Arsenal and the Colorado Rapids: Time to collaborate

It would be beneficial for Arsenal Football Club to make better use of their American ownership and subsequent associations. One way would be to collaborate with the Colorado Rapids.

Arsenal Football Club was founded in 1886. Despite the club’s long and storied history, only three Americans have ever represented the club in a competitive manner.

Frank Simek started a single League Cup match, a 5-1 thumping of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in 2003. Gedion Zelalem has made two substitute appearances, and the man responsible for bringing him to London, Danny Karbaasiyoon, made three League Cup appearances (one start) and was the first American to ever score for the Gunners.

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On a side note, Karbassiyoon’s story is fascinating and is well worth a listen/read.

In spite of the limited success, the soccer landscape of the United States is changing. Major League Soccer is beginning to earn its due and investment in academies and youth development has deepened the American talent pool.

One might contend that Arsenal are in a good position to capitalize on this new golden age of American soccer considering their relationship with the Colorado Rapids (both clubs are under the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) ownership umbrella), but when you consider the relationship Manchester City share with New York City FC, you could argue that the Gunners need to collaborate with the Rapids in a more “meaningful way”.

I’ve previously alluded to Jeorge Bird’s opinion that the club has chosen poor loan clubs, and that they could benefit from having an affiliate club. Well, Arsenal, and more specifically KSE, are in a strong position to negotiate such a partnership with the Rapids.

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It would be difficult for some youngsters to make a temporary move to the United States — additional international roster spots may be required; the change in environment and culture would be imposing and offputting to some; MLS is a uniquely athletic style of football and may not suit particular players — but both teams could benefit from this partnership.

Arsenal would be able to engrain their footballing philosophy within the Rapids organisation, thus meaning that a loanee would not have to adapt to a new style of football, were he to temporarily join the Rapids. As a result, Arsenal academy products would subsequently be better placed to help the Rapids achieve their objectives, and the player(s) would hopefully return to London as more polished prospects.

While this all sounds exciting, the relationship between the organisations isn’t as strong as perhaps it once was. Some would argue that it is incredibly unlikely that anything major will now happen between the two clubs. The original business partnership agreement was signed back in 2007, but the lack of back and forth in the sharing of players and resources has been a source of frustration for both Rapids staff and supporters, which is understandable given the shared ownership of KSE.

Next: Arsenal: Unique story of Calen Carr

There is no denying that the relationship between Arsenal and the Colorado Rapids has deteriorated, but it is a relationship that is worth salvaging. Ivan Gazidis, who has a unique perspective on the extraordinary growth of soccer in North America, might see its development as an opportunity that Arsène Wenger never did. It could be time to collaborate.