Ranking the Top 75 MLS Players of 2024: 43. Cole Bassett

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Cole Bassett briefly tried Europe out, but settled back in at home in 2023. In 2024, he was one of the driving forces in bringing the team back to successful ways. Colorado went through an entire roster revamp and became a whole lot better. The Rapids finished seventh in the Western Conference after a late season collapse brought them much further down in the standings than they previously sat. Bassett played creator and scored a lot of goals from his position in central midfield.

Bassett scored nine goals on the season, starting with a strike against Real Salt Lake early on. He equalized late in a match against Inter Miami with great precision. He smashed a beauty into the upper 90 to defeat Austin FC. The majority of Bassett's production came in the opening half of the year, as was the case for the entire team. Bassett suffered an injury that forced him to miss the end of the season and it is no coincidence that the Rapids lost all six of their final matches without his presence. His final goal of the season was a penalty to defeat Real Salt Lake in the Rocky Mountain Cup.

The heart of the Rapids truly did it all for the team in 2024. Bassett scored 0.31 goals per 90, a top number at his position. He also took 2.41 shots per match. He averaged 3.67 touches in the opposition's box per 90 and was constantly threatening. He also assisted seven goals on the year. Defensively, he blocked 0.63 shots per 90 and won possession 0.87 times a game. Bassett will be back in 2025 with much of the same group as Colorado looks to improve upon how they ended last season. Bassett comes in at No. 43.

43) COLE BASSETT | MID, COL | PER 90 STATS (PERCENTILE)

0.31 GOALS PER 90 (96%)

2.41 SHOTS PER 90 (94%)

0.21 ASSISTS PER 90 (90%)

3.67 TOUCHES IN OPPOSITION BOX (93%)