New England Revolution: Is Henry Kessler a rare diamond?

The New England Revolution selected centre-back Henry Kessler with the sixth overall pick. They might just have uncovered a rare diamond.

The SuperDraft has decreasing value with every year. The best players skip college altogether. Those that enter professional football in their early 20s are generally considered too old. The difference in standard between the college game and Major League Soccer is simply too great. Very few players have the ability to make the jump.

But every now and then, true diamonds are uncovered. They are increasingly rare these days, but they are still there. And this year, the New England Revolution might have jumped ahead of the pack and secured their future centre-half.

With the sixth overall pick, the Revolution selected Henry Kessler out of the University of Virginia. As head coach Bruce Arena extolled after the draft, he was the one they wanted:

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"“[Kessler] was absolutely our first choice of player to have. If [we] picked No. 1, we would’ve picked him. We were excited. We were a little concerned after the first two picks. He could’ve gone at 3, 4, or 5. We were trying to move up in the draft as well, but that didn’t happen. We were very fortunate he was available at No. 6 and we jumped on it immediately.”"

Kessler has made good on Arena’s confidence. It started in the preseason. He impressed with every outing, performing at a high level and looking immediately comfortable in training. It was as if he had always been a professional player and was not dealing with a presumed rise in quality. Arena told reporters just before the season started:

"“Being a new player in the professional ranks is always challenging and I think he’s adjusted pretty quickly, and I think his teammates have helped him in that transition, as well.”"

Arena was not the only Revolution figure impressed with Kessler’s preseason performances. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who has to build a strong relationship with the centre-backs in front of him, spoke about Kessler’s strong communication and praised his future potential:

"“I told Henry before the Portland game, I pulled him aside, I said, ‘Look, you’ve impressed a lot of people during preseason. This is kind of what it’s going to feel like and what it’s going to take to succeed in an MLS match, in this game. Let’s be focused for 90 minutes. Let’s talk a lot.’ I think for him, he’s always been vocal from day one. That was the report I heard from afar. I think for him, also being patient and understanding it’s a long season. If he starts on day one, if he doesn’t start on day one, he needs to continue to work and find that consistency, and I think he’ll be a great player for this club.”"

Kessler then followed up his pre-season promise with two excellent performances in the regular season. Arena singled him out for praise following the Week 1 defeat to the Montreal Impact, while left-back DeJuan Jones was not shy in his assessment of Kessler’s qualities. He told the New England Revolution official website:

"“He’s a great player. He’s been doing it all preseason, and then another great performance tonight, so I’m really happy for him and I hope he continues to perform like that.”"

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Kessler is shining in New England. And when MLS returns next month, he will again anchor the Revolution defence. Judging by his performances thus far, he will be quite the anchor. The Revolution have uncovered quite the rare diamond.

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