COMMERCE CITY — Jared Watts isn’t built like a typical center back. While he is tall at 6-foot-1 — and that is part of the job description — he is a skinny 155 pounds at a position usually patrolled by big, rugged players. Watts plays there in tandem with Axel Sjoberg, who goes 6-foot-7, 210 pounds.
It’s not the position Watts grew up playing, either. He caught the attention of the Rapids as a defensive midfielder at Wake Forest but he emerged as a regular at center back last season and made some goal-saving plays in the first leg of Colorado’s playoff series with Los Angeles last week.