COMMERCE CITY — In 2017, Rapids General Manager Pádraig Smith was tasked with finding a head coach. He chose Anthony Hudson.

Less than two years later, he’s again on the hunt, but this time equipped with the knowledge of his failures in making the wrong hire, and a refined process he’s patiently operating.

Smith knows this hire is one he can’t flub.

The Rapids, in general, are in a tough spot. Not only are they winless through 10 matches this season after just eight victories in 2018, but save for a fluke run to the Western Conference championship in 2016, Colorado has been a disappointment since winning the 2010 MLS Cup.

“We’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs and the idea of one year in (of the postseason), one year out we have to stem that,” Smith told The Denver Post. “We need sustainable success.”

Smith himself has already missed on one coaching hire, meaning his own job may ride with this decision. Coupled with an ability to spend this offseason and the calendar turning over into a new decade, Smith is aware something needs to change to keep the Denver market from falling into an even greater apathy toward the Rapids.

“I brought in coach Hudson and I take full responsibility for that. We can look at our mistakes and ask why, and we have to learn from that,” Smith said. “We’re constantly looking at where we can improve. We’re striving towards 2020 with the designated player transition. This was meant to be a competitive year, it genuinely was. The idea was to put ourselves in a position to be playoff competitive in 2019, transition in the DPs in 2020 and be the best version of ourselves in 2021. But the results haven’t been there and that’s unacceptable.”

Each of the two occupied Rapids designated player slots (Tim Howard and Shkëlzen Gashi) are free after this season. The DP is a rule that allows MLS teams to use up to three slots to operate outside their salary cap to sign star players. That is a significant opportunity for the Rapids, along with, per a league source, around 65 percent of the team’s salary coming off the books.

The coach Smith brings in may soon find themselves surrounded by new talent that supplements a core that the Rapids hope that they already have.

“We undertook a very detailed process last time so that lays a foundation,” Smith said of the coaching search. “We’ve already spoken to a number of candidates (and) going back to them. We’ll take our time and do it right. We’ll bring the right guy in.”

There is no timeline for a hire. Rapids legend Conor Casey is leading the team in the interim. But a hint of what the club wants to do is based on an aggressive offensive philosophy it wants to be carried from the developmental academy to the first team. And that’s a vision Smith wants to last beyond however long his tenure in Denver may.

“During any process, you’re going to learn a lot and you’re going to take things away from what didn’t go right,” Smith said. “I’m very process-driven so I have a very detailed analysis of what went well and what didn’t.”