Colorado Rapids sign defender Michael Edwards to contract extension through 2024

The Colorado Rapids have re-signed homegrown defender Michael Edwards to a two-year contract, the club have announced.

Edwards' new contract keeps him at the club through the 2024 MLS season with an option for 2025. The 22-year-old joined the Rapids in 2021 after the club acquired his homegrown rights from DC United, though he's yet to make a senior appearance.

Instead, the center-back spent 2021 on loan in the USL Championship with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, scoring two goals in 24 appearances. Last season, Edwards split his time between Colorado Rapids 2 in MLS NEXT Pro and the Switchbacks.

“Mike was a key contributor on our inaugural Rapids 2 roster last year and also played an important role in the Switchbacks’ deep playoff run during his loan there,” Pádraig Smith, Colorado's executive vice president and general manager, said in a club press release.

“We’re delighted to re-sign him and look forward to seeing his continued development with the club.”

A native of Woodbridge, Virginia, Edwards is a product of Bundesliga side Wolfsburg's youth system, playing 31 games combined for the club's U19 and reserve teams between 2018 and 2020.

Edwards will hope his new contract will now see him become a regular part of Robin Fraser's first-team roster with the Rapids.