Inside Connor Ronan’s Colorado Rapids stint – as Aberdeen-bound midfielder finds form before World Cup shutdown

Colorado Rapids expert has detailed Aberdeen-bound midfielder Connor Ronan’s three-plus years in Major League Soccer, revealing he has returned to form in the weeks before his expected Dons switch.

The Reds are hopeful about securing the capture of former St Mirren loanee Ronan, 28, with confirmation of the signing expected once the summer transfer window opens.

Rochdale-born English and Republic of Ireland youth cap Ronan has been in United States since he was sold to Colorado by Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023.

The move came months after a productive loan season in Scotland with St Mirren, including a short spell working under now-Dons head coach Stephen Robinson.

While at St Mirren, Ronan was most often deployed as an attacking midfielder – with a knack for stunning strikes – and he netted eight times in Scotland, with five assists, from 30 outings.

At Colorado, his more than 100 appearances – under a succession of managers – have been further back in central midfield, with a return of two goals and 10 assists.

After starting 33 of 34 MLS matches during is first year in Denver, injuries and squad competition have eaten into Ronan’s game-time in the seasons since.

Matt Pollard, of Colorado sports blog Burgundy Wave, has covered Ronan’s time with the Rapids and gave The Press and Journal a rundown.

He explained how the “fanfare” of the middle-man’s arrival at the club in 2023 coincided with “arguably the worst season in Rapids’ entire existence” – a 28th-place overall MLS finish.

But Matt said: “Ronan was kind of the one piece doing everything in midfield for a team that was really dysfunctional. He was the one bright spot.

“I organise the Colorado Rapids media awards and we actually gave Connor Ronan player of the season (for 2023).

“He then had a few injuries in 2024, and there was a game against local rivals Real Salt Lake in which he got an injury, and the manager at the time, Chris Armas, put two of the academy products together on the field in the same position in a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1.

“It worked really, really well (Rapids made it to the play-offs in 2024).

“Ronan was then competing with one of the players, Oliver Larraz (for game-time). But there was confidence in both.

“What’s then hurt him in the last 12 months going back to last year has been that what the manager has wanted in the midfield has been something really specific, and he (Ronan) is good at a lot of things, but not great at any one thing individually.

“He’s been on the bench when he’s healthy behind Josh Atencio, who I would say is the main player that he’s competing with for minutes right now.”

Ronan has been back to ‘vintage self’

Matt rejects any notion Ronan has been “injury-prone” during his Rapids spell, describing his issues as “little knocks here and there”.

And the good news for Aberdeen fans is Ronan has been back in the Colorado side ahead of his proposed Dons move.

Matt added: “Ronan was subbed on in the first home game of the season against Portland Timbers (in March), and then he got hurt and had to be subbed out.

“He just came back recently, and had a performance in one of the last wins the team had before the break for the World Cup at Minnesota, in which he looked like his vintage self and he was pinging balls left and right.”

Colorado Rapids are currently 11th in the Western Conference, with the MLS having gone into cold storage ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The timing of the World Cup break was unfortunate for Ronan, as he had recently started back-to-back matches for the first time this term, replacing holding midfielder Hamzat Ojediran for the victory in Minnesota and then starting over no.8 rival Atencio in a defeat in Salt Lake City.

Matt said: “The rest of the team’s needed a break.

“But if there’s anybody who’s been hurt by this, I would say it was him – he finally got back, he was in form, he’d been picked over Atencio, who he’d been competing with.

“They don’t have another game until July 22nd.”

Ronan has played no.8 and no.6 roles for Colorado Rapids

Ronan has been asked to play both holding and box-to-box midfield roles during his time in Colorado, with Matt explaining: “One of the former managers, who was the manager when Connor just got here, Robin Fraser, described Rapids’ three-man midfield as an 8/10, an 8/6 and then a no.8, so a lot of rotation and everybody did a little bit of everything.

“Ronan was the no.8, but then Jack Price, who was the 8/6, got hurt, so then Ronan became the 8/6 out of necessity.

“(In 2023) he had a lot of comments in post-game media about how it was not his preferred position, on top of getting used to the altitude, getting used to new teams and getting used to a new team and all the travel and everything.

“I would describe him as a no.8, mostly just because he’s competing with Atencio, and the proper no.6 has been Hamzat Ojediran.

“That being said, Hamzat was unavailable for the game at Minnesota which Ronan just started a couple of weeks ago, and he was excellent in the no.6 position.”

Expert says Colorado open to Ronan moving on amid Aberdeen signing effort

Ronan’s MLS/Colorado contract runs until the end of the year – and Colorado have the option to extend it until the end of 2027.

With Aberdeen sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel – who watched Ronan frequently during his time as technical director at St Louis City – looking to seal the deal to sign him for the Dons, The Press and Journal understands the player is also keen on Pittodrie.

Matt feels it is a “good time” for Ronan to depart Denver.

“I think they (Colorado) would be open to it,” Matt said.

“I think it’d be a good time for him, certainly.

“Matt Wells, the manager, has made a big deal about wanting young players, and while Ronan’s kind of a good veteran, at the age of 28, I think it’d be a good time for him, with his family.

“I think he (Ronan) has his kid towards the end of the 2023 season – so maybe they’d be three or four right now.

“I’m not surprised at the notion that Ronan for his family and career would want to leave Colorado or want a spot closer back to home.”

[Source: Press and Journal]