Cole Bassett will be back in his hometown when the Portland Timbers face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Commerce City, Colo.
The Timbers signed Bassett, a 24-year-old midfielder from Littleton, Colo., from Colorado in February for $2.65 million. He scored 31 goals and provided 21 assists in 172 games during two periods with the Rapids (2018-2021, 2023-2025). His versatility in the midfield earned him praise from Portland coach Phil Neville, and he recorded an assist in his debut with the Timbers.
Portland (1-0-0, 3 points) started the season with a 3-2 victory at Columbus last Saturday, with Ariel Lassiter scoring the winning goal in the 88th minute. Felipe Mora and Antony Alves Santos also contributed goals for the Timbers.
“I really believe he’s a top player,” Neville said about Bassett. “His performance was outstanding. He was probably our best player against Columbus. He’s a multi-functional midfielder who can do every job asked of him.”
In contrast, Colorado (0-1-0, 0 points) lost 2-0 to Seattle in its season opener last Sunday. The same issues that affected the Rapids last season resurfaced during new coach Matt Wells’ debut. Colorado was outscored 56-44 last season and missed the MLS Cup playoffs due to a tiebreaker at 41 points, finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
Wells noted that Colorado is still adjusting to his style. Despite controlling 58.8% of possession against Seattle, Colorado struggled in key areas, with Seattle taking more shots (14-7).
“It’s not about changing; it’s about establishing the right process,” Wells said. “That takes time for the players to recognize the right passes to make in the right moments.”
While Colorado managed to control possession, they need to be more deliberate in their passing to build effective attacks.
“If we made the right pass, we then failed to connect with the next touch or were too casual with possession,” Wells said. “We were not secure enough.”