The Colorado Rapids are poised to name Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Matt Wells to be the team’s next manager, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.
Wells, 37, replaces Chris Armas, whose contract expired at the end of the 2025 season, and was unable to reach an agreement with the MLS club on a new deal.
The London-born Wells is expected to arrive in Colorado next week following Sunday’s game against Nottingham Forest.
Sources tell ESPN that Wells will be bringing several assistant coaches with him, but that current Rapids assistant and goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe will remain on the staff.
The Athletic was the first to report the news.
Wells served a long apprenticeship in England and elsewhere, having been an assistant coach for Spurs’ under-18 team as well as the club’s development squad in 2018 before joining Scott Parker’s staff at a series of stops, including Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge.
He rejoined Spurs in April of 2023 as an assistant, and joined the staff of Ange Postecoglou the following summer. He remained on the Tottenham staff upon the hiring of Thomas Frank in June of 2025.
As a player, Wells joined Tottenham’s youth academy at the age of nine, but injuries scuttled his playing career, and he then pivoted to coaching, earning his UEFA B license at the age of 20.
Wells inherits a side that has long struggled to be a consistent force in MLS, making the postseason in just four of the last 12 seasons, with just one playoff appearance in the last four campaigns.
In 2025, Colorado narrowly missed out on the playoffs, finishing 11th in the 15-team Western Conference. The Rapids’ roster does include promising midfielder Paxten Aaronson, as well as veterans Zack Steffen in goal, and defender Reggie Cannon.
