Tag Archives: Edgar Castillo

The Revs Transfer Swoops

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Bolstering the Revs attack

As we close in on the summer transfer window opening, something has emerged in Revs land that doesn’t emerge too often. Transfer rumors. Not just one, not two, but three rumors in one day. Newly appointed Sporting Director and head coach Bruce Arena has said the team will only sign one or two players this window, but he is looking to be active come this off season. One of the targets that has reportedly already signed a four year DP contract, is 29 year old Gustavo Bou. Bou, currently plays for Mexican side Club Tijuana, where he has scored 12 goals and 10 assists in 27 appearances this season.

There’s been a debate about who should be the Revs primary striker up top for months now. The debate manly consists of Teal Bunbury, who has five goals in 21 games including open cup play, versus Juan Fernando Caicedo, who has four goals in 15 games for the season. The Revs have lacked a pure goal scorer up top for years now. Gustavo Bou, could be the answer to our problems. While Bou is no Lionel Messi, he would definitely make our attack a lot more dangerous if he does join the Revs when the window opens on July 9th .

Locking down the back line

Another target is former FC Barcelona center back Thomas Vermaelen. Vermaelen, has been out of contract since July 1st when Barcelona did not extend his contract. The 33 year old has been with such clubs as AS Roma, Arsenal, and Ajax, and has played along with players like Lionel Messi as well. Adding a guy like Vermaelen would only bolster the Revs back line more. There’s only one problem: His history with injuries. Since April of 2016 until now, Thomas has had 15 injuries that caused him to miss at least one game. At his age, coming to play for New England, on turf, my not be a good combination.

Help on the flanks

The final transfer rumor that has come out is US International, and former Bruce Arena call up, Fabian Johnson. The left back, currently plays in Germany for BMG, but has recently been linked to a move to MLS. The 31 year old, could make a move to the New England Revolution or FC Cincinnati this summer.

The Revs have been looking for a quality left back for years now, and the departure of Chris Tierney has made their search even harder. Some thought the search was over when the Revs acquired Edgar Castillo this off season. But Castillo quickly fell off the deep end with Revs supporters. Most prefer Michigan State rookie DeJuan Jones to play the position, even though he is a natural right Winger. Jones has stepped up and played any position New England have needed to play him at this year, but he is far from a natural left back. Fabian would be able to come in and really make a change on the left side defensive, and offensive wise. If the Revs are able to acquire two of these three players, they might be able to make a run at the playoffs.

Grading the Revs offseason so far

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As I’ve already mentioned, this offseason was one of, if not the most important offseason in Revs history. And it has also been one of the best offseasons for the team as well. Coming into the offseason, the team needed help defesivley and offensively, and they got both. They needed a goal scoring striker, a number 10 to replace Lee Nguyen, and a winger to replace Kelyn Rowe. It seems as if they have filled all of those roles in 2019. But how good did the team do in each category?

Goal Scorer: B-

The revs were desperately missing an attack last year. They never really had a solid goal scorer they could rely on. They acquired Juan Caicedo to play striker, who will hopefully step up and be the Revs new goalscorer. Caicedo is big, and will definitely have a big presence in the box this year, but his track record is the difference between his B- and a B+. So far Juan seems to be having himself a decent preseason with the team, only time will tell if he continues his form in the regular season

Play maker: B+

To replace Lee Nguyen, and his number 10 role with the team, the Revs have brought in Spanish playmaker Carles Gil as a DP player. As it stands, Gil is lining up to be the new number 10 for the Revs, unless they end up bringing in another attacker, in which case Gil will likely move to right wing position. Revs were also linked with Spanish player Bojan Krkic.

With Gil New England is set to have a decent attacking midfield as he posses a lot of skills the team has lacked in recent years. So why a B+? Gil is, for the most part, an unknown player to most. He certainly won’t be a reason to go to games alone. He is a skillful player who did very little with his short time in the premier league. After a few loans and his team getting relegated, he moved to the second division in Spain, which is still a high level, but not a guaranteed difference maker. Gil will have a lot of hype to live up to with the Revs.

Right Wing: C-

As of now, there isn’t a guaranteed spot for any player at right wing. The position is up for grabs, hence the low rating for it. The position could fall to as many as 5 players: Diego Fagundez, Justin Rennicks, Tajon Buchanan, Juan Agudelo or Dejuan Jones. While any 5 of those players could play the position, they will be fighting for minutes. Of the 5, Justin Rennicks would probably be the most suited for the spot as it is his most natural position, and has the most experience playing it. As mentioned earlier, the team could also sign a new player to take the spot or move Gil there. If this were to happen the grade could go up, but for now they get a C-.

Left Back: A-

Is Edgar Castillo the best left back in the world? Not even close. Is he one of the best left backs in MLS? Yes. If Castillo can stay healthy at the nimble age of 33 in 2019, the Revs will be solid at the left back position. This is a spot they have really struggled to fill the past few seasons. Castillo has been rated as the top 5 left backs in MLS the last few years for Colorado, if he can continue that form, our left back problems could be over. The only problem remaining at left back is their depth. The only other left back under contract with the team is Gabriel Somi. But Somi has been very vocal about wanting to leave due to lack of playing time. However, with the European transfer window closed, he most likely won’t be moved until the summer.

Center back: D+

Revs made no change to their Centerbacks beside trading former club captain Claude Dielna. The team currently only has 3 center backs under contract. This isn’t good if one of them gets injured. The team has however recently been linked with two American center backs who currently play for QPR in England. The two wouldn’t be starters, but they would be low-risk options for depth. If a player were to be unavailable for whatever reason, one of the two could fill in. Currently, their starting center backs will most likely be Michael Mancienne and Antonio Delamea or Jalil Anibaba. This isn’t the worst pairing, but it’s the same groupings that helped the Revs conceded 55 goals last season.

Overall: B+

Coming into the offseason, the Revs had 5 major needs to improve the team, and so far they have acquired 3 of the 5, and 4 if you count the Justin Rennicks signing. With the European transfer window coming to a close, the Revs have a lot of potential to snag up some players in Europe in the next few weeks including another max salary player as club president Brian Bilello hinted at. The Revs have definitely had one of the best if not THE best offseason in their 23 year history. Now, they have to prove it on the field

What’s Next For The Revs?

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The MLS offseason is in full swing, and its time for the New England Revolution to get going. They will start what is arguably the most important offseason in their recent history. After missing the playoffs for three years in a row, the team has a lot do to compete in 2019. So what exactly do they need to do?

Playmaker

The Revs haven’t had any real and consistent playmakers ever since they traded Lee Nguyen. The lack of one has really played a big role in their downfall. Nguyen, who occupied the teams #10 role in 2017, was replaced by a few players with no real results. First, it was Diego Fagundez who started in the number 10 role, but throughout the year Kelyn Rowe occupied it, as well as Guillermo Hauché; none of whom were ever a consistent starter or consistent producers. The Revs need someone who can make plays, create, and score goals. Now with Rowe and Hauche gone, the team has the assets to get a new playmaker, but will they?

Center back

For the past 2 years, the biggest defensive need for New England has been leftback. Last year Gabriel Somi was supposed to be the answer, but that move flopped. This year they have gone out and gotten Edgar Castillo. While his age might be unappetizing, he’s a proven MLS leftback that can help this team if he stays healthy. Now that the Revs have wrapped up the left back position, center back becomes their defensive priority. Their backline may have been the most inconsistent back line in MLS last year. Every week brought a new pairing. The Revs need a new center back to play with Michael Mancienne to solidify the backline. 

Goal Scorer

The Revs have struggled to find a pure goal scorer arguably since the days of Taylor Twellman. Kei Kamara was the last decent goal scorer they could rely on, and he was viewed as a bust. The Revs have lacked a pure goal scorer they can rely on to score 15 goals a year for a while. In fact, the last person to score more than 15 in one season was Lee Nguyen in 2014 when he scored 18.

The Revs have already gone out and signed Columbian Juan Caicedo. While the signing has been generally viewed as good, Caicedo has never had a season with more than 15 goals. The Revs are also rumored to be signing forward Justin Rennicks to a Homegrown deal. However, there still is no guarantee he will be producing as much as the Revs need from a striker. 

Club president Brian Bilello has said the team plans on signing some high salary players, and possibly a few Designated players. Although the past has shown us the Revs’ spending doesn’t always lead to quality. It will be interesting to see how the Revs utilize the rest of the offseason and see who comes in.