FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution has acquired Honduran forward Jerry Bengtson on a transfer from Honduras’ CD Motagua. Bengtson, who recently led La Liga Nacional de Honduras in scoring for three straight seasons, will be formally added to the team’s roster upon receipt of his U.S. P-1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate. He will occupy both designated player and international roster spots on the Revolution’s roster once added. Per league and club policies, further contract details will not be released.
“We’re very pleased that we’ve added Jerry to our squad,” Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. “He is very well-known within CONCACAF and has been a reliable, consistent scorer for both club and country. We’re looking forward to getting him integrated into our system as quickly as possible and to getting him out on the field in MLS games.”
Bengtson, 25, began his professional career in the 2007 Apertura season with Honduras’ Vida, and played with his original club through the 2010 Apertura season. In each of his final two seasons with the Cocoteros – the 2010 Clausura and 2011 Apertura campaigns – Bengtson won the La Liga scoring titles with 13 and 12 goals, respectively.
He moved to Motagua in November 2010, and began playing with the club during the 2011 Clausura season. He continued his goal-scoring prowess with his new club, again capturing the league’s scoring title for the third-straight season with a 15-goal effort. His 15-goal season was the league’s highest single-season output by a single player since Carlos Pavon scored 15 goals in the 2007 Clausura season.
Bengtson also helped Motagua capture the 2011 Clausura title that season, leading the club to a berth in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League. Bengtson was a visible presence on Motagua’s Champions League squad, appearing in all six group-stage contests and scoring one of the team’s two goals.
Bengtson has been a member of the Honduras National Team since 2010, earning 22 caps and scoring eight goals. He earned his first-ever cap on April 21, 2010, in a 1-0 loss to Venezuela in a friendly. His first international goal came in a friendly against Ecuador on Feb. 9, 2011. Bengtson scored three goals for Honduras during the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup as the team advanced to the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Mexico.
Bengtson has been named to Honduras’ 2012 Olympic roster as one of its three overage players in the Under-23 tournament, and the Revolution has granted him permission to represent Honduras at the Olympic games in London later this month.
Transaction: New England Revolution (MLS) – Signed F Jerry Bengtson
JERRY BENGTSON
Full name: Jerry Ricardo Bengtson Bodden
Pronunciation: BEHN-son
Position: Forward
Date of Birth: April 8, 1987 (Santa Rosa de Aguan, Honduras)
Hometown: Santa Rosa de Aguan, Honduras
Height: 6-1
Weight: 165 lbs.
Previous Club: CD Motagua (HON)
Nationality: Honduras
Status: Designated Player, International
Jersey Number: 27
