Rapids of Color Part 6: Edson Buddle
Just two years in Burgundy, but one shining moment
Hello High Liners. This is Red. Last year, I did a series of articles highlighting former Colorado Rapids Players of Color. To celebrate Black History Month and emphasize this club’s diversity history, I am bringing it back.
I’ll be taking a look at a new set of noteworthy Players and People of Color who wore the Rapids shirt. We’ll be starting with someone who played just 42 games over two seasons for the Burgundy Boys but had a moment of glory in Commerce City.
Rapids of Color Part 6: Edson Buddle
Edson Buddle is originally from New Rochelle, NY and is the son of Jamaican immigrants. He was named Edson supposedly after Pelé, who’s birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento.
He played one year of college soccer at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, MO of all places. The No. 9 even scored the winning goal in sudden death overtime in the 1999 NJCAA National Championship.
MLS Beginnings:
After that, he made the jump to the A-League, returning closer to home to play with the Long Island Rough Riders. He recorded 11 goals and four assists in 26 games, and was named the 2000 Rookie of the Year. The following February, he was selected by Columbus Crew in the third round of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft.
Buddle had his biggest individual and team successes at Columbus (2001-05) and LA Galaxy (2007-10, 2012, 2015). He won an Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield with the Crew and another Shield during his first stint with the Galaxy. He returned to the Galaxy in 2012 to win his only MLS Cup.
His time in Columbus and first four years in LA account for 84 of 100 MLS regular season goals and all four of his MLS Cup Playoff goals.
Two Years in Colorado:
Colorado Rapids traded for him in December 2012 in exchange for allocation money (we didn’t get amounts in press releases back then) and a first round pick in the Supplemental Draft.
For a 31-year-old domestic striker, that’s probably an even trade. Deshorn Brown needed a veteran mentor. If something happened to Vicente Sánchez or Gabriel Torres, one could start Buddle and get 10 goal contributions from him in a year. If he comes off the bench, expect three goals, two assists.
For a young rebuilding team just trying to make the playoffs and a player making $275k, it made sense.
“There is the Century! He has waited so long!”
By the time Edson arrived in Colorado, he was past his prime. Injuries were starting to take their toll, something that obstructed his national team career as well. Still, he found ways to contribute to the team that ultimately got them into the playoffs in 2013.
His best moment for the club came on August 20, 2014 when he scored his 100th MLS regular season goal. Fittingly, it was a header off of a corner where he had to shake his marker.
“There is the Century! He has waited so long!” yelled Richard Fleming. He’s had some great goal calls over the years, but to this day, this is one of my favorites.
He scored two goals in 18 appearances that season. He was not retained by the club that winter and retired in 2015 after one final year in Los Angeles.
Today five of the 11 players to score 100 MLS regular season goals are black and the majority are non-white. At the time of this goal, Buddle was just the seventh player to join the 100 Goals Club. He was the third Player of Color to do so, after Jeff Cunningham and Dwayne De Rosario.