FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution have spent years building the foundation of a stable roster, and in recent months they’ve worked tirelessly to retain many of their core players.
First it was Chris Tierney in mid-December, then Diego Fagundez in early January. Just two weeks ago, Scott Caldwell became the third local product to sign a contract extension in a matter of months.
On Friday afternoon Lee Nguyen added his name to the list of foundational players who’ll be staying with the Revolution long-term, signing a new deal with the club he joined back in March 2012.
In Nguyen (2012 and 2014), Fagundez (2013) and Caldwell (2015), the Revs now have their Santander team MVPs from each of the past four seasons on fresh contracts taking them into the future.
“We’ve got a bright future,” said Nguyen. “We’ve already returned a lot of guys that played in MLS Cup and a lot of the young guys coming through are getting a lot of experience. Now my job is also to kind of help them along the way to make it easier to step in.”
Nguyen, 29, is unquestionably one of New England’s most experienced veterans, and he does take on a leadership role within the club. But make no mistake; Nguyen’s primary responsibility is to be the catalyst of the Revolution’s attack, the driving force in the middle of the club’s dynamic front six.
Claimed off waivers after a brief stint with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Nguyen has been a revelation in four-plus seasons in Foxborough. He’s racked up 36 goals and 28 assists in 136 appearances, including a monster 18-goal, five-assist year in 2014 when was a finalist for league MVP and led the Revolution to the brink of their first MLS Cup title.
Sparked by that breakout campaign, Nguyen has also worked his way back into the U.S. National Team picture in recent years. Most recently he started a pair of friendlies against Iceland and Canada early this year, earning praise from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann as one of the winners of January camp.
Shining for club and emerging for country, Nguyen’s decision to leave behind superstardom in the Vietnamese V-League and test his limits in MLS has been vindicated. He’s achieved his goal of returning to the national team, and he credits the Revolution with helping him realize his potential.
“Since I first started here, Jay (Heaps) and the organization, my teammates, they’ve all helped me grow,” said Nguyen, who’s in the mix for upcoming USMNT World Cup Qualifiers and this summer’s Copa America. “A lot of it has to do with being here in this environment to help me grow as a player, and to help me jump back onto that national team radar.”
That environment is not only the Revolution locker room and training facilities, but also the New England region that Nguyen now calls home. Born and raised in Texas, Nguyen was a bit of a stranger to the Northeast when he arrived in 2012, but he can now proudly call himself a New Englander.
“I’ve planted roots here,” Nguyen said. “It feels like my second home, so I’m happy to continue calling it home.”
With a new deal signed, Nguyen’s focus can now shift entirely to the soccer field, where the Revs have started the 2016 campaign with a pair of draws. Next up is a trip to Talen Energy Stadium for a meeting with the Philadelphia Union on Sunday afternoon.
Philadelphia is the focus this week, but for Nguyen, the Revolution and the club’s supporters, it’s nice to know that there will be many, many more games to look forward to in the future.
“It feels amazing,” Nguyen said of his new contract. “The Krafts and the organization showed their support and I’m completely honored. I want to show the faith back. I want to help this team get back to MLS Cup and win it.”
