this term.
"Morgan is a player that is going to bolster our attack immensely this season and for years to come," Wells said.
"His playing style is exactly what I look for in an attacker, and he has that individual magic that will help elevate us to the next level.
"His output speaks for itself in an incredibly competitive league such as the Championship. He's a player I know well from my time in England, and understanding how in demand he is, it speaks volumes about our project here that we've managed to secure his signature.
"This is a player who is going to be a foundational piece for this club, and the supporters will be able to see that as soon as he steps onto the pitch in a Rapids shirt."
Whittaker could make his Colorado debut at Q2 Stadium this week, with the Rapids taking on Austin FC as they aim to cement their place in the playoff positions.
Austin are ninth in the Western Conference but just six points behind Colorado in seventh, though that gap could have been even greater.
Davy Arnaud's side needed a 96th-minute equaliser from Guilherme Biro to earn a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend.
"I think the positive is the second-half performance. That was certainly more like us," Arnaud said of his team's recovery.
"The resilience of the group, the determination and the chances we created in the second half. I think those are the positives that we can take away from the result.
"We found a way to get back into the game and the second half is the positive we can take from that, heading into a busy week."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Austin – Guilherme Biro
Biro was Austin's late, late hero in their last match at Q2 Stadium with his equaliser against San Jose, and he will be hoping to have a similar impact here.
His goal, timed at 95:51, was the second-latest result-changing goal in club history after Sebastian Driussi's winner at 100:43, also against the Earthquakes, in 2024.
Colorado Rapids – Paxten Aaronson
After Rafael Navarro's move to St. Louis City, the leading scorer on the roster for Colorado this season is Aaronson, with four goals to go along with a team-high six assists.
Aaronson has been involved in four of the eight goals (excluding own goals) Colorado have scored since the beginning of May.
MATCH PREDICTION: AUSTIN WIN
Colorado have won four of their last six meetings with Austin, including a 1-0 away win on August 1. The Rapids are yet to complete a season sweep of Austin, though they did win two of three meetings in the 2021 season (L1).
However, the Rapids' defeat at Columbus was their 13th loss in their last 16 away matches (W2 D1) dating back to last August and their fourth in a row.
Only Sporting Kansas City (six) have collected fewer regular-season road points than the Rapids (seven) over that time.
Austin, meanwhile, came from behind to earn a draw with San Jose last time out, extending their regular-season unbeaten run to a season-high four games (W2 D2). They had lost six of their previous seven league matches before their current unbeaten run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Austin – 42.5%
Draw – 26.7%
Colorado Rapids – 30.8%
