FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – While speaking with local media prior to Saturday afternoon’s 0-0 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, New England Revolution General Manager Michael Burns revealed that members of the club’s technical staff will depart on an international scouting trip this week as part of the continued quest to strengthen the Revolution’s roster.
Burns declined to discuss specifics of the trip, but confirmed that the Revs have “identified a few players” whom they’ll be watching closely in the coming weeks.
“We’re still trying to strengthen every position on the field,” Burns said shortly before the Revs picked up their first point of the season in Saturday’s scoreless draw. “We still have two roster spots to go and that’s without making any other additional moves. So we’re still looking for another midfielder and we’re still looking for another forward.”
Throughout preseason the Revs made no secret of their desire to add a bit of steel in central midfield – a touch of physicality to complement the club’s possession-centric style – while they also stated that their quest for attacking reinforcements would continue even after the intra-league acquisitions of Teal Bunbury and Daigo Kobayashi.
As of Tuesday afternoon, New England was carrying 28 players, leaving two open spots on the roster. Burns said the Revs would not only fill those spots, but look to fill them with experienced players who can contribute in the immediate future.
“We’re not just looking for guys that we think are going to be role guys,” he said. “We’re trying to find another player or two that we think can come in and be a starter.”
Burns remains confident in the Revolution’s current roster, which still features much of the core which guided the Revs back into the MLS Cup Playoffs last season for the first time since 2009. A few early-season stumbles have seen the club open the campaign 0-2-1 and without a goal through three matches, but there’s a sense that the goals will flow once the dam is broken.
With that said, there are still areas in which the club is looking to improve as the Revolution aims to continue moving forward following last year’s postseason appearance.
“We feel decent where our roster’s at, for sure,” Burns said. “But we don’t feel like we’re at the end line yet.”
