COMMERCE CITY — Keegan Rosenberry never stops playing.
Even after separating his shoulder and enduring a 12-game winless streak to start the year, the 25-year-old defender hasn’t missed a minute of MLS play for the Rapids this season.
“For me my best ability is availability,” Rosenberry said, “so I strive to stay available for all games.”
Of course, Rosenberry does more than that. He stays available for every second.
In his rookie season with the playoff-bound Philadelphia Union, the iron man didn’t miss a minute of MLS action. He found the coach’s doghouse the next year and was limited to 14 games. But he returned in 2018 with 32 MLS starts for a team that reached the Open Cup Final.
Since his acquisition in December, he’s labored through not only the shoulder injury — which he continues to nurse — but a stretch of instability to start the year that included eight different back line combinations in the Rapids’ first 12 games.
Rosenberry was the lone survivor from that winless stretch of soccer — the rock at right back amid a sea of uncertainty.
“He’s been great for us,” interim head coach Conor Casey said. “He’s won his spot and performed at a very high level all season. He’s been very consistent and you can tell he’s confident because he’s getting minutes every weekend and we trust him.”
Only two other MLS players have played every minute of their team’s games this year — midfielders Haris Medunjanin and Alejandro Bedoya of Philadelphia.
Both are former teammates of Rosenberry’s and both are 33 years old, making Rosenberry by far the league’s youngest iron man at 25, as well as the only one at his position.
“I’d like to think I could do this every year,” Rosenberry said. “It’s usually more of the coach’s decision, so any time I am playing every game I thank the organization for believing in me. But it’s not about getting out there, it’s about doing whatever I can to help.”
As a group, the back line hasn’t been something to praise having allowed the most goals in the Western Conference. A lot of those goals came early on, however, when the lineup kept getting reshuffled. What’s improved around Rosenberry has helped settle those issues.
“Experience never hurts, it’s a great teacher,” Rosenberry said. “The only way to get that is to have a team believe in you. It’s important I got that chance and took it, but it’s easier said than done.”
