COMMERCE CITY – Dillon Powers stuck out as one of the few bright spots for the Colorado Rapids during a trying 2014 campaign. In just his second year in MLS, the 24-year-old midfielder matched the total of five goals from his 2013 Rookie of the Year campaign, in addition to dishing out an increased output of nine assists.
The increased production from Powers didn’t translate to results for Colorado, however. The Rapids went winless in their final 14 games under first-year head coach Pablo Mastroeni, who asked Powers to play a variety of roles ranging from second striker to defensive mid.
“One of his better attributes is finding what the game is asking for, adapting and assimilating to what it’s asking,” said Mastroeni, who explained the reasoning behind his varied use of Powers. “To me, that says he’s a player that can play in a few different positions.”
Powers has shown adaptability, but retains a preference for a playmaking role.
“I like the center of the park, that’s what I’ve played my whole life,” Powers said. “I’ve come to know the dropped forward/attacking midfield role pretty well.”
In 2013, Powers played as a pure central midfielder under former head coach Oscar Pareja, now with FC Dallas. The result was a 12-9-8 record in games which Powers started, and a trip to the playoffs for Colorado.
But were the team’s struggles in 2014 linked to Mastroeni shuffling Powers outside of his preferred role? In terms of the team’s win-loss records, the numbers are inconclusive. In the 16 games where Powers started at central midfield last season, Colorado posted a 4-8-4 record. In the 11 games where he didn’t, the team posted a record of 3-5-3.
“At the end of the day, his favorite position is that No. 10 position and he was really effective at it last year,” Mastroeni said.
But given the team’s added depth in the midfield this season, it appears that Mastroeni will continue to deploy Powers in a diversified role.
In Colorado’s season opening 0-0 draw with the Philadelphia Union, Powers came off the bench in the 56th minute for Vicente Sanchez along the right wing. It was a positive step for the third-year player, who looks to regain a starting role after experiencing the setback of a hip injury attained in the preseason.
“I think he’s been performing well,” Mastroeni said of Powers’ return to full health. “He’s working his way into fitness and then we’ll go from there.”
Before the injury, Powers entered preseason camp at his lightest and fittest ever, dropping 15 pounds after devoting an offseason regimen to running programs designed to increase his lactate threshold.
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“I feel really good. Fitness-wise, I came in healthier than I’ve ever been,” he said.
Added Mastroeni: “He came in really fit, committed and sharp at the beginning of preseason. What’s more important than all of that is the way he’s worked hard to get back in rhythm.”
Cracking the Rapids’ starting 11 will be another challenge for Powers this season. The Dallas-area native will compete for playing time alongside Panamanian Designated Player Gabriel Torres (who has also been utilized both centrally and along the wings by Mastroeni) and two-time MLS Cup winner Marcelo Sarvas, an offseason arrival whom Mastroeni has entrusted with the captain’s armband and operates almost exclusively in the center of midfield.
So the question remains as to whether or not Powers’ hard work will pay off with a starting spot when the Rapids take on NYCFC in their home opener on Saturday (4 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“There’s no seats that are saved,” Mastroeni said. “Everyone is working hard to make an opportunity.”
