FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England’s record-setting transfer window may have been shut for a couple weeks now, but it was only a few days ago that the last new piece from that window actually arrived. Midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, transferred from Belgian top tier side Royal Antwerp FC, touched down in the Bay State to meet his new teammates and coaches, finalize medical tests, and speak on his major move.
Yusuf couldn’t stay stateside for long, as he was called up to national team duty with his native Nigeria for the current round of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, after appearing with the Super Eagles in the most recent edition of the competition and even featuring in the final. But while he was in town, he spoke to revolutionsoccer.net about his experience playing in the UEFA Champions League, his first impressions of Foxborough, and what fans can expect to see when he dons the Revolution’s red, white, and blue.
“Really excited to join this club,” Yusuf said. “After the conversation I had with the staff and the coach, I think that was the reason why I chose to come to this club.”
Of course, a crucial part of that conversation included discussing exactly what sort of role head coach Caleb Porter would have for the midfielder within his system. Porter has already made clear his own excitement for how Yusuf will slot in, and the new arrival echoed the confidence that he would fit right in with the Revolution’s structure.
“It’s the playing style, you know?” Yusuf said. “For my quality as a player, this is the best for me – pressing high, playing from the back, keeping the ball in the team. I think that I’m this kind of player. He [Porter] explained everything to me and I thought, ‘Yeah, this is for me.’”
Before joining New England, Yusuf had stints playing in the top flights of both the Swedish and Belgian league systems, lifting the Swedish domestic cup in 2019-20 and winning a Belgian domestic double in 2022-23. In last season’s Champions League campaign, the Nigerian also notched a goal against FC Porto in his debut in the competition, and later added an assist in a 3-2 win over none other than Spanish giants FC Barcelona, as well. But Yusuf said that those experiences, as lofty as they were, only served to prepare him for what still lies ahead.
“It was a great experience, playing in Champions League,” he said. “But for me this is a totally new challenge. I’m just looking forward to what I can give to this club and also for the league.”
As far as what has stood out about being in New England, Yusuf said that it was the state-of-the-art Revolution Training Center that stood out to him most, exciting him for how he can further his own development with the Revs.
“I think the first impression for me is the training facility – really nice, world-class for me,” he said. “It’s something that I’m looking forward to [using] and just [getting] better and better in my football quality, to bring it out, and then we’ll see what will happen in the next couple of years.”
The midfielder added that he’d only had a little time in town before the team traveled to face Real Salt Lake, but said that he was excited to get into training and onto the field with the team as soon as possible. He also felt that his arrival at this pivotal moment, with the team still pushing to make the playoffs, was just the right time for him.
“For me, it’s the right moment to come into the team,” he said, “when they are looking for somebody to push, give the last push into the playoffs towards the end of the season. I think, for me, I am ready for that; I had the preseason with Antwerp, so I think I’m ready for it.”
