New England: Kei Kamara trade shows Revs in rebuild and rut
Brad Friedel is looking to take a desired youthful approach in New England, yet the front office continues to mismanage personnel.
The New England Revolution have seemingly entered full-on rebuild mode since the hiring of new coach Brad Friedel.
New England has dealt away its top scorer from 2017, Kei Kamara, to the Vancouver Whitecaps. In exchange, New England receives a 2018 first round SuperDraft pick and a 2019 second round conditional SuperDraft pick.
The Revs, who declined options for both Xavier Kouassi and Benjamin Angoua, have no DPs signed to the roster. In total, the Revs roster now sits at 13 players. There’s plenty of room to bring in big signings and centerpiece talent now.
With three first-round SuperDraft picks this year, the Revs will look to rebuild by bringing in youth in what should be a star-studded draft class. With voids to fill at defensive midfield, fullback, and now striker, the Revs have plenty of leeway to choose who they want.
New coach Friedel has shown he’s capable of developing youth correctly. This is a welcoming sign for a successful Revs academy and the club’s new draft choices. However, the Kamara trade remains troublesome for New England.
The Revs have dealt away one of the most prolific goalscorers in MLS history. Kamara came on late last season, netting his first career hat-trick in September. The striker had varying degrees of success with the Revs, but his scoring production in 2017 went unmatched.
Hey @NERevolution fan, I would like to thank you for the love you gave me and my family the past year and half. You guys are truly special. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the piece to the puzzle. Continue your support for the boys #HeartShapedHands ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nysrCJXij4
— KEI KAMARA (@keikamara) December 11, 2017
It’s not the loss of the Revs top scorer that proves troublesome, but instead the return. The Revs gave up top first and second-round SuperDraft picks in the original deal with Columbus. In addition, the Revs gave up an international roster spot and a hefty amount of TAM and GAM.
The Revs flipped Kamara for far less than what they paid for the million-dollar player. Vancouver’s draft pick is late in the first round and the conditional pick might not even materialize. So in return for one of the best forwards to come through MLS, the Revs could only manage a pair of draft picks which may or may not pan out.
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While Revs fans may have already come to terms with the deal, the front-office failed to deliver yet again for New England. So while the Revs rebuild may have taken a positive turn by acquiring another draft pick, the price paid for it shows the front office has yet again mismanaged its team.