Colorado Rapids sign USMNT midfielder Djordje Mihailovic

The Colorado Rapids signed United States Men's National Team midfielder Djordje Mihailovic from Netherlands-based club AZ Alkmaar for an estimated $2.8 million fee.

Mihailovic starred in MLS with the Chicago Fire and CF Montreal before he moved to AZ for an estimated $3 million fee.

His stay in the Netherlands did not go as planned as the 25-year-old scored one goal and added one assist in 23 league appearances, eight of which were starts.

Despite those struggles, he kept USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter's faith. He started all but one match in the 2023 Gold Cup, scoring twice and assisting twice in a 6-0 group stage win over St. Kitts & Nevis.

Mihailovic has made 11 appearances for the USMNT, scoring three goals.

The Rapids finished last in the Western Conference in 2023 and collected the second-fewest points league-wide.

Their rebuild began when they fired former head coach Robin Fraser and replaced him with former Manchester United and Leeds United assistant coach Chris Armas, a former head coach of the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC in MLS.

It continued with the signing of 28-year-old USMNT and former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who is out to prove himself after Berhalter did not call him up for the 2022 World Cup due to a lack of playing time with City.

Read more: Zack Steffen joins the Colorado Rapids in MLS

Colorado drafted twice in the top four picks of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, selecting midfielder Wayne Frederick and attacker Kimani Stewart-Baynes second and fourth overall, respectively. They also signed 24-year-old free agent midfielder Omir Fernandez, who played for Armas in New York.

Another major Colorado transaction this offseason was signing 22-year-old Cole Bassett, the team's top scorer with six goals in 2023, to a contract extension through 2027.

Clearly the Rapids owned by the Kroenke family that also owns the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, and Arsenal FC, want their Stateside soccer team to match the success of their other franchises.

At +10000, the Rapids have the joint-longest odds to win the 2024 MLS Cup.