RAPIDS ACQUIRE ALL-STAR MIDFIELDER PAUL BRAVO AND HOMETOWN HERO RAFAEL AMAYA FROM SAN JOSE CLASH

DENVER -- (Tuesday, January, 1997) Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids bolstered their roster today with the addition of an all-star midfielder/forward and a Colorado fan favorite, both from the San Jose Clash. In exchange for Rapids' midfielder Dominic Kinnear and a second-round pick in the 1998 MLS supplemental draft, the Rapids obtain 1996 Western Conference All-Star Paul Bravo and Colombian-born defender/midfielder Rafael Amaya to Colorado.

Bravo, who tallied 13 goals and added five assists to finish as the ninth-leading scorer during the MLS inaugural season, played in '31 of San Jose's regular-season matches and was the Clash's leading goal-scorer, outscoring San Jose superstar Eric Wynalda, the U.S. National Team's all-time leading scorer, who finished the season with 10 goals. Bravo, who scored four of his goals against Colorado, also was one of 18 Western Conference players named to the inaugural MLS All-Star Game at Giants Stadium on July 14, 1996, playing 45 minutes in front of 78,416 soccer fans, as the East defeated the West, 3-2.

Amaya, who appeared in six of San Jose's inaugural season matches and was very impressive as a guest player during the Rapids' two-week winter training camp, returns home, where he has spent the last eight years endlessly promoting soccer all over the state of Colorado.

"Adding players of this caliber to our core of players does two things," says newly-named Rapids Head Coach Glenn "Mooch" Myernick. "First, with Bravo, we greatly increase the depth, experience, and finishing ability of our 20-man roster, and even more importantly, with Amaya, we bring back to Colorado an individual with the strongest community ties I've ever seen."

Bravo, a native of San Jose, earned APSL Rookie of the Year honors in 1991 with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks, while helping the team to the championship the same year. During his four years with the Blackhawks, the versatile Bravo played all 10 field positions. The 1991 title was nothing new to the dangerous scorer, who led Santa Clara to an NCAA Championship in 1989. Bravo also was a U.S. National Team pool player entering the 1994 World Cup, earning two caps and making several other appearances for the United States.

Amaya, who played six years in the APSL with the Colorado Foxes, has spent countless hours coaching locally at various levels in the former Arvada Eagles club, overseeing both the boys' and girls' programs at Arvada High School, and opening the hugely successful Amaya Indoor Soccer Arena in Westminster.

"I love playing here; there's just no other way to say it," said Arnaya. "The fans here are great, the kids here are so excited about soccer. San Jose was very good to me, but Colorado is my home, It is a dream come true for me to play at the highest level of American soccer, while being able to also coach and teach the kids in the community."

The Clash receive Fremont, Calif, native Dominic Kinnear, a teammate of Bravo's on the Blackhawks in the early 1990s. Kinnear, Colorado's second allocated player, was lost for the season July 7 when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The former U.S. National Team star played 973 minutes for Colorado but did not record a goal or an assist.

"My goal is to combine top international talent with the great young American players we currently have on our roster, said Myernick, who will spend January scouring Mexico and South America for talented and entertaining players. "I want to incorporate the Latin flavor up the middle of the field, bolstering our playmaking and finishing ability and creating a team that is both exciting and successful."

The Rapids open the 1997 season March 29 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, before welcoming the Crew one week later in a return match for Colorado's home opener Saturday, April 5, at Mile High Stadium.

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