The Jerry Bengston era in New England has officially come to close, the Revolution announcing last night that the player’s release has been formalized.
That the organization waited this long to part ways with the chronically under-performing striker, who spent nearly half of his time while under contract with the Revolution on loan with Argentinian side Belgrano, is astounding. The Honduran forward, whom the Revolution once dubbed “one of the hottest scorers in CONCACAF,” managed just four goals in 36 appearances since signing with the club in July 2012.
Indeed, there seemed to be two Jerry Bengstons. When he’d don his national team’s white jersey, he truly looked like the poacher that the Revolution advertised him to be. He scored bushels of goals—12 while on contract with the Revolution—against a slew of top oppositions, including both the U.S. and Mexico in World Cup qualifiers, en route to capturing a spot on Honduras’ rosters for the Olympics, World Cup, and CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Then, Bengston would return to Foxborough and look like entirely different player with the Revolution.
The four goals that Bengston scored with the Revs were either easy tap-ins or shots into an open net. That’s not to say Bengston buried all of the easy tap-ins or shots into an open net, either.
Sometimes it appeared as though Bengston was trying not score, as he missed chances that seemed harder to miss than bury.
But then again, Bengston didn’t seem keen on integrating into the Revolution’s environment from the start. He was shy and never sought out the spotlight, always conversing with the media through a translator. While there’s nothing wrong with being shy, his reluctant disposition calls into question his happiness in the locker room and, in turn, his productivity on the field.
Bengston’s teammates in 2013, French-speakers Saer Sene and Dimitry Imbongo, were outgoing and quickly shed the habit of needing to speak through a translator. In the time that the three internationals were on the team together, it was Sene and Imbongo who seemed more involved in the environment of the locker room, while Bengston appeared to be on the outside looking in.
Bengston was the Revolution’s third-ever designated player at the time of his arrival. He was given a pass for his lackluster contributions in 2012 due to joining the club mid-season and for the amount of time his spent away from MLS because of national team duties. But it became clear in his first full season, 2013, that Bengston didn’t merit his DP tag.
After going on loan to Belgrano, Bengston was listed as a “former DP” on MLS’ official documents. Bengston’s 2014 salary was $144,000, according to the MLS Players Union. But that figure is probably inaccurate as it was likely subject to change because of both the conditions of his loan to Belgrano and the new collective bargaining agreement.
In any case, Bengston’s departure frees up a decent chunk of cap space and international roster spot.
Jermaine Jones is the Revolution’s only current DP
The Revolution could put Bengston’s old place on the team to good use, especially with their depth in question as of late.
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