As the midfielder continues to hit his stride in 2024, Cole Bassett’s accomplishments continue to stack up, with his most recent etching him in the top spot of Rapids' history books.
With his start and 90 minutes played on Saturday night Bassett officially surpassed Dillon Serna for most regular-season appearances by a Homegrown in Rapids history. His appearance record will only climb as he signed a four-year contract extension with the club at the beginning of this season.
"It's special,” he said after the game against FC Dallas on Saturday. “It means a lot just because all the hard work that you've put in over the years, to be able to play this much for the club, I don't take it for granted.”
Serna announced his retirement on April 10 after a decade-long career. Serna was signed as a Homegrown in 2013 and went on to make 105 appearances until his last season in MLS in 2019. A tear to his ACL and meniscus in 2016 derailed the Thornton native’s career for a season before he came back to full health in 2017. Serna returned to play with the Rapids’ MLS NEXT Pro side, Rapids 2, in 2022 after stints at Sporting KC II and Switchbacks FC in USL, but his time was cut short due to a tibia fracture.
Despite being surpassed for the club record, Serna’s illustrious career paved the path for fellow Homegrowns like Bassett, Darren Yapi, Sam Vines, and many more. The forward had nothing but nice things to say about Bassett’s overtaking of the record just days after his official retirement announcement, with an important caveat:
After notching six goals in 2023, a new single-season career high, he was awarded the club’s 2023 Golden Boot. The Littleton native played with local club Colorado Rush before joining the Rapids Academy in 2017. He signed his Homegrown contract in August 2018 at age 17, then the youngest signing in Rapids history.
This season, he’s started all games played and scored three goals, including the game-winner over rivals Real Salt Lake in his 100th appearance as a Homegrown.
“Hopefully, there's a lot more goals, a lot more appearances in the future,” Bassett said. “I just take it one game at a time, and I think that's what's gotten me to this point.”
