The Younes Namli Conundrum

John A. Babiak - @Photog_JohnB For as long as I can remember, the Colorado Rapids fanbase has been crying out for a Designated Player attacking midfielder, or “10.” From Juan Ramirez to Shkelzen Gashi to everyone in between, the club took some stabs at this problem, but never really found a good solution.

Until the winter before the 2020 season, the Rapids acquired Danish playmaker Younes Namli on a two-year loan from FC Krasnodar in Russia.

With his experience in the Champions League, along with top European leagues like the Eredivisie and the Russian Premier League, and a small loan fee of reportedly around $1 million, Namli seemed like another smart piece of business in a line of great…