Cole Bassett Bio
Cole John Bassett (born July 28, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. Standing 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) tall, Bassett began his senior career with his hometown Colorado Rapids and earned a reputation as one of the top young players in the league before spending time on loan in the Netherlands. He is also a capped international with the United States men’s national team.
A homegrown product of the Colorado Rapids academy, Bassett progressed from youth soccer in Littleton, Colorado, to the senior setup at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park within the span of a single year. His early breakthrough seasons in MLS established him as a creative, hard-running central midfielder capable of contributing goals and assists, while his subsequent loan to Dutch football broadened his professional experience.
Early Life and Background
Cole John Bassett was born on July 28, 2001, in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. He grew up in a supportive family environment that encouraged athletic development from a young age, and his younger brother, Sam Bassett, also followed a soccer pathway, playing in the Colorado Rapids Academy before committing to the University of Denver.
Bassett began playing organized youth soccer with Colorado Rush, a well-known competitive club in the state, where he developed the technical base that would later define his game. In 2017, after years in the Colorado Rush system, Bassett made the move into the Colorado Rapids academy, joining one of the top youth development pipelines in Major League Soccer. The transition to a professional academy accelerated his growth and put him on the radar of the club’s first-team coaching staff.
Path to Soccer
Bassett’s pathway to the professional ranks followed the increasingly common homegrown model used across MLS. After one season in the Colorado Rapids academy, the club signed him to his first professional contract on August 10, 2018, making him one of the youngest homegrown signings in franchise history at the time. Less than a month later, on September 8, 2018, Bassett made his competitive debut against the Portland Timbers, entering as a 71st-minute substitute for Kortne Ford.
That debut campaign closed with his first senior goal, scored against FC Dallas in the final game of the 2018 season, a moment that gave an early indication of his comfort level in the attacking half of midfield. He also spent a brief developmental spell with Colorado Rapids U-23 in 2018, giving him additional minutes against older opposition during a key stage of his progression.
Cole Bassett Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
After his first-team introduction in 2018, Bassett continued to split time between the senior squad and developmental loans. In 2019, he was sent on loan to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks, where he gained valuable first-team minutes in a competitive adult environment. The loan helped him adjust to the physical and tactical demands of professional soccer on a week-to-week basis.
When he returned to the Colorado Rapids, Bassett began to feature more regularly in the senior team. During the 2019 MLS season, he registered two goals and two assists, performances that were strong enough for the league to place him at No. 20 on the MLS 22 under 22 rankings of the best young players in the league.
Colorado Rapids Breakthrough (2020–2021)
Bassett enjoyed a breakout 2020 campaign with the Colorado Rapids. He opened his scoring for the season on August 29 in a 1–1 draw against Sporting Kansas City, and his consistent performances earned him MLS Team of the Week honors in Weeks 10, 12, and 13. He finished the year as Colorado’s leader with five goals and five assists across all competitions.
His underlying numbers in 2020 underlined his impact. Bassett was tied for the second-highest big-chance conversion rate in MLS at 80 percent, scored 0.92 non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes (fourth-best in the league), and covered 11.33 km per 90 minutes, the fifth-most in MLS. At the club’s end-of-year awards gala, he was named the Players’ Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Team MVP by Centennial 38, the Rapids’ supporters group, and shared the Golden Boot with Jonathan Lewis. He was also ranked No. 7 on the MLS 22 under 22 list in 2020.
Bassett carried that form into 2021. He scored his first goal of the MLS season on May 8 in a 3–2 win over Minnesota United, earning Week 4 Team of the Week honors. Less than a week later, on May 15, 2021, he netted his 10th MLS career goal in a 3–1 victory over Houston Dynamo, moving into first place on Colorado’s all-time Homegrown goalscoring list and surpassing former teammate Dillon Serna.
Feyenoord and Fortuna Sittard Loans (2022)
In January 2022, Bassett joined Dutch Eredivisie club Feyenoord on a season-and-a-half loan that included an option to buy. The move represented his first experience playing professional soccer outside the United States. After making an appearance in the opening game of the 2022–23 Feyenoord season, however, the loan was cut short.
On August 13, 2022, Bassett was recalled by the Colorado Rapids and immediately sent on a season-long loan to fellow Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard, where he was expected to receive more regular playing time. His time in the Netherlands ended on November 18, 2022, when the loan was terminated early and he returned to Colorado for the remainder of the MLS campaign.
Portland Timbers Era (2026–Present)
On February 2, 2026, Bassett was transferred to Major League Soccer side Portland Timbers for a reported fee of $2.65 million, with the potential for an additional $950,000 if certain performance metrics were met. The move ended a long association with the Colorado Rapids and offered him a fresh start on the West Coast. At Portland, Bassett wears the number 17 shirt and continues to operate as a central midfielder.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bassett is best understood as a box-to-box midfielder whose strengths combine a high running capacity with decisive end product. His 11.33 km per 90 minutes during the 2020 season ranked among the highest in MLS, while his 0.92 non-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes in the same campaign reflected his ability to influence matches in the final third. He is comfortable playing between the lines, arriving late into the penalty area, and connecting midfield with attack through short combination play.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among the standout moments of Bassett’s career are his first senior goal against FC Dallas in 2018, his record-breaking 10th MLS goal that moved him atop the Colorado all-time Homegrown goalscoring list in 2021, and his selection to the United States men’s national team for the first time in November 2020. His transfer to Portland Timbers in February 2026 for a multi-million-dollar fee also marked a significant commercial milestone for a homegrown MLS product.
Cole Bassett International Career
Bassett received his first senior call-up to the United States men’s national soccer team on November 30, 2020, ahead of a friendly against El Salvador on December 9, joining teammates Sam Vines and Kellyn Acosta on the roster. He scored his first international goal on December 18, 2021, in a 1–0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was also called into a U.S. Men’s National Team domestic-based January training camp in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2022, and has represented the country at the U-20 and U-23 levels, including a 2023 appearance with the U-23 side.
Cole Bassett Family
Family Background and Soccer Lineage
Bassett comes from a close-knit family based in the Littleton, Colorado, area. His younger brother, Sam Bassett, played in the Colorado Rapids Academy and committed to play college soccer at the University of Denver, continuing the family’s connection to the sport at a high level.
Personal Life
Outside of his professional career, Bassett is known to keep his personal life largely private, with public information centered on his soccer commitments and his ties to Colorado and now Portland. He continues to be active on social media, where he maintains a public presence under the handle associated with his official accounts.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into the 2025 Major League Soccer campaign, Bassett was entering a pivotal season with the Colorado Rapids, the only senior club he had represented on a full-time basis. The year was widely viewed as an opportunity for him to re-establish himself as a central figure in the team’s midfield after returning from his Dutch loan spells. Expectations centered on his ability to combine regular goal contributions with consistent starts, building on the 2020 platform that had earlier marked him as one of the league’s most promising young midfielders.
Across the 2025 regular season, Bassett featured in matches for the Colorado Rapids, with his role rotating between central midfield and slightly more advanced positions depending on the opponent. He was part of a Colorado squad that continued to develop young homegrown talent alongside experienced Designated Players, and his minutes reflected his standing within the team’s long-term plans. The campaign ultimately served as a bridge year, as his subsequent transfer to the Portland Timbers in early 2026 confirmed.
Looking beyond 2025, Bassett’s outlook remained firmly tied to top-flight soccer, with the United States national team pathway and Major League Soccer continuing to provide the main stage for his career. The Portland Timbers move that followed the 2025 season positioned him to take on a leading role in a new organization, and his ongoing international eligibility kept open the possibility of further senior caps as he entered the prime years of his career.
