WASHINGTON, D.C. – It was quite the journey leading up to the New England Revolution's 2-2 draw with D.C. United on Friday night at Audi Field. The Revs' travel plans were postponed on Thursday due to severe weather in Our Nation’s Capital, which ultimately forced their flight to be rescheduled to arrive in D.C. just six hours before kickoff on Friday.
However, while it was a lengthy travel process, the time on the road did provide the newest Revolution signing Gustavo Bou a perfect opportunity to get to know his teammates, as the Designated Player made the trip for bonding purposes..
“He’s a great guy,” said veteran defender Andrew Farrell. “He’s funny. He’s got a lot of personality and it’s so good to have him here. I’ve seen his highlight tape so I know he can score some goals and he has good link-up play, so just being around the guys and getting him incorporated in the team has been awesome.”
The Argentina native has been happily welcomed into the squad. He participated in games at the airport with his teammates and then had a chance to go out to a team meal on Thursday night. While there may be a language barrier with some since Bou is a native Spanish speaker, several of his bilingual teammates were able to help out to make the integration as smooth as possible.
“Very beneficial [to have him on the trip],” said Juan Agudelo. "A lot of Spanish (speaking) guys are here, so he’s getting comfortable faster and faster, and it’s a lot easier. He’s even trying to speak English, so it’s good.”
The 29-year-old has already shown his excitement to be in New England, beginning a new journey with the Revolution. His eager attitude, coupled with his outgoing personality, will help him fit in seamlessly.
“He’s a guy who I think has a good caliber about him and I think you can tell that about him,” said Farrell. “I think he’s excited to get on the field and play with us, and add to this team and what we’ve been doing the past eight games.”
Bou’s arrival is well-timed, as the Revolution extended their unbeaten run to eight games (4-0-4) after picking up a point in D.C. The squad is unbeaten since sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena took over leadership of the group, and Bou is coming in with all the momentum he has built over the course of the last two months.
“He seems like he’s just here to work – here to score goals, assists,” said Agudelo. “That’s just the mentality I’ve gotten from him so far, so I’m excited to see that.”
Bou is still waiting on his visa paperwork to be finalized before he can join his teammates on the field, but his ability to both create and finish chances is something that both the club and fans are keen on seeing firsthand.
“It’s good for him to be here and we’re hopeful that he’ll be eligible to play on Wednesday,” said Arena.
The Revs will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, and as Arena indicated, it is possible that we may see Bou debut in Revolution colors in front of the hometown fans.
