CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – The New England Revolution’s “mystery” signing is a mystery no more.
It’s been two weeks since Revolution president Brian Bilello teased the move on Twitter, but on Monday morning fans were finally given a name as the club announced the acquisition of Xavier Kouassi.
The deal with Kouassi is a pre-contract, as the 26-year-old midfielder is currently captain of FC Sion and has a contract with the Swiss club that runs through June 30. At the conclusion of that contract, Kouassi will be eligible to join the Revs pending receipt of his P1-visa and International Transfer Certificate.
The once-capped Ivorian international will occupy a Designated Player slot, and the Revs are very much looking forward to Kouassi’s arrival. General Manager Michael Burns and head coach Jay Heaps visited him early this offseason and upon meeting the player, immediately knew he was a fit in the Revolution’s system and locker room.
“It was productive in terms of not just being able to see him play, but any time you can sit down with a player, you get a feel,” Burns said. “Even though he doesn’t speak English very well yet, he understands it a little bit. We just got a feeling and a vibe.”
The Revs also have a feeling that Kouassi will be a significant presence through the middle of the field. Although on the smaller side at 5-foot-8, Kouassi is a tough-tackling central midfielder and doesn’t shy away from the physical side of the game, adding a much-needed element to New England’s spine.
“That’s one of the things that we’re looking for and adding in our midfield,” said Burns, calling Kouassi a holding midfielder also capable of playing box to box. “We’ve got a lot of technical players, but he’s got a little bit of grit to him, a little bit of bite. That’s probably not a bad thing for our team.”
Of course, Kouassi won’t arrive until midseason when his contract with FC Sion expires, but until then, the Revs are confident that the central midfielders returning from the 2015 roster are strong enough to take the club into the start of the 2016 campaign.
“We’ve retained most of our players from last year and as our current roster stands, we have a number of central midfield players that we feel comfortable can play,” Burns said. “Ultimately it’ll be up to Jay in terms of the formation and who plays where and in what roles.
“But we absolutely feel that Kouassi is going to make us a better team for the second half of this year.”
