FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution head coach Brad Friedel has stressed competition and high fitness levels amongst his players this year, and although the Revs fell, 1-0, in Saturday’s preseason game against Malmo FF, Brandon Bye impressed in both categories, showing he can keep up with the new coaching staff’s standards.
Bye was the Revolution’s top pick (8th overall) in this year’s SuperDraft, and he’s proving why as preseason progresses. As he fights to earn a solidified spot on the 2018 roster, he saw 30 minutes of action against Malmo, and his hustle was apparent. Bye took over the right back position, shifting Andrew Farrell to left back, and remained very active throughout his playing time.
Not only was Bye heavily involved up and down the right flank, he also found the Revolution’s best scoring chance in the 81st minute, forcing the Malmo goalkeeper into a fantastic near-post save with a rasping, rising drive.
“I thought Brandon, when he came on today, posed a real big threat on that right-hand side,” said Friedel. “He made a very good run, goalkeeper made a tremendous save. He’s putting his hat in the ring. We knew when we drafted him that he was a physical specimen and he’ll have no problem competing with professional players.
“He has a lot to learn, like a lot of new players to the professional game have to do, but he’s a solid guy around the group and he’s fit in pretty well from day one.”
