FOXBOROUGH — It’s the question a lot of Revolution supporters are asking with only hours to go before the Secondary Transfer Window closes on Wednesday night: Will there be a third new player coming to Route 1?
We don’t know for sure — the New England front office is generally tight-lipped about these things — but the club does have some flexibility following Monday’s transfer of striker Krisztian Nemeth to Sporting Kansas City.
The Revs received $350,000 in allocation money as well as SKC’s 2020 natural first-round draft choice in exchange for Nemeth, which opens up an international slot for The Boys In Blue.
That has led to increased speculation over the last 24 hours or so as to whether New England’s summer business is completed, or if there is another move to come.
“Deals are always possibilities,” first-year manager Brad Friedel said Tuesday. “If we can get one over the line, then great. If we can’t, then great: we have a very good squad here.
“Whether a deal can get resurrected or started knowing that paperwork needs to be filed at a certain time, some deals are better to be made in January, some can happen now. All I can tell you is it’s a possibility. It’s not an inevitability.”
Revs supporters have clamored for a replacement for Lee Nguyen — a true playmaker in their eyes — since May, and with the deadline upon us, there’s no better time than now to bring one in; of course, while the window closes, free agents can be brought in over the course of the next month.
BostonSportsJournal.com asked Friedel point blank if he believes the club needs a true playmaker.
“It depends on who we’re playing, how we’re playing,” he said. “The object of the game is to score goals and not to concede them. We’ve been scoring and getting a lot of opportunities, and then when you look at the way we’ve been conceding goals, it has been down to individual errors. It hasn’t been to team philosophy or methodology or the way we’re lined up or things of that nature.
“When you’ve gone through a stretch where you’ve conceded so many, do you need to change, or is it just tweaks here and there? That all depends: you can go buy players that you really think will make the difference, and the grass isn’t always greener. So you have to be particular about the signings you make.”
Speaking for the first time since Monday evening’s move, Friedel believes the Nemeth transfer “suits all parties” involved.
“Krisztian has been a very good professional,” he complimented. “It’s unfortunate that he picked up an injury in preseason and Teal (Bunbury) really solidified the No. 9 spot, which is probably Krisztian’s best position.”
Friedel said the squad learned of the deal during Monday afternoon’s training session; he also paid a call to SKC manager Peter Vermes on Monday evening.
Nemeth recorded two assists in 2018 ahead of his transfer to the Midwest, where he broke into the league in ’15. The Hungarian scored 10 goals and had six assists in his first season.
During his time in Foxborough this season, Nemeth was mainly used in a reserve role.
“I sincerely hope he gets more playing time with Sporting Kansas City than he was getting here,” he said.
The Boys In Blue have already brought in two newbies to the squad, with Cristhian Machado of Bolivia coming in on July 23, while Michael Mancienne entered the picture last Friday.
Mancienne was not at training Tuesday, as he’s still in England getting his affairs in order.
“He’s a player who fits into our squad very nicely,” Friedel said. “He’ll have to work hard to get a starting place, and if he does get a starting place, he’ll have to work hard to keep his starting place.”
The gaffer noted Mancienne’s athleticism and his skill in 1-v-1 situations as well as on the ball as part of what he brings to the club.
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