FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has signed German defender Florian “Flo” Lechner on a free transfer from Germany’s Karlsruher SC. Lechner will be formally added to the team’s roster upon receipt of his U.S. P-1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate. Per league and club policies, further contract details will not be released
“We believe Flo will be a solid addition to our defensive corps and he adds versatility and depth to that group,” General Manager Michael Burns said. “We were pleased with how Flo adapted to MLS’ style of play and how he interacted with our players when we was with us in Tucson during preseason.”
Lechner, 31, comes to the Revolution from Bundesliga 2 (second-division) club Karlsruher SC, where he made 12 league appearances and two starts in the DFB Cup in the second half of 2011. Lechner previously played the bulk of his professional career with FC St. Pauli, where he made more than 100 appearances since 2004 while helping the club gain repeated promotion from the fourth division of German soccer all the way to the Bundesliga for the 2010-11 season.
Lechner began his professional career with VfB Stuttgart, where he was part of the club’s academy program before joining the club’s affiliated reserve team, VfB Stuttgart II, permanently in 2001. He made more than 60 appearances with Stuttgart II between the 1999-2000 and 2003-2004 seasons before moving to St. Pauli in the summer of 2004.
Lechner has the ability to play anywhere across the back, but is a natural right full back.
The Revolution returns to action on Saturday, March 17, when the team travels to face Sporting Kansas City at 8:30 p.m. ET. The match will be televised by Comcast SportsNet, and 98.5 The Sports Hub will carry the game on the radio.
For up-to-the-minute information on the Revolution, visit the team’s official web site at revolutionsoccer.net, or follow the team on Twitter at @NERevolution, or on Facebook at facebook.com/NERevolution.
The Revolution offers a variety of ticket options. Four- and six-game mini-game plans are on sale now and start at $84 for Category 3 tickets. Season tickets for the 2012 New England Revolution season are also on sale and start at $252 for 18-game packages. Individual game tickets are also now on sale. Call 1-877-GET-REVS or visit revolutionsoccer.net for more information about these plans or any other ticket option.
Transaction: New England Revolution (MLS) – Signed D Flo Lechner
