FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (December 1, 2023) – The New England Revolution announced the club’s 2023 year-end roster decisions ahead of Major League Soccer’s Friday deadline to exercise player contract options. With 17 returning players already guaranteed for 2024, three new Homegrown Players set to join the first-team roster, and the recent permanent transfer of Tomás Chancalay, the Revolution today exercised the options on six players to bring the club’s 2024 MLS roster to 27 players entering the next phase of the MLS offseason.
The 17 returning players who entered the offseason with guaranteed 2024 contracts are midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic, forward Joshua Bolma, forward Dylan Borrero, midfielder Noel Buck, defender Brandon Bye, goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr., defender DeJuan Jones, midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye, defender Henry Kessler, midfielder Tommy McNamara, midfielder Nacho Gil, midfielder Jack Panayotou, midfielder Matt Polster, defender Dave Romney, goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík, forward Giacomo Vrioni, and forward Bobby Wood.
The Revolution exercised the one-year contract options on defender Andrew Farrell, now entering his 12th MLS season with the club, midfielder Carles Gil, goalkeeper Jacob Jackson, midfielder Damian Rivera, and defender Ryan Spaulding. The club also exercised the two-year contract option on midfielder Ian Harkes, guaranteeing the American midfielder’s contract for 2024 and 2025. In addition, the Revolution exercised the club’s purchase option to acquire Chancalay from Racing Club earlier this week on Nov. 28, signing the 24-year-old Argentinian forward as a Designated Player through the 2026 season, with a club option for 2027.
New England did not exercise the contract options on midfielder Emmanuel Boateng, midfielder Maciel, midfielder/defender Christian Makoun, defender Ben Reveno, and defender Ben Sweat. In addition, three players are out of contract after the 2023 season: forward Gustavo Bou, defender Omar Gonzalez, and forward Justin Rennicks. Despite currently being out of contract for 2024, any of the above players could return to the club on new agreements.
In addition, three new Homegrown Players are also set to join the MLS roster in 2024 after ascending to the first team via the Revolution’s Pro Player Pathway. Defender Peyton Miller, 16, became the youngest professional signing in club history in 2023 and is fresh off a standout performance at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia earlier this month. Defender Santiago “Tiago” Suarez and forward Malcolm Fry from Groton, Mass., both 18, will also be available for MLS competition in 2024. All three were regular starters for Revolution II in MLS NEXT Pro last season, as the team advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
2023 MLS Cup presented by Audi takes place on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4:00 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass (Apple TV), FOX, and FOX Deportes. Then, following a three-month roster freeze, MLS clubs may begin adjusting their rosters for 2024 when the MLS trade window opens on Monday, December 11 (9:00 a.m. ET). The End-of-Year Waiver process begins on Tuesday, Dec. 12 and ends on Thursday, Dec. 14. MLS Free Agency opens on Wednesday, Dec. 13 (1:00 p.m. ET), open to players who are out-of-contract or option-declined and are at least 24 years old with at least five years of MLS service. The MLS Re-Entry Process then begins with Stage 1 on Thursday, Dec. 14, with Stage 2 on Thursday, Dec. 21.
MLS SuperDraft 2024 presented by adidas is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The draft will consist of three rounds following the reverse order of the club standings at the end of each MLS season, taking postseason performance into account.
New England Revolution 2024 MLS Roster By Position
As of Dec. 1, 2023
Goalkeepers (3): Earl Edwards Jr., Tomáš Vaclík, Jacob Jackson
Defenders (8): Brandon Bye, Andrew Farrell, DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Peyton Miller, Dave Romney, Ryan Spaulding, Santiago Suarez
Midfielders (10): Esmir Bajraktarevic, Noel Buck, Carles Gil, Nacho Gil, Ian Harkes, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Tommy McNamara, Jack Panayotou, Matt Polster, Damian Rivera
Forwards (6): Joshua Bolma, Dylan Borrero, Tomás Chancalay, Malcolm Fry, Giacomo Vrioni, Bobby Wood
New England Revolution 2024 MLS Roster Quick Facts:
As of Dec. 1, 2023
Designated Players (3): Tomás Chancalay, Carles Gil, Giacomo Vrioni
Homegrown Players (7): Esmir Bajraktarevic, Noel Buck, Malcolm Fry, Peyton Miller, Jack Panayotou, Damian Rivera, Santiago Suarez
International Players (6): Joshua Bolma, Dylan Borrero, Tomás Chancalay, Nacho Gil, Tomáš Vaclík, Giacomo Vrioni
MLS Under-22 Initiative (1): Dylan Borrero
Average Age: 25 years, 347 days
Average Age of Homegrown Players: 18 years, 274 days
Note: Roster designations are subject to change prior to the roster compliance deadline in February 2024.
