USMNT midfielder Paxten Aaronson makes MLS return with Colorado Rapids
Photo Credit: Colorado Rapids
Former Philadelphia Union homegrown midfielder Paxten Aaronson is returning stateside, signing with the Colorado Rapids on a club-record fee of $7 million plus $1.5 million in add-ons. According to Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Union will receive close to $1 million as a sell-on fee.
The transfer was first reported by GiveMeSport’s MLS and USMNT insider Tom Bogert and officially announced by the Rapids on Thursday, MLS transfer deadline day.
“I haven’t been away too long,” said Paxten Aaronson in his introductory press conference. “When I was here I still thought the level [of play] was good and I know that it’s only gotten better. When I look at my close friends, guys like Jack McGlynn and Quinn Sullivan, who have stayed in the league, I was just at the national team with Jack McGlynn and he’s gotten levels better than when we were seventeen, eighteen, so he’s continuing to improve his game like I know I will here in this league.
“It’s a huge honor to be the start of something special here in Colorado. I take that pressure of wearing the number ten and being a big player, and I think I can embrace that and grow as a player and as a person.”
The Medford, New Jersey native was the second Aaronson brother to join the Union Academy, following in his older brother Brednden’s footsteps. Aaronson signed a homegrown contract with the Union on August 19, 2020, which became effective on January 1, 2021.
He started his professional career with Union II, making his debut in the summer of 2020. In 24 total matches with the Union’s MLS Next Pro team, Aaronson had six goals and four assists. The midfielder made his Union first-team debut against the Portland Timbers on May 30, 2021, coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute. He would make his first start and score his first MLS goal at the New England Revolution on August 8, 2021. Aaronson played 42 games across all competitions for the Union (2021-22), scoring four goals.
“Of course I knew of him and his brother, and the Philly Union, what they were doing with development and the academy,” said Rapids head coach Chris Armas. “It was easy to spot him on the pitch.”
Aaronson was sold to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga following the 2022 MLS season. In exchange, the Union received a $4 million transfer fee with bonuses and incentives that could raise the sum.
Between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Aaronson featured in 22 games for Frankfurt, including six appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League. During the 2023-24 season, he was sent out on loan to Vitesse in the Dutch Eredivisie. Despite being relegated at the end of the campaign, the New Jersey native impressed in the Netherlands with four goals in 14 matches.
Frankfurt loaned Aaronson back to the Eredivisie last season, this time to FC Utrecht. Aaronson played 37 matches for Utrecht, scoring nine goals and registering six assists. He was named a finalist for the Johan Cruyff Talent of the Year award, which recognizes the Eredivisie’s best young player of the season.
He returned to Frankfurt this summer, participating in the team’s preseason tour, which included a stop in Philadelphia for a friendly against the Union at Subaru Park in early August. Publicly, Frankfurt made it known that Aaronson would be in their plans this season, as the team is also participating in the DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League. Aaronson scored his first Frankfurt goal last Sunday during a 5-0 DFB Pokal win at FV Engers. That would turn out to be his final appearance for the German side.
Aaronson finalized his shock move back to MLS this past week, joining the Rapids as a designated player. With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the move allows Aaronson to be the star player for an American team while likely seeing much more playing time.
“The puzzlement from the media is fair, but nobody ever knows the full story,” Aaronson said. “It wasn’t easy for me to make a decision… but where was I going to be the happiest playing soccer? It was a massive decision and I was super happy.
“It’s a unique time to be back in America, playing in MLS. The league’s only growing itself. With 2026 coming up real shortly, it’s a major goal of mine to make that roster and be there in your home country, playing on home soil in the biggest sporting event in the world. It’s a great opportunity. Like I said before, I can really grow at this club on things that I can work on and hopefully be on that roster.”
The 21-year-old has earned four caps with the senior U.S. Men’s National Team, making his debut on January 28, 2023, coming on as a substitute in a friendly against Colombia. Aaronson’s most notable time with the national team was during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He started all four matches, scoring and assisting once. Aaronson was part of the team that won the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League and was on the roster for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Aaronson will join a Rapids team that sits in seventh in the Western Conference and is filled with American players, like USMNT goalkeeper and Coatesville, Pennsylvania native Zack Steffen, who was also a member of the Union Academy.
