As the wattage of the star power in Major League Soccer intensifies, Colorado doesn’t want to be left in the dark. The Rapids need their own Peyton Manning.

“We need a big-name player to come in and help take us to the next level. We’ll have someone before the season starts,” Rapids president Tim Hinchey vowed. “We’re absolutely going to get a player that is going to matter to Colorado soccer fans and will contribute to the Rapids on the pitch. We’re going to invest in that player.”

Colorado is itching to pull the trigger on the largest contract in club history for a big-time scorer, and ownership has approved the money to land him. But the clock is ticking. The Rapids have a self-imposed deadline of Feb. 1.

The team swung and missed on 22-year-old Erick “Cubo” Torres, who scored 15 times for Chivas USA last season, then agreed to join the Houston Dynamo. The Rapids have explored deals with 29-year-old Hugo Rodallega, whose recent history in England includes stops at Wigan and Fulham, and 25-year-old Marco Fabian, who has scored five goals for Mexico’s national team since 2012.

But, to be frank, Colorado is looking for bigger bang for the buck than what Rodallega or Fabian can provide. While declining to talk about specifics of ongoing negotiations, it’s clear the Rapids have two basic choices in the search for a marquee player:

1) A decorated veteran in his mid-30s, with a stellar résumé and legs still lively enough to make plays that cause ticket-buyers to stand up and cheer.

2) A striker in his prime whose solid record of overseas achievement might not make him a household name in Colorado until after he begins scoring goals for the Rapids.

“We’re looking at established names that have star power. We’re also looking at goal scorers in Europe that maybe don’t have the same name recognition but will also be a major investment to help,” Hinchey said. “To be fair, I’d probably rather get the goal-scorer that’s going to help us win and go get trophies.”

The Rapids have won a championship more recently than either the Broncos or Avalanche, bringing home the MLS Cup to Colorado in 2010, behind the firepower of homegrown star Conor Casey rather than the international cool David Beckham bestowed upon the league.

Soccer in America, however, is changing. Under the guidance of commissioner Don Garber, the league has not only aggressively expanded into new markets, but it has dared to exchange verbal barbs with any futbol snob who might look down his haughty old-world nose at the quality of play in MLS, including U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Midfielder Steven Gerrard is the next big soccer name to bring the Hollywood glitz long cherished by the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brazilian star Kaka signed the largest contract in MLS history to launch the team in Orlando, Fla. While it might make Klinsmann cringe, U.S. national stalwarts such as Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore have returned to play for clubs in North America.

“The league has no involvement in where players go. I think you’re asking if the league works with the New York market to get a star there. The answer is no. Individual teams have got to make decisions on how they want to put a roster together,” Garber told me, before rising from his seat in the retro-hip Cooper Lounge at Union Station to face the cameras gathered for the official announcement that his league’s all-star game will return to Commerce City this summer.

As the involvement of Stan and Josh Kroenke has grown with Arsenal of the English Premier League, their passion to build a consistent winner on the pitch in Colorado has also intensified. The Rapids need a star? The Kroenkes told Hinchey: Go for it.

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“We needed to show some commercial success, because this team has not been profitable,” Hinchey said. “But the business has been growing every year, so this is the first year we’re going to bring in a second designated player (alongside 26-year-old Gabriel Torres of Panama). And we’re going to bring in somebody with experience, somebody who has played internationally and someone who not only helps us on the pitch but also has name recognition.”

Colorado finished a disappointing eighth in the Western Conference during Pablo Mastroeni’s first season as coach. The Rapids, however, firmly believe the foundation for future success is in developing talent from the grass-roots level of the club’s academy.

“We’re creating stars in Dillon Powers, Shane O’Neill, Dillon Serna and Marvin Hairston,” Hinchey said. “So two years from now, post the 2016 Olympics, it might be we have three U.S. national team players on our roster.”

Mark Kiszla: mkiszla@denverpost.com or twitter.com/markkiszla