Former Colorado Rapids defender Daniel Chacón joined a growing list of players who were rostered, but never featured, on the first team.
The club announced Monday that it and Chacón have mutually terminated his contract, which was originally set to go through the 2025 MLS season with a club option for 2026.
Hours later, his new club, Costa Rican top-flight club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, announced his arrival with the Leones.
One of the most successful clubs in Costa Rican history, Alajuelense signed the Costa Rican international to a two-year deal. The club is four games into its current season.
Chacón signed to Colorado on an MLS NEXT Pro contract in 2022 from Costa Rican club Cartaginés and was immediately loaned back to get heavy minutes in preparation for his appearance in the 2022 World Cup with Costa Rica. In total, the 23-year-old has eight caps for his national team.
In the summer of 2023, Chacón became the first-ever Rapids 2 player to sign a first-team contract but was immediately loaned to Alajuelense for the remainder of that year. His career took an unfortunate turn not long after when he tore his ACL. He underwent surgery and spent some a few months rehabilitating with Alajuelense before rejoining the Rapids in 2024.
According to the team website, his only three appearances in a Rapids jersey came for the second team in 2023, when he made three consecutive starts for a total of 225 minutes.
Chacón’s rehab seemed to have been coming to a close at the tail end of the 2024 Rapids season. At training, he had slowly graduated from jogging, to running, to kicking a ball and eventually being a full participant in practices.
Though he once seemed a bright prospect poised to grow into a pivotal role in the Rapids’ back line, the development plan for Chacón seems to have been derailed by a horrific injury and a swell of incoming center backs all vying for limited roles.
He traveled with the team to Querétaro, Mexico, for the team’s preseason trip which featured three matches against Mexican competition in the country’s first and second divisions. He appeared in the second match against Querétaro.
The Rapids will close out their preseason with two closed-door friendlies in Florida against D.C. United and Toronto FC on Feb. 7 and 11, respectively, before opening the season with a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against LAFC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Feb. 18.
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