FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It took the New England Revolution less than a week to trim their roster down to 19 players in the immediate aftermath of MLS Cup. On Thursday the Revs began the lengthy process of building their roster back up by adding the versatile Jeremy Hall in a trade with Toronto FC.
It didn’t take much for the Revs to acquire Hall – a fourth-round pick in the 2015 SuperDraft was all TFC received in return – and from New England’s perspective, it was a small price to pay to add a 26-year-old with more than 100 regular-season appearances in six MLS seasons.
“To give up a fourth-round pick to get a player of Jeremy Hall’s ability, we feel it was an easy one for us,” said Revolution general manager Michael Burns.
Hall was actually eligible for the Re-Entry Draft, so there was a chance the Revs could’ve acquired the former U.S. youth international without a trade, but New England weren’t confident Hall would still be available by the time their first selection arrived at 17 overall.
That’s why a deal was struck with TFC, prompting Hall to opt out of the Re-Entry process.
“In Jeremy’s case, he was a player that we had targeted that our coaches had liked,” said Burns. “The only way to really guarantee we’d get him was to make a trade with Toronto.”
Hall, of course, had the option to remain in Re-Entry and could’ve potentially been selected by another club. But he chose instead to join up with the reigning Eastern Conference champions.
“He’s excited to be coming here, which is always important to us,” said Burns. “We’re getting a player that we know wants to come here and wants to be part of this.”
Originally a first-round pick of the New York Red Bulls in 2009, Hall also spent time with the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas before making his way to Toronto in 2012. He was a key contributor for TFC, making 54 combined appearances in 2012 and 2013, before his playing time decreased last season.
Used primarily as a midfielder in Toronto, Hall also has the ability to play on the backline, and Burns indicated that the Revs see him as a legitimate option at outside back.
“That versatility, sometimes it’s a blessing and sometimes it’s a curse. In his case, we feel like it’s more of a blessing than a curse,” Burns said. “We’re a little thin with our outside backs and he provides us that depth and cover, and possible minutes depending on how he plays.”
Revs select Bowen, MLS’ first-ever Homegrown Player, in Stage Two of Re-Entry
While Hall has already been added to the Revolution’s roster, New England is hoping young forward Tristan Bowen will be the next new addition after selecting the 23-year-old in Stage Two of the Re-Entry Draft on Thursday afternoon.
Per league rules the Revs have one week to make a bona fide offer to Bowen – Burns said a deal would be presented to the player by Friday at the latest – and from there it will be up to the California native to decide whether he wants to continue his career in New England or outside MLS.
“We hope he chooses to sign the deal and we hope he chooses to come and join us next year,” said Burns. “But there’s no guarantee in this Re-Entry process.”
Bowen will go down as an historical figure in MLS, having signed the league’s first-ever Homegrown deal when he joined the LA Galaxy straight from the club’s academy system in November 2008. He made 18 appearances with LA before stints with Chivas USA and, most recently, Seattle Sounders FC.
“To be only 23 years old but have six years of experience in the league is pretty rare,” said Burns. “He’s played on a few different teams, but we feel like he can provide cover and depth if he chooses to sign, either up top or out wide.”
Having already parted ways with several forwards through various mechanisms – Andre Akpan, Geoffrey Castillion, Dimitry Imbongo, Patrick Mullins and Tony Taylor – the Revs were always going to be searching for attacking reinforcements. In Bowen, they hope they’ll also add a different dimension.
“He has some speed, which is an area we think – with the exception of a couple guys – we lack a little bit,” Burns said. “We’re hopeful that he’s going to sign.”
Compacted offseason schedule puts a temporary hold on international scouting
Thursday’s moves were just the beginning of what’s sure to be a hectic offseason for the Revs, who’ll be looking to further strengthen a roster which just returned to MLS Cup for the first time in seven years.
While Burns and company will continue to use all methods available to bolster the squad, including trades and the SuperDraft, there’s no question that the club will also be looking outside the league to the international transfer market.
In years past the Revs have gotten a jump on that activity through October and November by bringing potential targets into training, but the trip to MLS Cup, coupled with last week’s Expansion Draft and a pair of Re-Entry Drafts, means the Revs likely won’t delve into international scouting until the new year.
“I’d take this issue every year,” said Burns, noting that every team would live with a limited offseason schedule if it means playing in MLS Cup. “But when you play on December 7 and you have Expansion Drafts and Re-Entry Drafts, it absolutely impacts your ability to look outside the league and to recruit and scout and all those sorts of things, because you just literally don’t have the time.
“We’re trying to manage it as best we can. We’ve lost a bunch of players and now we’re trying to replace some of those players from within the league, and we’ll certainly look externally, as well.”
Burns said the impending holidays are another obstacle to scouting, but that the Revolution staff would make trips to look at players “over the next few weeks.” Ideally the Revs prefer to have potential targets join the club for a training stint in preseason, but Burns understands that’s not always a possibility.
While the Revs’ staff hasn’t had time just yet to go on any scouting trips, they do have a plan as to which areas of the field they’ll be targeting ahead of the March 8 season opener in Seattle.
“We have a few specific positions that we’re looking to strengthen and we’re going to try to do that in the next month or two,” Burns said. “Before you know it, it’s going to be March.”
