COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Pablo Mastroeni was fired as head coach of the Colorado Rapids on Tuesday and replaced on an interim basis with assistant coach Steve Cooke.

The Rapids are 6-12-4 this season, their fourth under Mastroeni, who took over in 2014 following a 16-year MLS playing career that included 13 seasons as a midfielder for Colorado.

He was 39-54-35 overall with a trip to the Western Conference finals last year.

Rapids interim GM Padraig Smith thanked Mastroeni for his contributions, saying "He has been dedicated to the growth of this club for over 15 years and played an instrumental role in many of our successes. Unfortunately, we have fallen short of our expectations, and this decision was taken in the best interest of the players and the organization as a whole."