FOXBOROUGH, MA–The New England Revolution have exercised their one-time buyout on goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík.
Tomáš Vaclík trains for the first time in a Revolution uniform. Image Courtesy of New England Revolution.
The move was completed this past weekend.
Tomáš Vaclík, 34, has had a whirlwind of a career. At the club level, Vaclík has played 501 career games (45,040 minutes) across the Czech Republic with MFK Vítkovice (2007-2010), and FK Viktoria Žižkov (2010-2012), Prague with Athletic Club Sparta Prague (2012-2014), Switzerland with Fussball Club Basel 1893 “FC Basel“ (2014-2018), Spain with Sevilla FC (2018-2021), Greece with Olympiacos Piraeus (2021-2023), England with Huddersfield Town A.F.C. (2023) and the United States with New England Revolution (2023).
Internationally, Vaclík has 84 total international appearances (54 senior appearances) for the Czech Republic National Team since 2012.
During his tenure with the Revolution, Vaclík made ZERO appearances for the New England Revolution. He joined the club on August 26th, 2023.
Tomas Vaclik explains why he didn't play for the New England Revolution this season.
He says that #NERevs goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchock doesn't really talk to him.
The attached screenshots have been translated.https://t.co/QIhx2I2XRX pic.twitter.com/436xnVpyAt
— Seth (@SethMan31) November 10, 2023
Vaclík has been quite outspoken about his tenure with New England, stating that 2023 is one of the worst seasons of his career.
Vaclík stated via Czech site tn.nova.cz, “When I signed the contract, there was another coach – Bruce Arena. But then it all got mixed up. There was some problem that I can’t see. Bruce Arena left, and another coach who was an assistant at the time took over. And then someone else came. But then I found out that the goalkeeper coach didn’t want a new goalkeeper when Petrovic left for Chelsea. The sports director, the head of scouting, and the technical director decided to make the transfer. It looks like they did it behind the goalkeeper’s back, and when I came in, they said it was up to him whether he let me play or not. The person who didn’t want me at the club was the one who decided in the end. And that’s how it turned out.”
Continuing on, Vaclík stated that he & Goalkeeper Coach Kevin Hitchcock did not communicate together.
“It’s without communication. I do the exercise I’m supposed to do, but it’s without any feedback on whether I like it or not.”
Tomáš Vaclík trains with the New England Revolution. Image Courtesy of New England Revolution.
With the one-time buyout activated, Vaclík’s contract is subsequently removed from the Revolution’s salary cap.
With the buyout, this move now allows Tomáš Vaclík to sign with any MLS team at a low salary or seek out to sign with any team internationally.
The New England Revolution will continue with Henrich Ravas (26), Earl Edwards Jr. (31), and Jacob Jackson (23) as their goalkeepers.
Caleb Porter and the New England Revolution begin preseason on Saturday, January 13th when players report to the Revolution Training Center for entrance physicals and testing. They kick off training on January 15th and are set to travel to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida on Sunday, January 21st for multiple weeks of preseason in preparation for their 2024 campaign. Preseason matches are scheduled versus the New York Red Bulls (Wed, Jan. 24), FC Cincinnati (Thu, Feb. 1), Orlando City SC (Sat, Feb. 10), and the Philadelphia Union (Wed, Feb. 14). For all MLS content, you can find it on the MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)
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