The 2021 Colorado Rapids season was the club's twenty-sixth season of existence and their twenty-sixth consecutive season in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of American soccer.
Colorado finished the 2020 season 5th in the Western Conference table, and 10th overall in MLS. Jonathan Lewis and Cole Bassett lead Colorado with 5 goals across all competitions. Outside of MLS play, the Rapids played in the MLS is Back Tournament, getting knocked out in the group stage. They were also scheduled to compete in the U.S. Open Cup before its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rapids clinched the regular season Western Conference title on the last day of the season, November 7. They lost to the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference Semifinals on November 25.
It was announced on March 29 that the opening round of the tournament would not be held, and that the top eight MLS teams based on point per game from the first three weeks of the season would participate in the tournament. U.S. Soccer's Open Cup Committee announced it was not holding the 2021 U.S. Open Cup in the spring, but did not rule out holding the tournament later in the year. At the conclusion of the first three weeks of the season, the Rapids had gained 1.33 PPG, but that was not enough to qualify for the tournament. Eventually, it was announced that the U.S. Open Cup would not be held at all in 2021.
Numbers after plusâÂÂsign (+) denote appearances as a substitute.
|- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred/loaned out during the season