GOAL sat down with the defender to talk about the many challenges of life, both on and off the field
There are plenty of things in Reggie Cannon's life that he's just dying to talk about. Chief among them right now? Elden Ring. He finally beat it recently. To say he's proud is an understatement.
"It's the hardest videogame I've ever played, oh my gosh," Cannon says with a laugh. "It was so difficult. It was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had."
Cannon can talk all day about videogames, like Elden Ring. He can talk about the wild boss fights, and the amount of tries it took to finally get past them. He's eager to dive into anime as well, One Piece in particular. He's ready to talk about soccer, too: his big move to Colorado to join the Rapids, the upcoming MLS playoff push and his adjustment to life in Denver.
Talking about his road to Colorado, though? That's a little bit more complicated. It's not even necessarily that Cannon doesn't want to talk about it… it's just that, after a summer from hell in Europe, there are certain things he just can't get into.
Cannon arrived in Colorado in September after leaving Queens Park Rangers at the end of August. His departure from the English club came amid an ongoing dispute with former club Boavista. After leaving the Portuguese side in 2023, alleging unpaid wages, FIFA ruled in August that Cannon would need to pay Boavista nearly $1.4 million after a regulatory body ruled that he unlawfully left the club.
The fullback can't really get into all of that. It is an ongoing legal saga, after all. What he can do, though, is acknowledge how tough it's been and, more importantly, how eager he is to put it all behind him.
"Once I kind of realized the situation, and I realized what I had to do to continue to play my best, it was at that point that I just had that moment of growth," Cannon told GOAL. "Like, look, it's a really bad situation, it's not ideal, but at the end, I have to do what I have to do to try to enjoy my football and try to enjoy my game as much as possible. Obviously, it's about continuing to be the person I am. It's those moments that definitely helped me grow. Looking back, I definitely say that 21-22-year-old Reggie definitely is much different now than the 26-year-old Reggie. I definitely worked on it as a time of growth."
GOAL sat down with the Colorado Rapids star to discuss that growth, the hardest parts of his journey playing in Europe, coming home and his U.S. men's national team ambitions.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAFPLearning moments in Europe
In July 2023, Cannon did an interview with ESPN describing his experience in Europe. It was just after the Boavista situation really started to unravel but, despite all he'd already been through, Cannon was determined to fight through it all in Europe.
"There's nothing that can compare to having a life or death game," he said. "That type of intensity can't be replicated."
At that time, he'd already seen plenty of the dark sides of soccer. In that interview, Cannon claimed that, during his time at Boavista, his check came on time just once. Cannon left the club for QPR, where he spent one season in the rough-and-tumble Championship. In total, Cannon played 89 games for Boavista, largely out of position as a center back, and 21 more for QPR during his four-year European adventure, one which saw him get a look at how quickly things can sour at the wrong place.
"In Europe, it's definitely just very different to what you're experiencing in America," he says to GOAL. "I think it's a very big culture shock and that's ultimately helped me grow as a person and more so as a player because it's such a different feeling going over to Europe and just disengaging from everything you knew and know that was familiar. I had to make myself look like an idiot so many times to be able to learn and speak a foreign language that I'd never spoken before. It's part of the growing process.
"I think even my wife will tell you that I've just grown so much as a person, just learning how to deal with things on a daily level that maybe most players or people may not have to deal with. Honestly, I can still look back with such a favorable look because it's made me grow as a person, and more so as a player."
Even so, despite that favorable look, Cannon's perspective has shifted just a bit. It had to, right? When the defining moments of your career are being determined in the courtroom and not the pitch, it's sad. It's not what players sign up for.
As a player, yes, it's wild to feel the pressure and intensity that comes with promotion fights and relegation battles. It gets your heart pounding and, ultimately, hardens you on the field. There's something to be said about comfort too, though. Given what he's gone through off the field, Cannon understands that a bit more than before.
"There are just so many aspects to the game," he says. "When you're taken care of off the field, you're going to produce on the field. It's been scientifically proven for the longest time. There are so many factors that contribute to having good performances and being the best player you can be. Colorado has made my settling, my wife settling, incredibly easy. Everything is flowing, like everything's coming together, and they've helped in all aspects. I feel I can just go out there and play football and enjoy my game. That's the best aspect of it.
"Europe is obviously such a high level that usually those clubs do that part extremely well to make sure the player feels taken care of, because there are higher stakes, obviously, but, obviously, my situation has had some difficulties and some crazy moments, but I'm honestly just happy to be where I feel valued and where I'm taking care of. Obviously, that'll translate onto the pitch."
AdvertisementIMAGNHungry dogs in Colorado
He only arrived in September, but, even so, Cannon is pretty settled in Colorado already. He's found his way with just about everything.
Well, except for the altitude.
"I can say the altitude is horrible," Cannon says. "I feel like I'm breathing in spikes, man. But, honestly, I feel it's gotten a lot better. We love Denver. It's an incredible city."
Cannon officially joined the Rapids on Sept. 11, returning to MLS after several years starring for FC Dallas as a homegrown star. He featured six times down the home stretch as the Rapids pushed for a playoff spot. He even scored a goal, scoring in a 2-0 win over Toronto in his first start.
The signing of Cannon fits into an overall trend with the Rapids this season. Starting this past offseason, the Rapids have targeted U.S. men's national team players with a point to prove. Zack Steffen was brought in after several frustrating years in Europe, which led to him missing the World Cup. Djordje Mihailovic has long been on the fringes, with the Rapids offering him a chance to be a consistent No. 10 for their team. Cole Bassett and Sam Vines have been in the mix, too, while French forward Kevin Cabral is among the hungry international stars determined to show that they're better than they were at their last stop.
“There’s no easy way to get into the national team," Rapids boss Chris Armas said after Cannon's arrival. "You don’t fake your way up there. You don’t happen to just get lucky. The fact that we get a guy like Reggie, the fact that we’ve added guys like Djordje, Zack, Sam Vines, Cole Bassett, who have been in and around that group, it means that we’ve added quality and experience and the consistency and understanding of the high level.”
It's not just the positive experiences, but the negative ones that define the Rapids. Their collective chips on shoulders lead to a locker room that Steffen told GOAL is full of "young, hungry dogs that love the negativity and love the media talking sh*t." Cannon feels that every day, whether in-game or on the training pitch.
"The board and the heads of Colorado have done such a good job of recruiting the right players for this locker room," Cannon says. "They're all the right fit because they're all f***ing hungry. Everyone has something to play for. They all have a chip on their shoulder. They all have something to prove. They all want to improve, not only as players but as people as well."
IMAGNA USMNT future?
The Rapids project was, in a way, validated in October, when Steffen was called back into the USMNT for Mauricio Pochetino's first camp. It was Steffen's second call-up since being left out of the World Cup squad, and it was a reward for his play in Colorado.
"With Zack, the guy gets that callup after being lights out for us," Cannon says. "It's just such an achievement for him and the people on this team, but it just shows the type of players that we have and the players the Rapids have signed. The club has signed guys who know they're good enough to play anywhere, but maybe weren't given the right opportunities or the right steps, and now they come back to MLS with a point to prove and a chip on their shoulder.
"I give a testament to all the guys through all the resilience, but I can just say it's a battle-tested group of guys. That's the best way I can put it. These guys have been through it. We've all been through it, and now they're here to finally put that behind us. That's what's been happening."
Cannon has his own USMNT case to make, particularly after the year he's had. The fullback made 28 appearances for the national team between 2018 and 2022, but was one of the players left off the 2022 World Cup squad. He hasn't appeared for the USMNT since.
The hope is he'll get there, particularly in time for 2026. Cannon knows though that, like Steffen, he needs to put in a string of performances in MLS that make him worthy of that USMNT attention, though.
"I definitely think that the national team, they're watching where players are and how how they're doing," Cannon said. "They have to watch the Rapids, just because there's so many guys. It's a good place to be from a scouting perspective. I'm just focused on getting settled. I know that if I'm enjoying my football, I'll back there, but at the end of the day, I know how good the players are around me and how good of a player I am.
"It's obviously so exciting to represent the country, represent the badge. We all have hopes and dreams of getting back there, but I'm not worried at all. I definitely think that there's a lot more for the guys, myself included, with the national team going forward."
IMAGNThe importance of being valued
It's a common saying throughout the interview: "Enjoying my football". After so many months of frustration, waiting and legal battles, Cannon just wants to play free again. He clearly wants to worry about the things he can control on the field, not what folks in boardrooms and courtrooms are doing off of it.
So far, he's loving his time in Colorado. The club is gearing up for the playoffs, giving Cannon another taste of that do-or-die feeling. Behind their core of USMNT signings, the Rapids, who finished dead last in the West last season, are back in the postseason and will face the surging LA Galaxy in a best-of-three series to start their playoff run.
It's early days, of course, but Cannon already feels a difference in his day-to-day life.
"There were options where I could have gone," Cannon says, "but you always want to go where you're wanted and where people value you. Colorado definitely presented that. You could just tell that, as soon as I showed up, they were trying to improve my game as much as I'm trying to improve my game.
"I'm very thankful for them. They definitely made me feel wanted here, and obviously made my first couple of weeks incredible."
As for the future, Cannon has learned not to think so far ahead. No one could have predicted how quickly his career would change, so he knows it's a waste of time to plan things out too far in advance. He's signed on with the Rapids through 2027.
"'Taking it day by day' is a really good way of putting it," Cannon says. "I'm never opposed to returning to Europe or never opposed to going somewhere else. There's always going to be opportunities, but the thing I've learned in my career is you have to go where you're wanted because that's going to prove to be the best move for your football. Honestly, I'm just looking to play the best football I can. I know opportunities come and go, but I'm really excited to be with the Rapids right now, and that's what my focus is on."
Well, not the only thing. Now settled in Colorado, Cannon feels at home. And, with Elden Ring in the past, there's always a new challenge, a new adventure on the way. He's beaten the hardest game out there. Maybe the next one he dives into can be a bit more relaxed.
That feels like a good metaphor, doesn't it? It feels like, virtually and in real life, Cannon is putting the hard times behind him. He's moving past the moments where he tried and failed and tried again. So what's next? Who knows? There's always another game and always another challenge, right?
