FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In need of a spark after a lackluster first half against the Chicago Fire last weekend, New England Revolution head coach Brad Friedel inserted newcomer Guillermo Hauché into the fray, deploying the 25-year-old attacker on the right wing in his MLS debut.
Hauché – along with fellow halftime substitute Juan Agudelo – immediately provided an injection of energy as the Revs put together a dominant second-half performance, coming from behind twice in what ultimately finished in a 2-2 draw.
“I think in the first 10-15 minutes he had more touches in the team’s attacking third than we had in the first half,” Friedel said of the Argentine, signed ahead of the roster freeze on September 13. “He’s a very, very good player in the opponent’s attacking half of the field. He knows how to unlock defenses, and we’re just going to try to get him up to match speed as quickly as possible.
“He’ll no doubt be able to help us going forward.”
The vast majority of Hauché’s 33 touches came in the attacking half of the field, and while he’s still building his fitness and learning the intricacies of the Revs’ tactical approach – not to mention the English language – he’s already making significant strides.
“He was only here for a short amount of time (before debuting), and I feel like he came in and he was a spark,” said Teal Bunbury. “There are little things, obviously – tactically – that I think that just with time he’ll get used to. But the energy he brought, his ball movement – he seemed comfortable on the ball.
“It’s another positive piece that’s going to be helpful for us.”
Hauché will need to absorb New England’s tactics at an accelerated pace with only five games remaining and a playoff place up for grabs, but his energy alone will be a boost for the Revs as they set their sights on five wins to close the season, beginning on Saturday night at Toronto FC (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub).
“He’s a great player on and off the field,” Andrew Farrell said of Hauché. “He showed what he can do to help us (against Chicago), and hopefully he can help us get this push and get into the playoffs.”
