The New England Revolution announced today that they have re-acquired midfielder Lee Nguyen from Inter Miami via trade.
The Revs have made the decision to bring back the 2014 MVP candidate as the season reaches its midway point. Per @samstejskal, the Revolution are sending a 2021 4th-round-pick in the MLS Superdraft and up to $50,000 in GAM (General Allocation Money) the other way. Reports out of Miami suggested that Nguyen had fallen out of favor with Head Coach Diego Alonso, alluding to his lack of playing time. The Vietnamese-American’s last appearance with Miami was on August 30th, a 1-0 loss to Nashville.
Nguyen was acquired by the Revs following his release from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2012. He would go on to lead the Revolution to their first MLS Cup Final appearance since 2007 before eventually falling to the LA Galaxy. Nguyen’s scoring abilities saw him among a trio of stars vying for the league’s MVP award after bagging 18 goals and 5 assists across 32 matches. While his production tapered off in 2015, the midfielder still managed to score 8 times and grab 10 assists in the process. 2016 was arguably the worst season for Nguyen as a consistent starter, only managing 6 goals and 10 assists, before rebounding the following year with 11 goals and 16 assists.
An offseason contract dispute with Mike Burns and new manager Brad Friedel lead to the star refusing to play in the 2018 season, before being traded away to LAFC. His first season in LA saw Nguyen appear in 25 matches, while the following seasons had seen his minutes decline rapidly. LAFC chose not to protect Nguyen in the league’s expansion draft, where he was then selected by Inter Miami. This year the 33-year-old hasn’t scored or assisted in any fashion in his 5 appearances for Inter Miami, but now back where it all began, Nguyen is sure to have a renewed energy.
In an ironic twist, the man who Carles Gil was brought in to replace 2 years ago has suddenly become the very same man replacing Carles Gil during his injury. As an attacking midfielder familiar with a majority of players still currently on the roster, such as Antonio Delamea, Scott Caldwell, Teal Bunbury, Kelyn Rowe, and Andrew Farrell to name a few. Once Nguyen reaches New England, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to suit up either in the Starting XI or on the bench this Saturday against Philadelphia.
Photo: (AP/Daily Mail)