When you think about your first moments with the Rapids, what kind of memories and emotions does that evoke for you?
It was a bit of a whirlwind for me, my first appearance for the Rapids, because I'd only been traded four or five days before kind of out of the blue from my hometown team. I was—in the moment—disappointed to be traded. But I think for whatever reason, the first time I stepped out on DICK’S Sporting Goods Park with burgundy on I just I felt at home, I felt comfortable, I felt wanted, and not that I didn't feel that way in Dallas, but maybe I didn't realize it in the moment. It didn't take long for me to realize what the place was going to mean to me. It was a pretty good performance, if I remember correctly, but mostly just felt good and felt at home right away.
You never got the chance to wear an iconic green kit during your years as player, but what jersey era was your favorite that brings out some great memories?
Green is my favorite color, so I always loved their green kits. At first I wasn't crazy about the black and blue kit with the stripes. But I think, like anything over time, an appreciation can grow for it. When I first got to Colorado, they had the light blue kit, which was their away kit. I remember when it first came out, I played for Dallas, and I wanted one, so I traded jerseys with Greg Vanney, actually, who played here for a bit after we were teammates in Dallas. I loved getting that kit from Greg, and it was actually the kit that I decided to wear the night that I was inducted into the Gallery of Honor, the light blue one. I don't know, I thought that was a cool one. But honestly, all the kits in Rapids history have hit pretty hard.
What’s your favorite element of the OG Kit?
I like its simplicity. I like that it’s just majority green. There is something about some of the past jerseys, the late 90s, where it was like, big logos and big and loud and I do like that. But this one, I think while it still celebrates the past and that ode to the early days, I do like its simplicity. It's green, it's got the old school logo on it, which is awesome. It reminds me of Chelo. It really does. It's simple, it's clean, but it really is like just a blast from the past for me.
You’re one of the few players to record over 400 appearances in the league, with 210 of them played in a Rapids kit. When we talk about history being evoked with this OG Kit, what stands out to you based on your long experience in MLS and at the Rapids?
It's cool. I think when you're actually in it, there's moments in time where it just feels like a grind. I always really enjoyed and respected what I was able to do. I had a lot of coaches and teammates that had a lot of faith in me. When you're actually in it, it feels like it's a long time, it feels like you've got forever. It feels like you know the end is far, far away, but now that I am on the other side of it it's like, ‘Man, I'm so happy that I put the work in that I did every single day.’ I truly tried to commit to every day as an opportunity to represent myself and represent my club and represent the league and just be the best version of myself possible. And while that can be very demanding, a grind at times, I'm so happy I was able to motivate myself to do all those things, and obviously I had wonderful support from teammates and friends and family and coaches and the clubs that I played for. It's something that I'm super proud of. Being available for so many games and just putting my heart into as much of it as possible is something that I hope my kids realize and can go and find the passion that they can put their heart completely into. It's certainly something that [my wife] Shelby and I try to preach to them, and then any young aspiring athlete or doctor or teacher, whatever it is, just go put your heart into everything, and you never know what’ll happen.
Not many players have the chance to come back to a club after being traded to another team. What were those two stints with Colorado like for you and how did you know you wanted to come back and put roots down?
My wife and I, neither of us are from Colorado, and when we left in 2016 for Toronto, literally the day we left was the day we started talking about and dreaming about coming back, just because of the memories we had created in our first stint here, not just on the field, but off the field in the community. Shelby was pregnant with our first when we left and so we became parents, we went through a great four years in Toronto, but we couldn't wait to come back. And when the opportunity presented itself, you can't script it, in my opinion, it was perfect. And I didn't want to just come back, just to finish my career here, and just to say, ‘Oh, well, we loved it there, we were treated well there’, all those things are true, but I wanted to still make an impact, both on and off the field, and to be given that opportunity was and still is incredible, and something that I cherish and something that I take very seriously. I continue to feel like I owe this club a lot, and that's what motivates me to go to the stadium every day and like I said, hopefully impact it positively, both on and off the field.
Like Marcelo Balboa, you’re worn a lot of hats at the club in your time here—player, radio analyst, in-game host and player development coach to name a few. How do you view your involvement in the Colorado Rapids community over the years?
I feel fortunate that I've been given so many opportunities by the club. Again, it was part of my motivation to come back here, because I felt like I owed this club a lot of my work and energy and love still, and for them to give me opportunities to still be on the field with the team when you retire from an 18 year professional career, and it's not just going to go away. I still love being on the field with the players and trying to impact, certainly some of the younger players, but just the club as a whole, on the field and to be given these opportunities in my ambassador type role, and do the podcast and some of the gameday stuff, and call the matches at home on the radio. I feel so fortunate and blessed. I wake up every day and when I'm on my way into the stadium I've got a smile on my face, and that's so important to me, because if I didn’t, then maybe it would be time to go do something else. But I don't see that changing in the near future, so hopefully I'll continue to be able to have these opportunities and repay this club that has always meant so much to me and will continue to mean so much to me and my family.