FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Gustavo Bou is good to go.
Word came through on Monday morning that Bou has received his P-1 visa and international transfer certificate, which means the 29-year-old forward has officially been added to the New England Revolution roster and will be available for selection when the Revs host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium (7 p.m., GET TICKETS).
It seems almost inevitable now that Bou will, indeed, make his debut against Vancouver.
“We brought him here to play, not to sit in the stands,” sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena said after Bou’s first training session on Monday morning. “Hopefully we can get him on the field Wednesday.”
Bou will have the benefit of only a couple training sessions with his new teammates prior to Wednesday’s game, but his fitness is high after participating in preseason with previous club Tijuana, and he looked sharp taking his first touches on the Gillette Stadium field on Monday.
His teammates were immediately impressed with Bou’s ability on the ball – “He’s going to be a special player,” said Teal Bunbury – and they’ve also been highly complimentary of his attitude as he’s settled in with the group, including making the trip to Washington, D.C. this past weekend.
“He doesn’t know any English, so I’m trying to get my Spanish going with him,” said Bunbury. “But he’s definitely a little jokester and I think he fit right in.”
“He’s a big personality,” echoed goalkeeper Matt Turner. “He’s really fit in well with the guys already, and you see his quality on the pitch. He’s a guy that wants to be in front of goal, wants to score, and is just bringing an intensity to the game that’s going to help us.”
