COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - Colorado Rapids 2 announced today the club has loaned forward Yosuke Hanya to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for the 2024 season on a season-long loan.
“Yosuke has experienced incredible success in his two years with the club. The opportunity to personalize his development pathway in partnership with Switchbacks FC is something we are extremely grateful for. USL Championship provides a different challenge for him and we look forward to watching Yosuke have a positive impact on a very successful neighbor club”, said Brian Crookham, Rapids 2 General Manager.
Hanya, 25, joined Rapids 2 in 2022 at the beginning of the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro season. In his first year with the club, Hanya logged four goals and four assists while leading the team with 22 appearances (21 starts). His performances across the team’s first season earned Hanya the club’s first-ever Rapids 2 Player of the Year award.
In the team’s most recent season, the forward ended the year with 13 goals and nine assists in 25 matches (23 starts). His nine assists were the second-most in the league this season, right behind fellow teammate Marlon Vargas who finished first in the league with 10 assists. His standout performances across the course of the season earned Hanya a spot on the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Best XI list.
Hanya also earned a handful of short-term call ups during the 2023 season to the Rapids' senior side for the team’s matches against the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United FC, Real Salt Lake and FC Cincinnati. He made his official MLS debut on May 17, 2023, in the match against Atlanta, entering as a stoppage-time substitute. Hanya totaled two appearances for the Rapids’ MLS side, playing 47 minutes across two competitions.
Prior to joining the Rapids organization, the Tokyo, Japan, native spent three years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he totaled two goals and 17 assists across three seasons.
TRANSACTION: Colorado Rapids 2 loan forward Yosuke Hanya to Colorado Spring Switchbacks FC for the 2024 season on a one-year loan.
Yosuke Hanya
Pronunciation: YO-skay HAN-yah
Position: Forward
Height: 5-7
Weight: 150
Birthdate: January 30, 1999
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
Nationality: Japan
