Yosuke Hanya says Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 meeting with the Rapids is a fresh start, and he plans to treat Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs Colorado as a chance to show how much he has changed. The 27-year-old midfielder, who signed a two-year contract with the Switchbacks in December through the end of the 2027 season, said he is back in Colorado Springs with a different role and a clearer sense of what he can bring.
“This is a fresh start, definitely,” Hanya said, adding that he is happy to be back with the Switchbacks because of the coaching staff, fan base and teammates. He said he now sees himself as a more mature player who has to help lead on and off the pitch, and that he wants to contribute with goals, assists and creativity in front of goal.
The matchup lands at a moment when Hanya has already logged real minutes this season. He played 1,700 minutes in the 2025 season and finished with one goal and three assists, a workload that gave Alan McCann another look at how to use him. McCann has deployed Hanya in a role similar to the one he had at Rapids 2, where he was shifty, versatile and useful in chance creation and counterattacks, and the coach has built the Switchbacks into a relentless, high-press, high-octane side.
That context matters because Hanya’s history with the Rapids organization is still part of the story. He said it was fun to play with those Rapids players back then and thanked the club for giving him his start. He also said he has great memories of winning the regular season in his second year with Rémi Cabral, Oli Larraz and Yapi, and that he still keeps in touch with coach Erik Bushey now and again. Before returning to Colorado Springs, Hanya totaled 17 goals and 13 assists across 4,000 minutes for Rapids 2.
He has already shown what he can do in this rivalry. In a 2024 USL Championship game, Hanya set up Juan Tejada for the opening goal before leaving with a hamstring injury, and he later helped assist Levonte Johnson in Colorado Springs’ home opener. Now he says the Switchbacks’ attacking group, which includes Khori Bennett, Jonas Fjeldberg and Johnson, gives him room to be more of himself. “It was fun to play with those Rapids players back then,” he said. “Now, I have to be more of myself, a bit more selfish and prove myself in this league.”
That is the friction inside Wednesday’s derby: Hanya is facing the club that launched him while trying to prove he belongs in a bigger attacking role for the team that brought him back. If the Switchbacks push the tempo the way McCann wants, Hanya could end up central to the chances that decide the match.
