COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Colorado Rapids Homegrown forward Darren Yapi has been named to the MLS 22 Under 22 Class for 2025, the league announced today. The Colorado-born forward ranks 20th on the list among the top young talent in all of MLS. Players were voted on by an expert panel of MLS coaches, general managers, sporting directors, MLS Season Pass talent and select media.
“It takes tremendous talent, work ethic and resilience to break into the league in such a high-profile position,” said Director of Player Personnel Brian Crookham. “Darren is a true pathway player, and it is great to watch his development happen in front of his hometown fans. He is one of the league’s top young talents and his growth over the years makes him more than deserving of this honor.”
Yapi, 20, receives the league’s yearly honor for the first time thanks to his career-best performance during the 2025 MLS season. The forward has earned his most consistent playing time this season since making his professional debut in 2021, setting career highs in just about every major category: games started (16), minutes played (1,327), goals scored (7), and assists provided (2).
The Denver native is just the third player in club history to make the list since its creation in 2019. Yapi joins Cole Bassett (3 times) and Sam Vines (2 times) as the only Rapids players to be recognized on the 22 Under 22 list. Prior to this iteration of the honor, the league recognized the Top 24 Under 24 from 2010 to 2018, where former Rapids Deshorn Brown, Dillon Powers, and Shane O’Neill all featured.
Yapi has been with the club since 2016 when he joined the Rapids Academy at the U-12 age group. In March of 2021, he signed a Homegrown Player contract, becoming the youngest player in club history to sign at 16 years, 104 days old. Since making his MLS debut on March 12, 2022, against Sporting Kansas City, Yapi has made 89 appearances for the club, logging 3,154 minutes and tallying nine goals and three assists.
The forward made significant appearances throughout the Rapids player pathway before reaching his current status as a consistent first team player, dating back to his time with Rapids Academy. Prior to signing his first professional contract, Yapi was a lethal goal scorer at the Academy level, logging 64 goals in his 95 appearances. After that, he featured for Rapids 2 during their inaugural season in MLS NEXT Pro in 2023, scoring three goals in seven appearances to help the team earn the top seed in the Western Conference and advance to the Conference Final round of the playoffs.
The 2025 list includes a total of 14 Homegrown players with eight of the top 10 coming up through MLS academies. Players on this year’s 22 Under 22 list entered through three different mechanisms: Homegrown signings (14), U22 Initiative signings (seven), and MLS SuperDraft selections (one). Several players on the list have progressed through the MLS Pro Player Pathway, beginning their careers in MLS NEXT before competing in MLS NEXT Pro and then starring in MLS. 13 players in this year’s class previously played in MLS NEXT, as well as seven who earned their first MLS contract after starring in MLS NEXT Pro.
