FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution selected two veteran MLS players in today’s Stage 2 of the 2012 Re-Entry Process, choosing LA Galaxy forward Chad Barrett in the first round (fourth overall pick) and Colorado Rapids defender Hunter Freeman in the second round (23rd overall selection). Per MLS rules, the league will now extend contract offers to the players within the next seven days.
A total of 14 players were chosen by 10 clubs during this afternoon’s conference call that included all 19 teams and league officials.
“With Hunter and Chad, we’ve chosen two players who have a lot of MLS experience,” General Manager Michael Burns said. “Should they decide to continue playing in MLS, we believe they can have a significant impact on our squad. We also expect their professionalism and leadership will have a positive impact in our locker room.”
Freeman, 27, has seven seasons of MLS experience after entering the league in 2005 with the Rapids. He has made stops in Colorado (2005-06, 2012), New York (2007-08), Toronto (2008) and Houston (2011), and has made 126 appearances with 110 starts. He has scored two goals and added 11 assists, including a career-high five for the Rapids in 2012. He also played two seasons (2009-10) with IK Start of Norway’s Tippeligaen, the country’s top professional division.
The Tyler, Texas, native entered MLS in 2005 a Generation adidas player and was drafted by the Rapids in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Virginia. He is a former member of the U.S. Under-20 and Under-23 (Olympic) teams.
Barrett, 27, has seven seasons of MLS experience after entering MLS in 2005. He has scored 42 goals and added 27 assists in 192 career appearances with Chicago (2005-08), Toronto (2008-2010) and LA (2011-12). Most recently, he was on loan from the Galaxy to Valerenga of Norway’s Tippeligaen, where he made five appearances and recorded one assist through the end of their 2012 season.
The Chicago Fire drafted Barrett as a Generation adidas player with the third overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft after he played two seasons at UCLA. He is a former member of the U.S. Under-20 team, and earned a call-up to the full U.S. National Team on June 22, 2008, against Barbados in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier.
Revs midfielder Blair Gavin and goalkeeper Tim Murray were eligible for the Re-Entry Process, but went unselected in either last Friday’s Round 1 or today’s Round 2.
