LOS ANGELES – New England Revolution preseason camp welcomed a pair of familiar faces on Monday afternoon as Tajon Buchanan and Henry Kessler joined the squad in California after wrapping up international duty at the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.
Arriving together from Guadalajara, Mexico, both Buchanan and Kessler will need to complete COVID-19 quarantine protocols at the team hotel before joining in any team activities, but sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena anticipates the duo will be on the field by the weekend.
The Revs arrived in LA last Wednesday and opened their preseason slate with a 1-0 loss to the LA Galaxy on Saturday night. They’ll play four more games against the Galaxy, Galaxy II, and LAFC prior to returning to Foxborough on April 10, meaning both Buchanan and Kessler should have the opportunity to participate in at least a couple of those preseason contests.
Although their time in Guadalajara ended in frustration as both Canada and the U.S. failed to qualify for the Tokyo Summer Olympics – falling in the semifinals to Mexico and Honduras, respectively – Buchanan and Kessler each put together standout performances in their first international action at any level.
Buchanan started all four of Canada’s matches and was largely the focal point of their attack, scoring both goals in their 2-0 win over El Salvador to open the group stage. Arena praised Buchanan’s performance in that game, and said it led to Mexico keying on him in the pivotal semifinal.
“He obviously played well (against El Salvador),” Arena said. “Yesterday he had a difficult time. The Mexicans sent two or three players at him every time he touched the ball and he had a tough day, as did his team.”
Kessler was an unused substitute in the U.S. U23s’ opener against Costa Rica but started the final three matches in central defense, including Sunday’s semifinal. The second-year defender earned widespread praise for his performances, including from his Revolution coach.
“Henry was pretty solid throughout,” said Arena. “I was impressed with both of them because it’s their first experiences at the international level, so they both did well.”
