COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids announced today the club has named Fran Taylor Sporting Director, hired Ruth Fahy as Vice President of Club Administration & Compliance and added Drew Moor as an Elite Player Development Coach.
Additionally, Chris Zitterbart has been promoted to Chief Scout, Gabbie Pelloni has joined the club as Director of Team Administration & Operations, James Roeling has rejoined the club as Director of Soccer Development, Gabriel Pinto has joined the club as Director of Emerging Talent & Youth Recruitment, Matt Pfeffer has been promoted to Director of Analytics and Andrew Kewley has been promoted to Futures Program Director.
“Fran has played a key role in our on-field success in recent years and the advancement of our player identification, recruitment and roster construction strategy, so we’re excited to extend this deserved promotion and secure his future with the club,” said Pádraig Smith, Colorado Rapids President. “We’re also beyond delighted to strengthen our soccer operations group by adding Ruth as our new Vice President of Club Administration & Compliance. Ruth’s skillset and experiences both on and off the field will add greatly to our expanded soccer operations department. And of course, it goes without saying that we’re thrilled to transition Drew from the field to the front office as we look to harness his wealth of experience and familiarity with our club and league to aid the development of our elite prospects.”
Taylor joined the Rapids in 2018 after spending eight years as Vice President of Analytics at StatDNA, a software development and analytics company acquired by Arsenal Football Group in 2013. He has played a key part in developing the Rapids’ roster construction and player recruitment strategy through stats-driven insights and enhanced scouting processes and networks.
Fahy joins the Rapids with six years of experience in the legal field, including with the Football Association of Ireland and sports law roles with Irish law firms Ogier Leman and William Fry. A former Women’s League of Ireland soccer player, Fahy who holds a UEFA B License has competed at the Women’s Champions League level in Europe as well as in the elite Irish league from its inception in 2011 through 2016, including stints with Castlebar Celtic, Galway WFC and Wexford Youths WFC, winning the domestic treble with Wexford. She resumed her playing career in 2021 with Galway WFC before serving as CEO of the club.
The fifth all-time leader in MLS appearances, Moor spent ten seasons with the Rapids during his time as a player, winning the MLS Cup with the club in 2010. The Dallas, Texas, native retired following the 2022 season after an 18-year playing career that included winning two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield and three Canadian Championships, as well as an MLS All-Star selection while with the Rapids in 2015. Moor will serve as Elite Player Development Coach in addition to his current role as a Rapids Analyst & Host.
A member of the club since 2013, Zitterbart most recently served as Director of Scouting before being promoted to his new role as Chief Scout. Zitterbart played a key role in the identification and recruitment of many of the Rapids’ current crop of young, talented players, such as Braian Galván and Max Alves.
Pelloni joins the club from the University of Colorado Boulder where she served as Assistant Athletics Director of Sport Operations & Brand Management for the school’s Olympic sports. During her ten years in that role, Pelloni oversaw the administrative duties for the university’s women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, lacrosse and tennis programs. She also served as Tournament Director for NCAA Postseason and Conference Championships while at CU Boulder.
Roeling rejoins the Rapids as Director of Soccer development after serving as Assistant Sporting Director to Tim Howard’s Memphis 901 FC in the USL Championship for over two years. He previously served as Senior Manager of Team Operations with the Rapids before departing to Memphis.
Pinto joins the club from Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Clube de Portugal. A UEFA B License holder, Pinto previously held scouting and coaching roles in Portugal, India, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates.
Pfeffer joined the Rapids in 2019 as a Data Analyst following six years of statistical analysis roles in professional hockey, including stints with Hockey Canada, the San Jose Sharks, the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators. Since joining the club, Pfeffer has spearheaded the development of the Rapids’ proprietary data analytics software, which serves as a foundational piece of the club’s player identification and recruitment strategy.
Kewley joined the Rapids in 2018 after serving as Director of Coaching at Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer Club. He played an integral role in the launch of the Colorado Rapids Academy Futures Program in 2020, a program designed to support the development of top players in the U-12 age division.
The club also made the following updates to its technical staff: Andrew Butler has been promoted to Academy Talent ID Manager, Kyle Porter has been promoted to Strength & Conditioning Coach and Boyd Kirk has been promoted to Team Operations Manager. Additionally, the club has hired Nicole Johnson as SafeSport Manager, Liam Creedon as Data & Systems Architect, Eddie Wilding as Academy Staff Coach, Brandyn Bumpas as Academy Goalkeeper Coach and Andre Hilf as Club Language Specialist & Team Operations Coordinator.
