Revolution will ‘look to be active’ in MLS transfer window
The Revolution open the second half of the MLS regular season on Saturday when Bruce Arena’s side host Orlando City at Gillette Stadium (7:30 p.m. kickoff).
New England (8-6-3) got back in the win column against Inter Miami a week ago for the first time since early May, a welcomed sight following a difficult period of away games and injuries in which the Revolution fell from first place in the Eastern Conference down to fourth.
Still, given the plethora of injuries — including a season-ending ACL tear for winger Dylan Borrero, and hamstring surgery for center back Henry Kessler, who could return in August or September — Arena knows things could have been worse.
“At the midway point, to have 30 points in 17 games with the injuries that we’ve had and everything else is OK,” he said following the 3-1 win over Miami. “So, the first half of the season was good. Certainly wasn’t great, but it was good.”
Though it was a lukewarm review from the team’s head coach, New England’s performance in the opening months of 2023 occasionally flashed real potential (including the extended run at the top of the standings). Yet Arena — who once declared that “In MLS, the second half of the season is the season” — is already much more concerned with what’s to come.
Given the impending launch of the new version of the “Leagues Cup,” a month-long World Cup-style tournament between MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX, the already tight schedule will become even more crowded.
In July, the Revolution will play four league games in the first 15 days of the month. MLS will then pause for the start of the cup competition, with 47 teams playing 77 games over the ensuing month.
New England has been drawn into a Leagues Cup group with the New York Red Bulls and Liga MX side Atlético San Luis. Should the Revolution fail to advance, Arena worries about the time off before MLS games begin again on Aug. 20.
“June and July in the league is going to be absurd, to say the least,” he said of the schedule. “We’re playing in an international window, and then we have a competition outside the league. So who knows where anyone’s going to be then?
“It’s very awkward,” he noted of the Leagues Cup timing. “It’s possible in this competition, if you don’t get out of group play, you’re off for two or three weeks.
“Hopefully we stay injury free, and we get some guys healthy, back in form, and when we’re in toward the end of the season, we can be at our best,” he added, “because right now that’s difficult with all the juggling of players we’re doing and everything else. What else can I say?”
One additional point Arena might be able to speak to in the coming weeks will be potential player acquisitions. Following the team’s decision to exercise its buyout option on Jozy Altidore, New England will now have an increased level of cap space. That, plus Borrero being placed on the Season Ending Injury List, could help provide some roster flexibility.
Asked about the possibility of bringing in new players, Arena was vague.
“I think the answer is the same for all 29 teams in our league. We are identifying players, and I’m sure basically every team looks to be active, and that is the same case with ourselves.”
The midseason transfer window officially opens on July 5, and runs until Aug. 2. Exactly what New England is able to add remains to be seen. The team already has three Designated Players (the maximum allowed number by MLS rules), but could certainly look to pick up players to help round out the club’s injury-depleted depth.
At the very least, New England should be able to add a few previously injured players back into the Starting XI.
Right back Brandon Bye is expected to return on Saturday following a shoulder injury, and midfielder Noel Buck could also be back (neither player was listed on the injury report). Another midfielder, Tommy McNamara (who has yet to feature in 2023 due to a leg injury), was spotted practicing recently, and could be on the comeback trail.
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