FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For all intents and purposes, Saturday night’s 2-0 win over Orlando City SC kicked off the New England Revolution’s preparations for the 2019 season.
Officially eliminated from playoff contention before the match kicked off because of D.C. United’s victory over FC Dallas, Brad Friedel told his squad that the final three games of the current campaign will serve as an opportunity for players to earn their spots in next year’s preseason camp.
“We basically started our preseason tonight,” Friedel said. “That’s what I told the players. Everyone’s going to be playing for spots. The players that are with us are going to have to be very good – mentally and physically tough – and the ones that aren’t, I wish them well when they’re not with us.”
Friedel said that as the Revolution’s style has evolved throughout the course of his first season in charge, so, too, will the roster go through changes as the club heads towards 2019. It’s only natural after a frustrating second half of 2018 saw the Revs miss out on the postseason for a third straight year.
While rosters are frozen until after MLS Cup in early December, Friedel hinted that the Revs have already begun the process of planning for additions in the coming months, and he indicated that there could be some electrifying figures in the mix.
“There will be quite a few changes in the offseason – a lot of exciting changes,” Friedel said. “You’re going to see some things, a lot of news that comes out with New England over the next couple of months that people will start to sit back and realize.”
One particularly exciting development for the Revolution is the construction of a state-of-the-art, $35 million training center in Foxborough, with a groundbreaking ceremony set for Monday morning. The facilities will serve as a modern, first-class home for both the first team and Academy.
But the changes Friedel alluded to seem to be roster related, and the coming months will reveal exactly what kind of additions the Revs are able to make ahead of the 2019 season.
“The ones we bring in are going to be exciting players,” Friedel said. “Hopefully we have some great things to come for the club.”
