Kévin Cabral could have called it quits on the 2024 MLS season when a broken and dislocated elbow required surgery in July.
Or when the initial recovery kept him from brushing his teeth, playing video games or even sleeping.
The thought could have crossed his mind again when he learned of his father’s death in September.
But that’s probably not what “Monsieur Cabral” — the name on the jersey Connor Ronan held up toward Cabral in the players’ box after a goal on Oct. 2 — would have wanted for his son.
Cabral didn’t, either.
Standing on the sideline waiting to sub into the Rapids’ Decision Day loss to Austin FC for his first action in three months, Cabral was instructed to play freely, but just be careful with the arm.
A silly elbow was the last thing on Cabral’s mind.
“I was really happy because the last few months were really hard for me personally with my family,” Cabral told The Denver Post. “The game against Austin that day was one of my best days in the last two or three months.”
The breakout
This had been shaping up to be a career year for the 25-year-old Frenchman after a change in role allowed him to flourish.
The days of Cabral solely relying on his speed to take over on the wing were over. Before, he’d often beat a defender in a footrace to nowhere in the corner and play would fizzle out. The rare chance he had on goal would end in a flustered fluff of a shot attempt.
He needed more reps on goal and the freedom to express his creativity. After Chris Armas took over as head coach, he got them. He was also instructed to play as more of an inside forward than strictly on the wing.
Through his first 22 games, he posted career-bests with five goals and four assists. Three of those goals were on chances Cabral struggled to finish a year earlier.
Colorado Rapids forward Kévin Cabral, right, pursues the ball with New York Red Bulls defender Noah Eile in the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A lack of confidence had been the monkey on Cabral’s back. In some ways, his first of two goals against Minnesota United in May cast it away.
A flicked-on header from Omir Fernández found a streaking Cabral down the middle, which put him one-on-one with the keeper. A heavy touch gave brief flashbacks to numerous prior encounters alone on goal, but he beat Dane St. Clair to the ball, lifted it over the Canadian keeper and nearly front-flipped over him as the net reverberated.
Later that night, he got the best of St. Clair again to tie the match at 3-all and salvage a point with a bit of luck on a header that leaked off the keeper’s gloves.
From that point, the star regained his shine in technical skill and personality.
“For me, this has looked like a breakout year for Kévin Cabral and I think he deserves so much of the credit for being open to what we were bringing early on, open to a little bit of a different position,” Armas said. “He’s a special human being, first and foremost. The energy he shows up with every day — there’s a lot of team guys out there, especially on our team, and when he’s in the middle of it, his banter, his music, grabbing microphones in the locker room, he’s got a real character and personality.
“So to see the performances, the goals, the contributions, the (expected goals), his willingness to run in behind and threaten deep: this, for me, I think when we didn’t have him, we missed it a bit.”
Cabral looked on his way to realizing the vision Rapids President Pádraig Smith had for the winger when he brought him to Colorado: quick, creative, assertive.
The latter ended up costing him the second half of the season.
A screeching halt
In a July 17 matchup against the Galaxy, Cabral sprinted down the defense’s throat in the 32nd minute to receive a low cross from Jonathan Lewis. The pass was a bit behind him, forcing his momentum forward as he stuck his left leg behind to help the ball into the net. He rolled into the goal at the same speed as the ball and all of his weight fell on his right elbow onto a metal bar.
He didn’t know his elbow had a compound fracture and dislocation, and he didn’t care. After a few minutes on the sideline, he went back on the field and finished the half.
Later that week, he underwent surgery and was told he’d be out around 12 weeks — just in time for the playoffs.
His arm in a cast and sling, Cabral was told to limit elbow movement for weeks. That made staying fit a challenge, despite the fact his legs were perfectly fine. The pain meds also made it tough to eat, but the self-proclaimed “skinny guy” was not afraid to “get a little bit fat.”
The main concern for the team was Cabral not losing hold of the confidence he’d gained earlier in the season. For the winger, it was an afterthought.
“Because I stopped on a good period individually, it’s easier, especially when the team is doing good,” Cabral said. “All my teammates, I love them and I think they love me back, so it’s always easy to keep that confidence.
“The first thing I noticed (after returning to training) was the intensity was really hard. I couldn’t believe I was with them two or three months before and I was doing fine. I felt like … I was on another team playing against the Rapids because they were running all over me.”
He made his return to action last Saturday on Decision Day against Austin, right on schedule.
After subbing on in the 66th minute, it took only a minute to nearly get back on the scoresheet. But his left-footed shot one-on-one with Austin keeper Brad Stuver rolled just wide.
“I think the keeper did well, so I’m not really sad, but you always wish the ball would go into the net,” Cabral said.
A complete circle
After the Rapids blundered the Austin game away and fell to the seventh seed, the Galaxy flubbed its own Decision Day game against the Houston Dynamo and fell to the second seed. Suddenly, a full circle formed for Cabral.
“I was like, ‘Galaxy again, that’s crazy,’ especially because I got injured against them and at their stadium,” Cabral said. “It’s always going to feel weird for me because I know that place very well and obviously the team is really good.”
After two seasons and 61 games with the Galaxy, the fanbase knows him just as well.
In his only two trips to Dignity Health Sports Park since joining Colorado, he was introduced by the PA announcer to a shower of boos. In both trips, he scored.
“Every goal is always good to score, but against your old team, you feel a little bit different,” Cabral said.
Heading into the first-round matchup against the Galaxy in the Cup MLS Playoffs, he said he won’t approach it much differently, but his return may give the Rapids a creative edge they’ve been missing, which will be needed with star midfielder Djordje Mihailovic injured.
Most of all, his ability to draw penalties will add a layer to the Rapids attack and force L.A. to respect his space. This season, in large part thanks to Cabral even in his limited time, the Rapids have drawn and converted the most penalties in the league by far.
“It’s absolutely huge for us to have a player of his quality and his speed because (the ability to draw penalties) comes from a combination of the two,” Smith told The Post. “You can have players who are blisteringly quick, but if they don’t know how to use it and how to unbalance the defense and be effective, it’s not as impactful as it is with Kévin.
“His understanding of how to set defenders up (to commit penalties) is very good and there’s no doubt for us that he’s a real attacking threat we’ve missed.”
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When Cabral takes the field at DHSP Saturday at 9 p.m., he isn’t sure if he’ll be serenaded with boos from his former fans for the third time.
But it’d be a welcome challenge.
“I hope they do. I think because I scored in the last game, and it’s a playoff game anyway and I’m an old player for them, I think they will,” Cabral said.
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