FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has officially kicked off preseason training and is in the midst of its first of two preseason training trips. On Monday, the team departed for Bradenton, Fla., where it will spend 12 days, from Jan. 27 through Feb. 7. The Revs are scheduled to see their first preseason action on Friday, Jan. 31, when the team faces Swedish club Malmo FF at IMG Academy.
TEAM NOTES
Update preseason roster
The team’s updated preseason roster is available at revolutionsoccer.net … to view the roster, which is updated as players come and go from camp, click on the CLUB link on the navigation bar and select 2014 Preseason Roster.
Nguyen re-signs
Midfield Lee Nguyen, who is entering his third year with the club and was the team’s 2012 most valuable player, re-signed with the Revolution on Tuesday … in 63 matches in the last two seasons, Nguyen has scored nine goals while adding nine assists … Nguyen, 27, joined the Revs in March of 2012 via the waiver draft from Vancouver Whitecaps FC after a career abroad that included stops in Holland, Denmark and Vietnam.
Revs get NSCAA Division II Player of the Year
In the final two rounds of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, the Revs used their one pick (third round, 50th overall) on another attacking player after adding two top attacking prospects in the first two rounds … the club selected Southern New Hampshire’s Pierre Omanga, who was the 2013 NSCAA Division II Player of the Year … Omanga scored 21 goals and added three assists for SNHU in 2013 and scored the game-winning goal in the national championship game … Omanga enters camp unsigned and will attempt to earn a contract.
Young core but plenty of experience
Despite having such a young core – the team’s average age is 25.3 years old entering camp – there is plenty of experience throughout the roster … the Revs have nine different players entering their fourth (or or more) MLS season … Chris Tierney – now the longest tenured Rev – and Brad Knighton are set to enter their seventh MLS seasons … Kevin Alston, Darrius Barnes, Andy Dorman and Bobby Shuttleworth are entering their sixth seasons … Diego Fagundez, Stephen McCarthy and A.J. Soares are all entering their fourth seasons.
Familiar faces return
Although Brad Knighton and Marko Perovic are new faces in the Revs’ 2014 preseason camp, both have been in New England before … Knighton – who began his career with the Revs in 2007 – returns to New England after stints with the Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS and the Carolina Railhawks of the NASL … the goalkeeper made six starts in 2009 for the Revs, going 1-2-3 with 2.33 goals against average … Perovic is in camp as an unsigned trialist, but is attempting to secure his second go-round with the club … in 18 months with the Revs in 2010 and 2011, Perovic scored seven goals and added four assists in 29 appearances.
Rev Girls finals set for Boston and Providence
The Rev Girl Search concludes next week, when 2014 finals will be held at The Greatest Bar (Boston, Mass.) on Wednesday, Feb. 5, and Rí Rá (Providence, R.I.) on Thursday, Feb. 6, helping determine the Revolution’s 2014 promotional team …12 local women have made it to the final round of auditions, six of which will participate on each date … three girls from each event will be selected as Rev Girls for the 2014 season … a full list of the 12 finalists is available HERE … fans are encouraged to come out and cheer on their favorite finalist to help the judges make their selections.
2014 Pub Tour dates set
Revs players are scheduled to stop by several of the region's top bars and pubs – all official pub partners of the Revolution – this February as part of the Revolution’s official 2014 Pub Tour … three Pub Tour dates will be held on three successive nights during the second week in February:
Tuesday, Feb. 11 – The Banshee (934 Dorchester Ave., Boston, Mass.)
- Scheduled to appear: Jose Goncalves, Lee Nguyen and Chris Tierney
Wednesday, Feb. 12 – CBS Scene (200 Patriot Place, Foxborough, Mass.)
- Scheduled to appear: Diego Fagundez, Dimitry Imbongo and Saer Sene
Thursday, Feb. 13 – Ri Rá (50 Exchange Terrace, #50, Providence, R.I.)
- Scheduled to appear: Kevin Alston, Scott Caldwell and Andrew Farrell
At each stop, fans will get the opportunity to mingle with their favorite players in a casual setting during the team’s brief stay in New England between preseason training trips.
Desert Diamond Cup tickets on sale
Tickets for the 2014 FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup hosted by FC Tucson (USL PDL) are now on sale … for the third consecutive year , the Revs will participate in the February tournament to wrap up their preseason training … Chivas USA, the Chicago Fire, the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake will also join the Revs in Tucson for the tournament … the round-robin group games will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 19, Saturday, Feb. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 26, before the championship and consolation games are played on Saturday, March 1 … tickets are available for purchase by clicking HERE.
