With a renewed eye for offensive flair, the Rapids on Thursday grabbed playmaking midfielder Tony Cascio of Connecticut with the 14th pick in the MLS SuperDraft in Kansas City, Mo.

A first-team All-American at UConn in 2011, Cascio finished with five goals and eight assists for a Huskies team that qualified for the NCAA quarterfinals. As a junior in 2010, he led the team with 10 goals and six assists.

“I’m a playmaker,” Cascio said by phone after the draft. “I go at people with speed, I’m good one-on-one, and I’m willing to work hard.”

Cascio is known as a player not afraid to make the opposing goalkeeper work. His 70 shots as a senior trailed only Mamadou Diouf, the team’s go-to striker.

The Rapids last week named Oscar Pareja its new coach, with the intent of becoming a more stylish, offensive-minded team. He replaced Gary Smith, who won an MLS Cup title in 2010 and qualified for the playoffs last season, but fell out of favor for a defensive style.

“We want players in Colorado to be committed to the team, with the idea and the philosophy,” Pareja said in a video interview. “We don’t want them to dillydally and be high maintenance. We want players to train well, play well, dive into this process.”

Cascio continues that trend. A forward-pressing midfielder, he joins a crowded Rapids roster at the position, with U.S. National team member Jeff Larentowicz, recently re-signed Brian Mullan, veteran defensive midfielder Pablo Mastroeni and Wells Thompson, among others.

The Rapids’ interest in him surprised Cascio, he said.

“I had no clue. It hit me by surprise,” he said.

Cascio said he expected to land with Real Salt Lake. A native of Gilbert, Ariz., Cascio trained with Salt Lake’s youth academy team in Arizona and was on track to join the MLS club. But the Rapids took him before Real’s pick at 17.

“I thought honestly at the beginning Tony would go higher. I was pleased that he dropped into our hands,” Pareja said. “He’s a very versatile player, intense, disciplined. He’s very mature.”

Montreal takes Blue Devil. The expansion Montreal Impact made Duke forward Andrew Wenger the first pick overall. He won the Hermann Trophy last season as college soccer’s top player after scoring 17 goals and adding eight assists.