Rapids transfer winger Omir Fernández to Portland

The young Rapids are getting younger The Colorado Rapids transferred winger Omir Fern ndez to the Portland Timbers on Friday afternoon In the deal which comes just a week before the primary transfer window closes on April the club received in General Allocation Money GAM and will receive up to in performance-based add-ons In appearances over a season and a quarter in Colorado Fern ndez notched two goals and five assists which wasn t a ton of production for an otherwise high-caliber Rapids offense He joined the club as a free agent not long after coach Chris Armas took over prior to the season When Armas coached the New York Red Bulls Fern ndez was developed into an central athlete as the two built a strong personal connection Fern ndez never exposed a big consistent role with the Rapids He started games last season but never started more than three games in a row This season he s off to a nice start with two assists but has had to come off the bench in all eight games he s played Related Articles Three points Rapids may have revealed new rival in San Diego FC Rapids aim to bring a little bit more to the table in first-ever San Diego FC matchup Three points Up-and-down Rapids uninspiring in loss at Vancouver Rapids sign USYNT winger Bryce Jamison from Orange County SC Three points Rapids gain momentum with convincing win over Charlotte The fight for starting minutes grew this offseason with the retention of Calvin Harris and the signing of U winger Ted Ku-DiPietro from D C United It was pushed even further with second-year winger Kimani Stewart-Baynes developing out for Rapids and another winger signing in Orange County SC s Bryce Jamison Ultimately the competition and the club s push for youth made Fern ndez the odd man out It has certainly been tight as of late especially after perennial starter K vin Cabral went on a career-worst stretch of play But the club is putting more value on youth and upside for this squad Ku-DiPietro not long ago turned Stewart-Baynes is and Jamison is With the roster slot and extra GAM the Rapids could pursue a signing before the transfer window closes or better prepare for the summer window though waiting seems a lot more likely Want more sports news Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver s teams