Not many 21-year-olds can say they are approaching 100 career MLS appearances, but Colorado Rapids forward Darren Yapi is one of those rare exceptions.
Yapi just completed his third full season with the Rapids in 2025, delivering a major jump in production for the Western Conference club. The homegrown forward has scored a career-high eight goals in all competitions, which was third most among Rapids players this year.
Despite Yapi’s efforts, the Rapids failed to make the MLS Cup Playoffs, leading to the front office parting ways with head coach Chris Armas. Yapi was pleased with his contributions to the team this season and hopes this year will be a springboard to further success in 2026.
“Unfortunately our season ended early, but I’m doing well now and it was good to get some time off,” Yapi told SBI in an interview. “I’ve been working on my game and am just getting my fitness back up.
“I think this year has taken a lot out of me, but it was down to a lot of hard work and just being patient,” Yapi added. “I feel like every team in this league has a DP forward, so I just had to wait for my opportunity. I was a little discouraged at first, but I just had to keep going, keep working. I think this year was a good step and I just have to go out and do it again.”
Yapi made his first-team debut in 2022 and has since featured in both the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro. He has made 93 first-team appearances over the past four years, in addition to a further 17 appearances for Rapids 2 in the development league.
The construction of MLS NEXT Pro has benefited young players like Yapi, who can use the league to play regularly week in and week out. While his role in the first team has grown in recent years, Yapi emphasized the importance that MLS NEXT Pro had in improving his game.
“I think it takes a good mentality and you have to take from every experience before you make the jump to the first team. It’s super important,” said Yapi. “We’ve seen a lot of guys make the jump from MLS NEXT Pro to MLS and I feel like these are the guys who are just taking that experience for what it is and putting in the effort to prepare for the first team. As a young player you just have to go in with the right mentality.”
Yapi is one of the many American players who played a major role in the Rapids selection last year. From U.S. National Team goalkeeper Zack Steffen to defensemen Reggie Cannon and Sam Vines, the list of connections Yapi has built in Colorado continues to grow.
Although he is younger than many of his American teammates on the squad, Yapi confirmed the importance that many have had on his career thus far.
“Bag [Steffen] is someone I talk to a lot,” Yapi said. “Same goes for other guys like Reggie [Cannon], [Sam Vines] Vinesy, these are guys who played abroad and learned so much from top players. If they just give me advice, that helps a lot.”
Although Yapi’s club campaign came to an end in November, his role as a U.S. youth national team player did not. Yapi made two appearances for the US Under-21 men’s national team last month, playing 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Denmark before playing 16 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Serbia.
A former USMNT U-17 and U-20 player, Yapi has continued to make strides in his international career and is now knocking on the door to potentially become a senior player for 2026 and beyond. While there are still plenty of forwards in the USMNT pecking order, Yapi is ready to go if the opportunity presents itself.
“I think it was quite good to have that U-21 camp because my age group couldn’t experience the World Cup being canceled during the COVID period,” Yapi said. “I think it was pretty great that the US did that and had some of the 2004s together with some really good young players who were all in the 05-06 period. Those experiences are good experiences to have, similar to NEXT Pro.
“I’m excited, as a young guy I think if you stay sharp and ready, who knows what can happen,” he added about the possibility of being part of the World Cup mix next summer. “I will enter 2026 with that mentality and will be there when my country needs me.”
Yapi’s time with the USMNT U-20s allowed him to work with current San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas. Varas, who was Yapi’s head coach with the U-20s, led the expansion squad to a first-place finish in the Western Conference during the regular season and a berth to the Western Conference Finals this fall.
San Diego FC will now play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in February 2026, becoming the latest expansion side to impress in the first year of their MLS existence.
Yapi praised Varas and New England Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic, both of whom played pivotal roles within US Soccer before jumping to MLS.
“I think they deserve to take that next step in their career,” Yapi said of Varas and Mitrovic. “I feel like they’re two great coaches and I’m just happy for them. From what I’ve seen from them, I think these are great opportunities for them. In football you work with a lot of people, so it’s great to see them get these opportunities.”
Yapi’s 2026 season with the Rapids could potentially be his last at the club, especially with the prospect of a move to Europe always on the cards. Many former homegrown MLS prospects developed in the United States before moving abroad, such as Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Ricardo Pepi and Aidan Morris.
Although his focus is solely on helping the Rapids bounce back next season, Yapi dreams of going abroad one day.
“I think when you see some of the best guys like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie there, it just further increases your dream of playing there,” Yapi said. “It’s a dream of mine and also of many other young players. For now I just want to keep working, try to stay consistent and have another good season.”
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