2020 End of Season Award Winners
C38 Defensive Player of the Year | Sam Vines
C38 MVP | Cole Bassett
MVP | Jack Price
Golden Boot | Cole Bassett, Jonathan Lewis
Players' Player of the Year | Cole Bassett
Fan Favorite | Andre Shinyashiki
Defensive Player of the Year | Lalas Abubakar
Young Player of the Year | Cole Bassett
Humanitarian of the Year | Kellyn Acosta
Academy Player of the Year | Darren Yapi
Gold Star Sales and Service Award | Jordan Huntoon
Colorado Rapids One Club Award | Hannah Jorich
For the first time in its history, A Burgundy Affair went online and open to the public at no cost.
Fans tuned into the Colorado Rapids annual awards gala on YouTube to see 10 awards presented to players, including two selected by Rapids supporters group Centennial 38, and two awarded to Rapids staff.
A Burgundy Affair also featured addresses delivered by Rapids Executive Vice President and General Manager Pádraig Smith and head coach Robin Fraser.
Littleton, Colo., native Cole Bassett took home four awards, including Centennial 38 MVP, Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. The 19-year-old Rapids Homegrown Player led the team with five goals and five assists. Bassett was named to MLS’ 22 Under 22 for the second year in a row.
Bassett and forward Jonathan Lewis were each presented the Golden Boot for scoring five goals apiece to lead the Rapids in 2020.
Centennial 38 named Homegrown defender Sam Vines the Defensive Player of the Year. The 21-year-old Colorado Springs native was the only Rapids player to start all 18 games and play all 1,620 minutes for the club in 2020, picking up one goal and three assists – the first of his MLS career. Vines was also named to MLS’ 22 Under 22 for a second consecutive year.
Captain Jack Price was named MVP by Rapids soccer operations staff led by Executive Vice President and General Manager Pádriag Smith. Price led one of the youngest squads in MLS and was lethal in delivery: four of his five assists came off set pieces.
Andre Shinyashiki
was named the Fan Favorite. His work rate earned him 13 starts in 2020 and the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year turned it on down the stretch. Shinyashiki, just 23, scored four goals and picked up an assist in the last eight games of the regular season.
Lalas Abubakar was named Defensive Player of the Year by Rapids soccer operations staff for the second consecutive year. The 25-year-old Ghanaian was a mainstay on the back line, appearing in all but one match for the Rapids. Abubakar also scored a memorable equalizer in stoppage time against Houston on Sept. 9.
Midfielder Kellyn Acosta was named the Humanitarian of the Year for his work with the Rapids Special Olympics Unified program and as an ambassador for the club’s Dare to Play Soccer program with Global Down Syndrome Foundation.
Darren Yapi was named Academy Player of the Year. The 15-year-old Denver native spent much of the season with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the USL Championship.
“I honestly couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds for the Colorado Rapids,” Smith said. “Winning the Rocky Mountain Cup—that was a great start. Qualifying for the playoffs—that’s a great start. We’ve come a long way, but we’re not done yet. Not by a longshot. To be honest with you, we’re just getting started.”
“The fact of the matter is this group is one of the best groups I’ve ever been around and we’ve watched them go from being good people and being good players to now becoming a really, really good team,” Fraser said. “I’m really excited about this game in Minnesota.”
In the front office, Account Executive Jordan Huntoon won the Gold Star Sales and Service Award, which is presented to the Sales and Service member who relentlessly goes above and beyond and champions the '24/7/365' mentality at all times.
Digital Club Services Manager Hannah Jorich was presented the One Club Award, which goes to the person who has made substantive, yet largely unrecognized contributions to the club this season. They are driven, selfless, forward thinking and a motivator. They aspire for greatness and perform at the highest level. This person truly embodies the “One Club” mentality of teamwork and collaboration and are constantly trying to better themselves and the people around them.
The Rapids begin their 2020 MLS Cup Playoff run on Sunday, Nov. 22, against Minnesota United FC. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
