Paxten Aaronson has already experienced life in Germany and the Netherlands. He’s been able to earn minutes in the German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie and UEFA Conference League, well before his 23rd birthday. Now he’s continuing to use those once-in-a-lifetime experiences in his latest chapter back in MLS.
Aaronson is in the early stages of his second season with the Colorado Rapids, a team that is trying to get back amongst the contenders in the Western Conference. After spending three-and-a-half years abroad, Aaronson returned to the United States with 75 combined European appearances under his belt, a number that not many American players even get the chance to reach in their careers.
Leading Colorado to back-to-back home victories in consecutive weeks, Aaronson has enjoyed the start of the 2026 campaign.
“I’ve been good, I’ve been enjoying it,” he told SBI in an interview. I think the preseason was super hard and it was a difficult start to the season, but we knew going away to Seattle would always be a difficult game, no matter what kind of stage you are in the season. I think we had a great response from the guys and the entire staff though. We want to build a fortress at home for the entirety of the season, and I think that would be super important. Looking at the table and having back-to-back wins is the kind of situation that will set us up for a good year.
“Our focus and our goal each and every day in training is bringing home silverware, bringing home a cup,” Aaronson added. “I think we have shown glimpses of it in the first few games and I think with the coaching staff we have plus the players we have, I think it’s exciting to know what things could look like in a few months. We’re only a few games in so just think about when we are 100% connected with each other.”
Aaronson joined the club in the middle of the 2025 season, working under former head coach Chris Armas. However, Colorado parted ways with Armas in the offseason and eventually hired 37-year-old Matt Wells as their new head coach.Wells came from English Premier League side Tottenham where he served as an assistant coach since 2023. He also served in a similar role at AFC Bournemouth, Fulham, and Club Brugge, working then with current Burnley manager Scott Parker at all three stops.
An unknown to most MLS fans, Wells has quickly made a positive start to life in the United States. Aaronson has enjoyed his early opportunity to work under Wells this year, admitting that his beliefs and traits are becoming more visible in the squad.
“I think him coming in was fast and frantic in terms of his ideology just because he wanted us to digest a lot during a short period of time, but I think the boys did a really good job in managing it,” Aaronson said. “It was about being mentally checked in so that we could implement things on the field. We had four weeks of preseason and built on that, so I think we’ve done a great job of building that culture and having a super high standard.
“I think he’s a top coach with top ambition,” Aaronson added. “Obviously on the younger side of head coaches when you look across the world, across the league, but his ambition and his hunger and kind of love for the game is the thing that sticks out the most. I think the ability for him to get concepts across to every player is good because obviously every player is different and every player handles certain situations or certain tasks differently. I think he does a really good job of being versatile in that area and then I think the standards that he sets not only on the field, but off the field, are what’s needed to kind of bring this club to the next level.”
One of the key takeaways from Wells’ first three matches in charge is that he isn’t afraid to rely on the youth of the Rapids squad. In a recent 4-1 win over the LA Galaxy, Aaronson was one of six players in the starting lineup that are 22 years old or younger, a trend that is continuing to pick up steam this month.
In addition, Colorado has seen five different players contribute goals over the first three matches, showing that it’s going to be a full-team effort in the final third this year. Aaronson has enjoyed the early signs of the Wells-era, believing that a positive start could be a key spark for what’s to come this season.
“I think it’s just the concept of the entire organization,” Aaronson said on young players getting early chances to play. “From the front office down to us, we’ve done a good job of implementing that we’re not afraid to play young players and that this is our model, this is our game plan. I think the coach has done a great job in rewarding players who are young and making statements during the playing time that they earn. It’s refreshing because when I was 16, 17-years-old, I was grinding every single day and maybe wasn’t rewarded as much as I thought I should have been.
“Coach has implemented from the beginning of the season the importance of team effort,” he added. “Whether that is from the starting lineup or off the bench, everyone will get a chance. Like [Alexis] Manyoma on the weekend coming into the match and scoring his first goal for the club was huge. I could name a numerous number of other guys who were kind of involved in goals like Keegan [Rosenberry], [Theodore] Ku-Dipietro. I think the ability for everybody to come in and be ready to chip in goals is very important and shows the hunger in the group.”
Aaronson is well known for coming up through the ranks of the Philadelphia Union, home of one of the best academies that MLS has to offer. After making his debut in 2021 and eventually totaling 42 first-team appearances in Philadelphia, Aaronson made the jump to German club Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2022-23 season.
He made 22 appearances for the Bundesliga club over parts of his first years abroad, registering two assists and quickly adapting to the European game. Working under then-manager Oliver Glasner for six months, Aaronson was able to earn early chances in multiple competitions, something that not many young players get the opportunity to experience.
Although their partnership didn’t last too long, Aaronson credited Glasner for playing a key role in his adjustment overseas.
“I give Frankfurt full credit because they were the ones who took the risk to buy me from Philly as a young kid and when I first went there, Glasner kind of molded me and helped me kind of settle into the European lifestyle,” Aaronson said. “He wasn’t afraid to play me either. I think I made way more appearances under him in my first six months than anyone would have ever expected me to under that short time after I made the move. He kind of settled me in.”
Dino Toppmoller’s arrival ahead of the 2023-24 season eventually led to Aaronson heading out on loan for the new two campaigns. He scored four goals in 14 appearances for Vitesse Arnhem before proceeding to deliver his best season to date, a nine-goal, six-assist haul for FC Utrecht.
Aaronson helped Utrecht qualify for Europe while also being named the Fans’ Player of the Year after making a career-high 37 appearances in all competitions. He still looks back on both of his loan spells with fond memories, revealing that both were key confidence-boosters in his career.
“I think I was 20 years old at the time, and I needed that experience of going out and playing minutes,” Aaronson said about his first spell with Vitesse. “If I had a 6/10 game I needed to know that I could come back in the next week and those sorts of moments helped build my confidence. Those moments helped me grow tremendously as a player and the fans were welcoming.
“I decided to stay in the Netherlands because I thought the league sorted me so well,” he added. “I went to a Top 5 team in Uttecht and the coach backed me. The first couple of matches I was playing out of position, and I think in the sixth match, I slotted in at the No. 8 point and from that point on, I started playing every game, every minute for the rest of the season. The supporters were behind me, the staff behind me, I was just flourishing.”
While Paxten may be back in MLS, his brother Brenden is continuing his European adventure with English Premier League side Leeds United. In the same year that Paxten was making his way into the Union’s first team squad, Brenden was earning his opportunities with Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.
After two productive campaigns in Austria, Brenden later moved to Elland Road, a place that he has called home since 2022. He unfortunately was part of Leeds’ relegation during the 2022-23 campaign before eventually heading to German club Union Berlin on loan the following year.
Despite receiving plenty of criticism from the Leeds supporters, Brenden returned to Leeds United during the 2024-25 season and played a key role in the club’s promotion back to the top-flight. He scored nine goals in the EFL Championship and has since added four goals and three assists during the current Premier League campaign, a season that Leeds is seeking to end with survival.
Although Brenden has gone on a different path during his career, Paxten has learned a lot from his older brother’s journey.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from his career is that every player is going to experience hardships, no matter who you are,” Aaronson said. “I think his relentlessness in what he’s pursuing is one thing that I always see. Brenden is the kind of kid that works hard no matter what. Leeds United is a massive club so him getting hammered in the media was tough, then he goes to Berlin on loan, comes back and gets whistles from the fans in his first few appearances.
“As a player, we’re human as well, you hear those whistles,” Aaronson added. His resilience to kind of block out all that noise, focus on himself, focus on his craft, and just rely on the people he’s closest to like his girlfriend, our family, to get through that hard time. He came back and scored a lot of goals and Leeds got promoted. Now this season he started off a bit slow and maybe got some stick from the media for not finishing chances but goes on to win Premier League Player of the Month chances but brace against Newcastle. I think you can never get too high, but you can never get too down on yourself either. It’s a journey and you must remain steady and rely on the people close to you because the success and victory in the end is worth it all.”
Another graduate of the Union’s academy with high potential is 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan. Sullivan, who made his first team debut last season, has continued to take steps forward in his career, which has led to recent starts in CONCACAF Champions Cup play against Defence Force and Club America.
Sullivan was the U.S. Under-17 men’s national team’s standout performer at the FIFA U-17 World Cup last November, scoring two goals as the Americans reached the knockout stage. He’s been linked with a potential move to English giants Manchester City when he turns 18, although no official word has come for either club on a future transfer.
Aaronson has enjoyed watching Sullivan’s rapid rise to the Union’s first team, believing he has an exciting future ahead of him.
“I never got to play with him because of the age difference, but I would always see him on the sidelines of me and Quinn playing, and I always heard how good of a player he would be,’ Aaronson said. “Seeing him come up through the academy at such a high rate and seeing the clips of him, I think he has tremendous swagger and that nobody can take that away from you, it’s something that in football you can use as a weapon.
“I think him scoring in the Champions Cup is obviously a big moment for him and him moving closer to 17 which is the age that me, Brenden, Quinn, Jack [McGlynn] all came into the league is a big season for him. I think he’s got to stay humble and keep two feet on the ground because he has all the potential in the world. He’s got good people around him with Quinn and his family, and I know they will keep him grounded. I have no doubt that he will succeed.”
A former USYNT player himself, Aaronson has since boosted himself into the senior picture ahead of the FIFA World Cup on home soil and the 2030 edition. He played 45 minutes in last summer’s friendly loss to Switzerland while also making two cameos in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as the USMNT reached the final.
In addition, Aaronson was part of the 2024 Olympic roster, scoring once in group stage play against New Zealand while the Americans reached the quarterfinals. With four senior caps under his belt during Mauricio Pochettino’s time as head coach, Aaronson is focused on being part of the future squads on a consistent basis.
“I think he’s done a great job of keeping the group honest, keeping everybody on their toes, rewarding guys who are doing well,” Aaronson said. “I made my debut, got to experience the Gold Cup. Playing for your National Team is always a privilege, even at the Olympics and the youth levels. It is an amazing feeling to represent your country, one that I love dearly and great to play in front of family in monumental atmospheres.
“He’s a super knowledgeable coach; he’s coached top players at the highest level at top clubs,” Aaronson added. “Another coach that is super demanding. When you go into National Team camps, there are no easy sessions. It’s constantly filled with being in the gym, running, doing intense work, and I think that’s the way you have to do it because you want to present the games in training. He demands the highest and I think he is a good coach.”