The Colorado Rapids finally got their guy at defensive midfielder.
The club announced Saturday that it signed midfielder Josh Atencio from the Seattle Sounders for an initial fee of $1.3 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) to be paid in equal amounts in 2025 and 2026. The deal includes up to $300,000 in performance-based add-ons and a sell-on clause.
The 23-year-old will occupy a U-22 initiative slot for the Rapids, joining midfielder and future D-mid partner Cole Bassett and new winger Ted Ku-DiPietro. His deal runs through 2027 with a club option for the 2028 campaign.
Atencio was a staple for the Sounders for five seasons, making 111 appearances in all competitions.
Earlier in the day, the Rapids traded an international roster slot to rival Real Salt Lake in exchange for $275,000 in GAM. This offseason, the club has traded four such roster slots and in return has received around $725,000 in GAM and two first-round draft picks. A source told The Denver Post those transactions paved the way for Atencio’s signing.
Atencio has a couple of connections to Rapids players just in the past year. At the Olympics in 2024, he was on the United States squad with Colorado midfielder Djordje Mihailovic. This January, Atencio received his first senior USMNT call-up, where Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen also participated and got his first cap in nearly three years.
The Rapids’ No. 1 need this offseason was a defensive midfielder with a proven ability to win the ball in defense and start attacks. According to FBRef, he’s in the 90th percentile or better in most defensive metrics at his position in Major League Soccer and in the 70s and 80s for offensive metrics.
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