The Colorado Rapids could be losing their top goal scorer. At least, that is if you believe the Norwegian sports website VG Sporten. In the short article they claim that Deshorn Brown is being sought by Valerengas to replace Vidar Om Kjartansson. Kjartansson left Valerengas in 2015, choosing to head to Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Guoxin-Sainty. Whether or not this rumored move for Brown is true the impact on the Rapids could be huge.

The Jamaican born striker made a big impact in his rookie MLS season. Brown led the Rapids with 10 goals that season and came in second in rookie of the year voting (only behind teammate Dillon Powers). His second season saw another 10 goals from the youngster, but also saw a lack of growth in on the field skills. Brown was able to parlay his playing time and success with the Rapids to multiple national team calls by his home country Jamaica.

While this rumor has not been confirmed, it is interesting to note that Brown started the 2015 season opener against Philadelphia Union on the bench. Colorado chose to go with rookie Dominique Badji in Brown’s normal role. Badji was taken with the 67th overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. After impressing Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni and his staff in preseason, Badji was signed by the team.

Not only did Badji supplant Brown in the starting XI, but Designated Player Gabriel Torres also got the nod ahead of him. Torres has been sort of an enigma in his time in Colorado. Coming to the team late in 2013 Torres scored three goals at the end of the year. In 2014 he came into the season injured and out of shape, which led to him sitting on the bench for the majority of the season.

If the rumors of Brown being sold to Valerengas due come true, Badji and Torres would need to step up their play. However, the Rapids would be able to use whatever money they would get for Brown to add the big time goal scorer they have been looking for.

There has been talk for a couple months about possibly bringing in Irish striker Kevin Doyle. The Wolverhampton star met with Colorado in February, but talks stalled, presumably partially due to the drop in pay that Doyle would receive. However, if Brown is sold some of that money may be used to help bring Doyle on board.

With all the “if’s and but’s” involved, it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out. What if Brown doesn’t go? What if Badji shows that he can score 15+ goals? What if Kevin Doyle gets blocked from coming until the summer transfer window? What if Torres finally lives up to his DP status? All these questions make for a complex situation for second year head coach Mastroeni and his staff.

If Brown does not get sold, can Mastroeni afford to keep him on the Bench? Brown has scored 20 goals in his first two seasons in MLS and has proven that his speed up top is a huge threat to teams. If he is relegated to the bench, his confidence could take a big hit, and one of the most important things to a goal scorer is confidence.

If Badji shows that he can be the goal scorer that the team and fans have been clamoring for and/or Torres finally lives up to his DP status that could assure Brown finds himself spending more time riding the pine then running on the pitch.

If Kevin Doyle’s move to Colorado does get blocked by Wolverhampton; that could mean the Rapids hold off on selling Brown as well. While the team has other forwards Brown is the only one that has shown he can score. Without the presence of a striker the caliber of Doyle the Rapids would need to either wait to sell Brown, or quickly search for another high caliber striker.

Whatever happens, there is a lot of pressure on Colorado and its core of strikers. The team improved their defense and midfield during the offseason, but as of yet has failed to address their offense. Selling Brown could be the start of making the needed improvements. 

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