The bright side for the New England Revolution is that they can put a relatively solid team on the field if the season were to start today.
The downside, however, is that the current roster lacks severely in depth and would struggle to make the playoffs, much less win an MLS Cup.
That’s why Thursday’s MLS Superdraft is so important to the Revs, who are now the only team in the league that has yet to make an off-season signing.
New England have three picks in the draft—one in each of the first three rounds (though the third round takes place via conference call at a later date)—and no shortage of areas on the pitch that need to be strengthened.
That said, there are some parts of the lineup that one can’t expect a player out of college—no matter how talented—to tackle straightaway in their rookie season. Positions like, say, central midfield, where coincidentally the Revolution have a gaping hole.
Here are three things the Revolution are in need of and can get in the draft tomorrow:
- A full back: New England’s depth on their back line is incredibly thin, which is shocking considering their head coach, Jay Heaps, was one of the best defenders in MLS history—particularly at full back. But with Kevin Alston getting picked up by Orlando City SC and Jeremy Hall’s option declined, the onus is on the front office to solidify left and right back. On the plus side, both Chris Tierney and London Woodberry, two of the best crossers in the league, are returning. But there needs to be more competition for starting minutes, plus bodies who can step in and play a role in a pinch in case of injury or suspension.
As of now, Tierney is the only true left back, though central defender Darrius Barnes has played the position a few times. Woodberry is the only right back, unless Heaps opts to use centre back Andrew Farrell on the right. But moving Farrell to full back decreases depth in central defense, leading to point number two…
- An athletic centre back: Boy has this been on the Revs’ list for a long time. Over one year, in fact. It’s hard to believe that the Revolution have still not found a replacement for AJ Soares, who left last winter for Viking in Scandinavia. Mining the Superdraft for a tall, physical defender to play alongside either Jose Goncalves or Farrell is key. What’s more, it’s a position that American college players grasp well enough to be able to step right in and play in their first year.
Look no further than Farrell, Soares, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, and Matt Hedges, who all became starters for their respective teams straightaway.
- A goal scorer: Is there another Taylor Twellman just waiting to be discovered? It’s certainly possible, which is why the Revolution should keep their eyes peeled for a young striker that displays a typical poacher’s traits: positioning, finishing, and a desire for more.
Now, the Revolution do have a stacked attack. Look no further than Charlie Davies, Diego Fagundez, Lee Nguyen, Juan Agudelo, and Teal Bunbury. But each of those players took turns being the attacking spearhead of the team last season for one reason or another. It would behoove the Revs to find someone whose job it is to score goals—someone who is raging mad when they don’t find the back of the net every game.
Those three needs are just the tip of the iceberg for the Revs. The team could also use some more crossers, a back-up playmaker to Lee Nguyen and another box-to-box player to back up Daigo Kobayashi now that Andy Dorman is gone.
A couple of other thoughts:
- The Revolution are showing Jermaine Jones a great deal of patience. But they’re risking roughly half a million dollars on an aging player who’s prone to injury, is hampered mentally by his family being cross-country, and is suspended for the first six games of the season. You can’t blame them for not taking the plunge on Jones, can you?
- That said, finding Jones’ replacement is a top priority. But the next Jermaine Jones has to be just as good, if not better.
- Does anyone not think it’s telling that the LA Galaxy could have negotiated a contract with Jones, but instead signed Jeff Larentowicz? Jones wants to be in LA. What does that tell you about his value at the moment?
- Most of the players selected in the draft won’t be in MLS for very long. This is especially true for the Revs. Just ask Tyler Polak, Luke Spencer, Luis Soffner, Alec Sundly, and Pierre Omanga.
- Given that the Revs typically cut ties with players they draft after the first round, it’s possible they won’t stand on ceremony and may actually trade one or two of their picks. At the very least, signing a player from an MLS team means getting a player with league experience.
- Former Revolution transfer target Zak Whitbread—if you even want to call him that—signed a short contract with Shrewsbury Town that reportedly expires this month. What are the odds that he joins the Revs on preseason trial?
- That the Revs have signed no players yet is a sign that they desperately need to add more coaches or create a scouting department. Jay Heaps and Mike Burns are too busy preparing for a new season to be the be-all end-all for evaluating players. Heaps changed the culture in the club when he revamped the locker room and hire Nick Downing as a strength and conditioning coach (Imagine, a pro sports team that DIDN’T have a fitness coach for over ten years, sigh). Now it’s his job to approach the Krafts and ask for a very obvious need to be filled: scouts.
- It’s good to see Lee Nguyen get more chances in the U.S. national team camp but Jurgen Klinsmann needs to play him more. How much can they expect out of him if he only plays for a few minutes off the bench?
