By Brian Jennings

Hunter Freeman is making his next MLS stop a familiar one as he opened up 2012 training camp with the Colorado Rapids. “It’s a little bit of a homecoming back here because I know the area, some people on the team, and some people still living in the area so that makes it nice.” The defender was the 7th overall pick by Colorado in 2005 where he started 38 of 47 matches in his first two years before being traded to New York prior to the 2007 campaign. Since that rookie year his career has also taken him to Toronto, IK Start in Norway, and last season for the Dynamo.

Freeman’s 2012 option was declined by Houston and he was made available in the 2011 Re-entry draft. With Bobby Boswell re-signing at Houston prior to the draft, thereby returning their starting backline for this year, it became clear that the Freeman was going to be looking elsewhere for playing time in MLS.

Now the proud, albeit sleep-deprived, father of a 3-week old, Hunter tells soccer365.com his first stint with the Rapids was an eye-opener. “I was 19 and thought I knew everything. Now I’m 27 and I know I don’t know everything still. I like to think I’m still young, but I’ve been around the block for awhile and you have to take the good experiences with the bad. “

With the core defenders returning from Colorado’s 2010 Cup winning side in Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, and Kosuke Kimura, Freeman should be looking at the left-back position in 2012. That spot was generally by committee for the Rapids in 2011 with the now-departed Miguel Comminges as the starter towards the end of the season.

Anthony Wallace, the only other returning player on the left, is recovering from season-ending surgery in 2011, and Columbian Luis Zapata is in camp as a trialist, making Freeman’s experience a valuable asset to round out the backline. “I look at Oscar (Pareja) and I trained with Dallas when I was 15 and he was playing there,” said the second-time Rapid. “He always worked hard, very technical, and I think those are things he’s going to expect from his team. When you’re on the field it’s a 100%. If you can’t give that then don’t even bother stepping on.”