DENVER (Ticker) -- The Colorado Rapids did not wait until the end of the season to reward Fernando Clavijo.

The Rapids on Monday extended the contract of their coach through the 2008 campaign.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

"It is a great honor to be able to continue at the helm of this team," Clavijo said. "I'm extremely pleased and thankful for the trust put in me to be able to go on and finish the project that I started at the beginning of 2005. Our team has come a long way since last season, but there is still work to be done in this three-year plan to be positioned as the franchise at the top of MLS."

Colorado hired Clavijo on Dec. 22, 2004, signing him to a contract that was set to expire on the final day of 2006. But Clavijo -- the only Hispanic coach in MLS -- guided the team to the Western Conference final in 2005 and has steered the team to the third-best mark in the conference (8-7-4) this year, prompting the team to sign him to a new deal.

"Fernando has done an outstanding job as the head coach of the Rapids since he joined our organization," Rapids vice president and managing director Jeff Plush said. "We believe in continuity as a base for success and want to make sure that he carries on with his work as he continues to successfully develop our club."

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