FOXBOROUGH — Now that the dust has settled and Revolution legend Chris Tierney has made his retirement official, let’s get down to brass tacks.
- Yes, it is a sad day for Revolution supporters. Tierney, the Wellesley Warhorse, has called time on his career. His whipped-in crosses from the flanks will be missed — and were missed in the second half of this recently-completed season. His leadership will be missed. His passion for this club will be missed. No one should argue that point. One thing that should be kept in mind: he’s going to be 33 in January, getting married soon, and retirement has been in his thoughts over the last few months. He is confident and content with his decision, and we should be, too.
- It’s not yet time to talk about Tierney’s future with the club. I had asked him if had any discussions with team president Brian Bilello or general manager Michael Burns about a potential ambassador role such as the one Charlie Davies holds, and he said that it’s too early; he wants time to reflect on his career. And that's fair, there is nothing wrong with that. In my opinion, that conversation — should there be one — should occur sometime early in the New Year. With Tierney living in the area, much like CD9, it should be one of the front office’s top things to accomplish by the start of training camp; and if that’s not feasible, by the start of the season. The club needs to utilize its legends, especially those here in the area, in any capacity to extend goodwill with the fans. Tierney could be a motivational speaker to those who don't believe in what the club is doing -- he spoke passionately and eloquently about his beliefs regarding Brad Friedel's methodology, and that a title is coming.
- It may not necessarily be fair to say that we may not see the likes of Tierney for some time; let’s remember who we have on the roster. Not like I need to remind anyone, but Diego Fagundez, Scott Caldwell, Zachary Herivaux, and Isaac Angking are all Homegrown players, are all locals with ties to the community at-large. And let’s not forget there are some Academy players who — while the Revs won’t say who will be the next Homegrown player — could have the Tierney effect. Like Tierney, Fagundez — who is now the longest-tenured player on the Revolution roster at seven full years, plus a few months — and Caldwell give everything they have for the Crayon Crest. Herivaux is mere potential, and we really haven’t seen what Angking can do outside of a few run-outs during the second half of the year. As Bilello said during his remarks Thursday — and echoing what The Bent Musket’s Seth Macomber tweeted earlier this week — Tierney was a Homegrown player before they actually had Homegrown players. Of course, there are some out there who wish to move on from the core group — which Fagundez and Caldwell are a part of — but I’m thinking that with the options already exercised, their wish won’t be granted for at least another season.
- What is fair to say? That this club doesn’t necessarily have the best track record when it comes to replacing solid players with solid players when the first solid player — yeah, I just went cross-eyed — leave Foxborough, and that needs to change with Tierney’s retirement. Four years ago, A.J. Soares left after four seasons with The Boys In Blue, and we’re still waiting for his replacement (could it be Brandon Bye? Michael Mancienne? The jury is still out). At the start of 2016, the Revs traded Jermaine Jones to Colorado for a first round draft choice, which turned into Brian Wright, but where is the hold-up play and the presence Jones brought to Gillette? When he arrived fresh off the World Cup, he drew plenty of attention from teams in the league. That characteristic hasn’t been replaced yet. We’re also waiting for the replacement to Lee Nguyen. Quite frankly, Revolution supporters should not accept anything less than Chris Tierney’s quality when it comes to replacing him — and they need to let the front office know their feelings with their dollars.