Report: Revs 'considering' lower level team launch

The Revolution are reportedly looking into setting up a lower league squad that’ll start play in 2020.

According to the New England Soccer Journal on Thursday, the Foxborough-based MLS side would operate a club in the USL, but there was no other information available in regards to if it would be in the USL Championship, the second division in the American soccer pyramid, or in USL League One, the third division.

An email sent to Revolution Communications on Wednesday afternoon about this matter had not been returned to BostonSportsJournal.com when NESJ broke the news.

A number of Major League Soccer sides operate sides in the USL to supplement their first teams as a way to develop players who are not at first-division quality. Toronto FC, Orlando City SC, and FC Dallas all have sides in League One, while Atlanta United, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers, and Real Salt Lake have teams in the USL Championship.

BSJ Analysis

Consider this, should this all pan out and come to fruition, as something I am much in favor of happening -- especially given what I've written in the past about this. You’ll recall just after we jumped on the Revs beat last year, we recommended the club starts its own club in the lower levels much in the same way that the Red Bulls, Toronto, et al. have started, if only to have a place for certain players, mainly those on the low end of the roster — draft picks and such who won’t make an impact on the first team — to go and develop.

And if they are players who improve to such and such a point, the Revs can bring them up for, say, the US Open Cup competition. Other teams have done this to supplement the first team, while New England has to use its regulars and untested bench players in the domestic tournament.

Last year, the Revolution sent draftees Mark Segbers to Orange County, while Nico Samayoa went to Las Vegas. This year, the Revs sent Brian Wright and Homegrown midfielder Zach Herivaux to Birmingham.

In all seriousness, the Revs should have had their own reserve side to send these players to — Isaac Angking on rehab, Nicolas Firmino instead of playing with the U19s at the Academy — to develop instead of shipping them out.

The fact that the club is exploring this is a good thing, and we hope that the exploration concludes with a USL team.