Lee Nguyen speaks on lack of playing time to start 2018 season

FOXBOROUGH — Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen wore a rather bemused smile as he approached the press corps following Tuesday morning’s training session outside Gillette Stadium.

“It’s been awhile, guys. Six games. Now you want to talk, huh?” he said.

The smile disappeared soon after the questions about the situation in which he’s currently embroiled started rolling in.



The situation, of course, is playing time for the part-time U.S. international and now-formerly full-time Revolution central attacking midfielder, who arrived three-and-a-half weeks late to preseason training. As of this past Saturday night, Nguyen hasn’t cracked the Revs' 18-man matchday squad in 2018.

Nguyen’s absence was noted by former Revs' player and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman during Sunday afternoon’s Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders match, making it more into the national soccer conversation.

“I heard about (Twellman’s comments) from friends,” Nguyen said. “I wasn’t aware of it until some of the guys Snapchatted me.”

He didn’t elaborate further.

Over the last few months, there have been various reports about Nguyen asking for a transfer out of New England at the tail end of the 2017 season, as well as following the hiring of current manager Brad Friedel. The Revolution, as previously reported, turned him down. He has a guaranteed contract for this year, as well as one-year options for next two seasons, but he held himself out of training.

“Lee didn’t report to preseason and he’s not honoring his contract,” Revs GM Michael Burns was quoted as saying at the end of January. “We’ll handle the matter internally, and we’ve already had discussions with MLS. It’ll be handled appropriately. We have zero tolerance for guys who don’t honor their contracts.”

He finally reported to Foxborough on February 9. When asked if he was happy in New England on Tuesday, Nguyen replied: “At the moment, yeah. I’m a New England player. I’m here, I’m training, I’m doing everything they ask of me.”

Nguyen noted that he hasn’t spoken much with Friedel about his role.

“Not much, really,” he said. “Just the fact that he seems to be happy, and you know, he’s fine with how I’m working. We have a good relationship, so there hasn’t been anything bad about my performance. I’m just training hard and doing what I’m asked of.”

A reporter then asked Nguyen if Friedel had explained expectations on how he can get back into the 18. He sighed rather heavily.

“Like I said, I just do my thing here,” he said. “You guys see me train here. I’m a Revolution player and I’m here to do my job.”

When asked if he would still like to be transferred out, Nguyen replied, “That’s not up to me. I think you guys ... I think I’ve said my peace. I’m back here, just doing what I get paid to do.”

Nguyen wouldn’t confirm if he had requested intervention by the MLS Player’s Association – “That’s a question you have to ask my agent. I’m just here to do my job,” he said — and we asked defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell, who serves as a Player’s Association Leader, if Nguyen had asked for it.

“You’d have to talk to the Player’s Association about that. That’s a topic for them,” he said.

But when asked his opinion of the issue as both a PA Leader and as a Revs player, Caldwell was more forthcoming.

“It’s good wording you used there, because it’s two different issues," he replied. "As a Player’s Association Leader, I am a strong advocate and believer in player rights. I would like to see sometimes players being able to pick and choose where they work and live.

"On the other side of things, as a player in the Revolution locker room, where this isn’t even an issue, there’s been … you know, the team really focuses on stuff inside the locker room. The stuff off the field, it doesn’t really matter. It’s on the field, in the locker room, that’s what’s important, and everyone’s working hard to see the field.”

Johnny Andris, legal counsel for the MLS Player's Association, noted he couldn't comment on the situation in Foxborough.

"We can't -- we have a general policy about not commenting on these matters," he said Tuesday afternoon.

BostonSportsJournal.com has also put in a request for comment with Rich Motzkin, Nguyen's agent at TeamWass -- formerly Wasserman Media Group, which incidentally represents several Revolution players. As of Tuesday evening, there was no reply.

Friedel suggested Tuesday afternoon the philosophy he has spoken of on many occasions in regards to player selection for match day should be the last word about it.

“Everyone has an opportunity to make the 18. It depends on what kind of effort you put forth in training,” he said.

When a reporter explained the supporters have questions about why Nguyen is not in the matchday squad – a point Twellman alluded to on Sunday – the manager didn’t brush it aside.

“There aren’t so many questions. I said when I was hired that what you did in the past, what your salary is, what your last name is, is absolutely irrelevant to myself and my staff," he said. "It’s what you do in front of us. That’s what’s going to impress us or not impress us. I said it then, I’m going to say it again now. He opted not to come to (preseason) training. Can you not go to work? I’m asking you that question.”

The reporter answered, “No.”

“OK, so if you opt not to come to work, then is your first impression a good one or a bad one?” Friedel continued.

The reporter answered, “It’s bad.”

“OK, so everybody else is working incredibly hard and someone doesn’t turn up, and then when he does turn up, he’s so far behind fitness," he said. "There’s no punishment, I don’t have one issue with Lee. We have not had one personal back and forth with each other at all.

“I’ve not punished a player here once. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about getting players’ fitness levels up and playing, by the way, committed players. When a new staff comes in, it’s a clean slate. It’s very, very simple. And the players who were willing to commit and put the effort forth and the players who are getting the opportunity to play. It’s very simple. There’s nothing more to it. I have zero … when I pick a team, no matter who it is, there are zero personal issues that go into it. It is who myself and my staff feel will win a game on the weekend. There is nothing more of less to it.”

Friedel also noted Nguyen has caught up with the rest of the club in regards to fitness levels.

“He’s not behind in fitness now at all. This was ... we were asking when he didn’t turn up for three-and-a-half weeks, if we were punishing him. No, he had to get up to fitness levels back then. Of course, he’s up to fitness levels (now),” he said.

While not in the matchday squad for league play, it is believed Nguyen has taken part in matches against local colleges and universities – for example, the University of Connecticut’s men’s soccer team came up to Gillette recently for a match.

However, Friedel wouldn’t confirm whether or not Nguyen has “featured” in those matches.

“I wouldn’t say feature. Everyone’s been featuring. You guys are focused on one individual; I’m not really sure why,” he said. “There are a lot of players out here that are working incredibly hard, and doing incredibly well.

"Everyone’s featuring in the games. If Jalil Anibaba wasn’t in the team, he would be featuring in it. Jalil’s with the first team at this moment in time and (Antonio Delamea) is featuring in it. Tony is an excellent professional himself, and he’s working really hard to get himself back in the team. That’s what we want.

"When you’re not in the team, I don’t expect one person to be happy, but I expect them to be professional and turn up every single day, which, by and large, every single player does. It hasn’t been the case with every player, but most every player, and so everybody features in those games. It’s an opportunity for us to get the minutes under the belt for 90 minutes to keep the players' fitness levels along the same as the players who just played in the first team game. And that’s what those reserve games are all about.”

One of the points Twellman made in the broadcast Sunday came up Tuesday. Twellman said in his opening statement: “First and foremost, I want to make this clear: I have no problem if Brad Friedel looks at Lee Nguyen and says, ‘He doesn’t fit into my plans.’ Any coach has that (prerogative); it happens all over the world. That’s not an issue.”

“Not every player is going to fit in everyone’s system,” Friedel replied. “I played the game for 23 years. There were some wonderful players that would turn up every single day for training that weren’t playing. We had players when I first signed at Tottenham, we had seven or eight full international players that didn’t even make the 25-man roster, so they couldn’t even kick a ball in the Premier League. It happens, everywhere all over the world.”

Nguyen, who turns 32 in October, potted 11 goals for New England in '17, and has 51 total in his six-plus seasons here, explained that his goal is to return to the 18 for the Revolution.

“Absolutely, any player that’s here or at any club, they always want to make the 18, they want to play and they want to start. That’s any player’s goal,” he said. “But at the same time, listen: I’m not the coach, I don’t make those decisions. All I can control and do is do my part on the field in training and listen, if the coach doesn’t name me, the coach doesn’t name me. That’s out of my control.

"I came back here to prove myself, to show that I’m one of the best attacking midfielders in this country and in this league. I continue to do that.”

At the same time, he is cognizant that his future may not necessarily be on Route 1.

“As a soccer player, as an athlete, you always want to keep an open mind. At the same time, I’m here, I have a contract for this year and possibly two more," he said. "Like I said, whatever happens, I’m open-minded to wherever the soccer journey leads me.”