Morgan Whittaker Joins Colorado Rapids on Three-Year Deal

Morgan Whittaker has ended his spell at Middlesbrough to join MLS side Colorado Rapids on a three-year deal.

The 25-year-old forward, who arrived at the Riverside from Plymouth Argyle for £5m in January 2025, leaves as Boro’s top scorer from last season, though the fee for his move to the United States remains undisclosed. Colorado hold an option for a further year and have handed him one of their coveted Designated Player slots.

It marks a sharp change of scene for a player who has lived through both extremes on Teesside.

Frustration at Middlesbrough

Whittaker’s Middlesbrough career began in frustration. Signed midway through the 2024-25 campaign after the club beat off competition to secure his signature, he went 16 games without a goal as Michael Carrick’s side slipped out of play-off contention on the final day. The drought grew to 25 matches in total and reached a low point when he was ironically cheered off the pitch after being substituted at Preston North End.

Turning Point

Then the mood turned.

He finally broke his duck in a win over Ipswich Town and caught fire. Whittaker scored eight times in 12 games, including a streak of six consecutive matches, dragging himself from target of frustration to leading marksman. He finished the season as Boro’s top scorer, even as their push for Premier League football ended in play-off disappointment.

New Season and Fresh Start

This season he had featured five times, starting all three Championship fixtures up to the win over West Bromwich Albion on 29 August. Yet while he kept his place early on, the club were reshaping around him.

Boro have brought in 12 new players during the summer window, among them on-loan Brighton winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, a deadline-day arrival who adds to the attacking competition. Against that backdrop, Whittaker now heads for a fresh start in Denver.

At Colorado Rapids, he links up with English head coach Matt Wells, whose side sit seventh in the Western Conference and are pushing to cement a play-off spot. As a Designated Player, Whittaker will be expected not just to contribute, but to carry a sizeable chunk of the attacking burden.

From being cheered off at Preston to being handed a marquee role in MLS, his next chapter will test whether that hot streak at the Riverside was a glimpse or a new standard.